H A R B O R N I T E
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Sunday, August 17, 2025
Saturday, August 16, 2025
Up The Ante
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.
* * * * *
© Tom Taylor
OVER EASY
Sunday, August 10, 2025
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Korea
Japan invaded the Korean peninsula at the turn
of the 20th century, ending Korea's independence.
Forty years of occupation ended with Japan's surrender
to the Allies at the end of World War 2.
The peninsula would now be divided between the globe's
two opposing superpowers, the US and Russia.
They established a capitalist proxy south of the 38th parallel
and a communist one in the north.
What could possibly go wrong?
Roosevelt had big plans for China once the war
ended. They would have a seat on the UN Security
Council along with the world's other leading big shots -
France, Britain, Russia and the U.S.
They would influence the course of history.
Then the unthinkable occurred.
Mao's peasant army was beating up Chiang's military,
the one fortified with $2 billion in American weaponry.
China may go communist but there would be no
Security Council invitation sent to Mao.
If Chiang had only a rowboat to paddle,
he would be awarded China's place at the UN
over Mao and his misguided followers.
Korea's importance to Washington grew as Chiang's
fortunes in China slid towards desperation.
Syngman Rhee was America's choice to lead
South Korea. He was Harvard educated,
conservative and a fervid anticommunist.
He had spent the past thirty-five years living
in the U.S. and could not be accused of
collaboration with the Japanese occupiers,
unlike many of his rivals.
Rhee also had ambitions for wealth and power.
He became both corrupt and intolerant of opposition.
Washington refused him tanks because they feared
Rhee would quickly use them to invade the north.
Kim IL Sung was charismatic, a resistance fighter,
a dedicated communist and the Kremlin's man
to lead Korea, once he unified it.
Stalin repeatedly refused Kim the authority to
attack the South, though. The time was never right.
Like Rhee, Kim was held on a short leash.
Chiang's Nationalist government steadily shrank,
until it ruled over only a few isolated cities strung
along the Chinese coast. The war for control of the
mainland has been decided. Chiang's forces were
dispersed and vulnerable. The Nationalist
government's only hope for survival was a retreat
to the nearby island of Taiwan.
The People's Republic of China was declared from
some government steps in Beijing by Mao Zedong,
October 1, 1949. Now began the process of Asia's
rapid change.
In 1950 Stalin finally agreed to back Kim's plan
to invade South Korea and unify the peninsula.
The time was right. China was now ruled by
a communist government, willing and eager to aid
Kim in his goal of ridding Korea of American influence.
A real game changer though, was Stalin now had
the Bomb. Both superpowers were now armed
with the atom. The playing field was level.
Stalin didn't believe America would go to war
over Kim's attack. Most Americans had never
heard of South Korea and couldn't care less
about some scrap going on in this distant outpost.
Was Truman really going to pull Dad from his
wife and kids, put him back in uniform and ship
him off to Asia to fight over an unknown land
where the winters were subzero?
Not on your life.
* * * * *
© Tom Taylor
OVER EASY
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Time Marches On
Berlin Blockade Broken
May, 1949
After 320 days the roads and tracks supplying the people
of West Berlin were once again open to traffic from the
NATO allies. The attempt to heat and feed two and
a half million residents with supplies airlifted into the
city involved an unprecedented number of cargo planes.
A plane flew into the airport, unloaded its cargo, then
it was off on its return to West Germany to pick up
another load. All this in the space of seven minutes.
Organization and relentless effort beat Stalin
in Berlin.
Adenauer Elected German Chancellor
August, 1949
Konrad Adenauer ran as a conservative, anticommunist
in this first democratic election of the newly formed
West Germany. He wanted reunification for Germany
but he realized this goal could not be met without
first, developing a close personal relationship with France.
Second, Germany becomes an equal partner among
the members of NATO.
Adenauer had a clear idea of what he wanted.
Communists Topple Czech Government
February, 1948
Fearing an election loss in May, Communist forces
overthrew the democratic Czech government and
replaced it with a leadership that took their orders
directly from Stalin.
Political opponents were rounded up. Voices
opposed to the new government were silenced.
Jan Masaryk was the son of a national hero,
Tomas Masaryk. He was also his nation's current
foreign minister. The communist coup left him
feeling betrayed. People said he was bitter.
Depressed maybe. But Suicidal?
One way or another he sailed out the window
to a pavement a couple of floors below.
Strategic Bomber Takes to Sky
August, 1946
The mission of the B-36 was to deliver a nuclear weapon
from its base in the United States to a target in Russia,
thousands of miles away; nonstop. It was state-of-the-art,
hi-tech expensive, but these planes saved taxpayers the
cost of stationing tens of thousands of more American
troops in Europe. They just had to appear a credible
threat to the Soviets.
The Pentagon built 380 of these bombers before
Russia's jet powered MiG-15 made them all scrapheap
obsolete by 1950, just 4 years later. The U.S.
countered with the all jet B-52. The Soviets
came back with surface-to-air missiles: SAMs.
These systems required ever changing engineering.
First in weapons was key. You win with the edge
in innovation. It's a victory that is fleeting.
Don't let up.
China Falls to Communists
October, 1949
A Communist led, peasant-based army has defeated
the American supplied Nationalist army of General
Chiang Kai-shek. The General fled with his army
to the nearby island of Taiwan while Mao Zedong,
his political nemesis, took control of the new
People's Republic of China.
Mao's peasant-oriented revolutionary strategy
became the model for Third World political movements
through Asia, Africa and South America - all nations
oppressed by colonialism.
U.S. Stands with Taiwan
October, 1949
Chiang Kai-shek's government was a model of
corruption and incompetence. Ask the Americans
assigned to advise him. But that wasn't the story
being told back home. Chiang was a staunch ally of
America. He fought beside us against the Japanese
in WW2. He was a lifelong anticommunist.
And everyone knew the Chinese loved Americans.
The loss of China was a stunner,
bigger than the Russians exploding an A-Bomb
that same year. People got the feeling
the forces of democracy were suddenly losing
the battle. It made no sense.
Something underhanded was going on here.
* * * * *
© Tom Taylor
OVER EASY
Friday, August 1, 2025
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