1949 was a banner year for the Communists.
Stalin exploded an atomic bomb, ending America's
monopoly on nuclear weapons. Then Chiang's
pro-American government in China was overthrown
by the Marxist forces of Mao Zedong.
U.S. global dominance was brought into question.
What next?
Truman brought in the new year, 1950, with an order
to develop a bomb many times more powerful than
the bomb dropped on Hiroshima to end the Second
World War. The world's first hydrogen bomb was
detonated four years later on the Bikini Atoll in the
South Pacific. It had a full 1,000 times the power of
the Hiroshima bomb. Here was a weapon that truly
could vaporize a large city like Moscow or New York.
Soon the Russians fired off their own H-Bomb, launching
the emerging superpower arms race into an
all systems go frenzy.
Mao came to Moscow in February, 1950, to secure
Stalin's support for his regime. Two months later he
returned to Beijing with the alliance he wanted from
the Soviets. From here on Chairman Mao would
follow Stalin's lead, in return for the Kremlin's
assurance of aid and military support for China.
Mao understood he was Junior in this relationship.
Stalin finally gave Kim the GO! to invade south
and unify Korea under Marxist rule. In the weeks
leading up to the invasion date, a steady supply
of military equipment sped across Mao's China
and into neighboring North Korea;
tanks, artillery, machine guns and planes -
here was everything the North would need to
overwhelm Rhee's forces south of the 38th Parallel.
Sunday, June 25th.
An artillery barrage at dawn reined confusion down
upon South Korea's defenders. A line of fast moving
tanks swept over the disorganized defense once
the shelling lifted. Seven fully equipped combat
divisions followed behind the tanks, mopping up
the survivors of this surprise attack.
Stalin was certain Uncle Sam wouldn't stick his nose
into this Korean scrape, being it so far from home
and just next door to Mao.
South Korea's troops were at a fatal disadvantage
without tanks of their own. This was because
Washington did not trust Rhee to use them responsibly.
That doesn't explain why Rhee's troops had no effective
anti-tank weapons for their own defense. The soldiers
might as well have been throwing rocks.
They were mowed down for their effort.
The defenders of the West were once again routed.
They abandoned their posts and their equipment,
before joining up with refugees that were already
streaming south.
Stalin miscalculated.
This will not stand...
to quote Harry Truman.
Call up the troops and do what it takes to win,
but don't bother Congress with a Declaration
of War. This is a United Nations police action,
not a war. We don't have wars, what with
nuclear bombs being so readily available.
Maybe small wars.
Nothing big. Nothing that really counts.
* * * * *
OVER EASY
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