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Korean War: Overview:
On June 25, 1950, communist North Korea invaded South Korea, quickly overwhelming its defenses. The United States joined the fighting in defense of the South under the banner of the United Nations, along with small contingents of troops from twenty-one other countries. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the Soviet Union) and the People's Republic of China, meanwhile, backed the North. Viewed by the United States as an opportunity to make a stand against the spread of communism, the conflict marked a turning point in US-Soviet relations and the Cold War period.
Just less than five years after the end of World War II, America was at war against in a nation many had never heard of and where America's interests were vague. It was a war fought under the authority of the United Nations, but not the US Congress. Although officially called a "police action," it was a war in everything but name. By 1952, the military situation had stalemated into a war of attrition. The war ended in 1953 where it had started, at the 38th parallel.
103,284 American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines were wounded during the Korean conflict. |