It was the first major war of a larger conflict, the Cold War. The Cold War was a political, economic and military contest between the two post-war superpowers, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union). The Republic of Korea (south) was supported by the United States which persuaded the United Nations to side with her. Australia was one of the 21 members of the United Nations which sent military forces to aid the south. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (north), was backed by China and the Soviet Union.
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DVA (Department of Veterans' Affairs) (2021), The Korean War, DVA Anzac Portal, accessed 10 August 2022, https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/korean-war-1950-1953/korean-war Over six million soldiers, sailors and airmen fought on both sides in the Korean War... More than three million of these were communists from North Korea, China and Russia. Opposing them were almost three million from South Korea and from 21 United Nations (UN) countries including Australia. Not all of the six million were present at one time. The war began with only 200,000 North Koreans fighting 100,000 South Korean personnel. With the arrival of the UN, and later the Chinese armies, there were a million combatants present one year after the war began. By war's end there were more than two million ranged along the ceasefire line – 1,100,000 UN and South Koreans facing 1,200,000 North Koreans and Chinese. The Soviet Union's contribution was always small and included medical units from the Soviets' allies Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. There is a constant flow of personnel in and out of armed forces. Newly trained arrivals are needed to replace losses from battle and sickness. Also personnel often serve a period in the theatre of war and then return home to rest, and are replaced by new troops. The Chinese army for instance, was never stronger than 900,000 at any one time, yet 2,200,000 Chinese served in Korea. The personnel of UN army and air units usually served for one year and were then replaced. This does not mean the unit itself always left the country. The Royal Australian Air Force's 77 Squadron served in Korea throughout the war but its members were replaced several times over in the course of the conflict. Ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) served from six months to a year in Korean waters before returning to Australia. In this way nine RAN ships served there, but not more than two at a time. Of the 17,000 Australians who fought in the Korean War, there were never more than 4000 present at any moment. The very increase in the size of the armed forces contributed to the stalemate of the last two years of the war. In the early manoeuvre phase the armies were too small to hold a strong line across the 250-kilometre wide peninsula so an enemy attack leading to a breakthrough was often possible. Later armies of more than a million on each side found the line could be strongly held all along its length, and a breakthrough became impossible or too expensive in lives.
RAN in the Korean War: battle brainstorm
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At the end of the Second World War, Korea – which had formerly been occupied by the Japanese – was divided along the 38th Parallel. This was an internal border between North and South Korea based on a circle of latitude.
Control of the seas was vital during the Korean War. Curator Rob Rumble talks about the role of the navy from the decks of HMS Belfast.
Ron Yardley joined HMS Belfast as she prepared to travel around the world to fight in the Korean War. Ron remembers the maze of ladders and corridors of the ship and the power of her forward guns when she went into action. |