Again it is worthy of emphasis that the victory was not won by any one nation or any one branch of the military service. As far as this country is concerned, the Inchon-Seoul operation was conducted jointly by the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. General Douglas MacArthur was spokesman for all of them late in September 1950, in these extracts from the Sixth Report of the Commander in Chief, United Nations Command, to the Security Council of the United Nations:
“Events of the past two weeks have been decisive. The strategic concepts designed to win the war are rapidly proving their soundness through aggressive application by our ground, sea, and air forces.
“The seizure of the heart of the enemy’s distributing system in the Seoul area has completely dislocated his logistical supply to his forces in South Korea and has quickly resulted in their disintegration. Caught between our northern and southern forces, both of which are completely self-sustaining because of our absolute air and naval supremacy, the enemy is thoroughly shattered through disruption of his logistical support and our combined combat activities.
“The prompt junction of our two forces is dramatically symbolic of this collapse.
“The obstacles to this wide envelopment were not only the enemy opposition, but also the natural obstacles of poor beaches fronted by miles of mud flats, a narrow channel and an extraordinary tidal range of over 29 feet. The success demonstrated a complete mastery of the technique of amphibious warfare, clockwork coordination, and cooperation between the units and services participating. There was nothing noteworthy about the North Korean opposition, but there could have been. The potential was there. The North Koreans were proceeding with the construction of coastal fortifications, dug-in tanks and guns of all calibers, beach defenses and mining operations. Had this development been delayed for as much as a month, the enemy would have been ready and the assault, if possible, would have been more costly to United Nations forces.”
At no time, not even when the United Nations forces were fighting with their backs to the wall at Pusan, did the commander in chief ever have any doubts as to the outcome. It was fitting, therefore, that he should have summed up the results of the combined Eighth Army and X Corps offensives in this conclusion written after the securing of Seoul:
“A successful frontal attack and envelopment has completely changed the tide of battle in South Korea. The backbone of the North Korean army has been broken and their scattered forces are being liquidated or driven north with material losses in equipment and men captured.”
APPENDIX A
Glossary of Technical Terms and Abbreviations
- AAA(AW)Bn—Antiaircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Battalion (USA).
- AD—Destroyer Tender.
- AE—Ammunition Ship.
- AerialDelPlat—Aerial Delivery Platoon.
- AF—Air Force; Store Ship.
- AGC—Amphibious Force Flagship.
- AH—Hospital Ship.
- AK—Cargo Ship.
- AKA—Assault Cargo Ship.
- AKL—Cargo Ship—Light.
- AKS—Stores Issue Ship.
- AM—Minesweeper.
- AmphTracBn—Amphibious Tractor Battalion.
- AmphTrkBn—Amphibious Truck Battalion.
- AMS—Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper.
- ANGLICO—Air and Naval Gunfire Liaison Company.
- AO—Oiler.
- AOG—Gasoline Tanker.
- AP—Transport.
- APA—Assault Transport.
- APD—High Speed Transport.
- ARG—Repair Ship—Internal Combustion Engines.
- ARH—Repair Ship—Heavy Hull Damage.
- ARL—Repair Ship—Landing Craft.
- ArmdAmphBn—Armored Amphibian Battalion.
- ARS—Salvage Vessel.
- AT—Antitank.
- ATF—Ocean Tug—Fleet.
- AV—Seaplane Tender.
- AVP—Seaplane Tender, Small.
- Bchmstr Unit—Beachmaster Unit.
- BLT—Battalion Landing Team.
- Bn—Battalion.
- CA—Heavy Cruiser.
- CG—Commanding General.
- CICDet—Counter-Intelligence Corps Detachment (USA).
- CinCFE—Commander in Chief, Far East.
- CinCPacFlt—Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet.
- CL—Light Cruiser.
- CMC—Commandant of the Marine Corps.
- CNO—Chief of Naval Operations.
- CO—Commanding Officer.
- Co—Company.
- ComAirSupGrp—Commander Air Support Group.
- ComCarDiv—Commander Carrier Division.
- ComNavFE—Commander Navy Far East.
- ComPhibGruOne—Commander Amphibious Group One.
- CP—Command Post.
- C/S—Chief of Staff.
- CSG—Combat Service Group.
- CTF—Commander Task Force.
- CV—Aircraft Carrier.
- CVE—Aircraft Carrier—Escort.
- CVL—Aircraft Carrier—Light.
- DD—Destroyer.
- DDE—Escort Destroyer.
- DDR—Radar Picket Destroyer.
- DOW—Died of wounds.
- DUKW—Amphibious Truck.
- Emb Off—Embarkation Officer.
- EngrBn—Engineer Battalion.
- EngrPortConstCo—Engineer Port Construction Company (USA).
- EngrSpecBrig—Engineer Special Brigade (USA).
- ETO—European Theater of Operations.
- EUSAK—Eighth United States Army in Korea.
- FABn—Field Artillery Battalion (USA).
- FAC—Forward Air Controller.
- FBHL—Force Beachhead Line.
- FEAF—Far East Air Force.
- FECOM—Far East Command.
- F4U—Vought “Corsair” Fighter.
- FMF—Fleet Marine Force (Pac-Pacific; Lant-Atlantic).
- FO—Forward Observer.
- FSA—Fire Support Area.
- FSCC—Fire Support Coordination Center.
- F7F-3—Grumman “Tigercat” Night Fighter.
- Fum & Bath Plat—Fumigation and Bath Platoon.
- GCI—Ground Control Intercept.
- GHQ—General Headquarters.
- H & S Co—Headquarters and Service Company.
- HO3S-1—Sikorsky Helicopter.
- HqBn—Headquarters Battalion.
- HqCo—Headquarters Company.
- HqSq—Headquarters Squadron.
- InfDiv—infantry Division (USA).
- interv—Interview.
- JANIS—Joint Army-Navy Intelligence Studies.
- JCS—Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- JSPOG—Joint Strategic Planning and Operations Group.
- JTF—Joint Task Force.
- KIA—Killed in Action.
- KMC—Korean Marine Corps.
- LCM—Landing Craft, Mechanized.
- LCVP—Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel.
- LSD—Landing Ship, Dock.
- LSM—Landing Ship, Medium.
- LSMR—Landing Ship, Medium-Rocket.
- LST—Landing Ship, Tank.
- LSU—Landing Ship, Utility.
- LVT—Landing Vehicle, Tracked.
- LVT(A)—Landing Vehicle, Tracked (Armored).
- MAG—Marine Air Group.
- MAW—Marine Air Wing.
- MedBn—Medical Battalion.
- MGCIS—Marine Ground Control Intercept Squadron.
- MIA—Missing in action.
- MOS—Military Occupational Specialty.
- MPCo—Military Police Company.
- MTACS—Marine Tactical Air Control Squadron.
- MTBn—Motor Transport Battalion.
- NCO—Noncommissioned Officer.
- NGF—Naval Gunfire.
- NK—North Korea(n).
- NKPA—North Korean Peoples Army.
- OCMH—Office of the Chief of Military History (USA).
- Off—Officer.
- OP—Observation Post.
- OpnO—Operation Order.
- OrdAmmCo—Ordnance Ammunition Company (USA).
- OrdBn—Ordnance Battalion.
- OY—Consolidated-Vultee light observation plane.
- PC—Submarine Chaser.
- PCEC—Escort Amphibious Control Vessel.
- PF—Frigate.
- PhibGru—Amphibious Group.
- PhibTraPac—Training Command, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet.
- PIR—Periodic Intelligence Report.
- Plat—Platoon.
- POL—Petroleum, Oil, Lubricants.
- POW—Prisoner of War.
- RAF—Royal Air Force.
- RcnCo—Reconnaissance Company.
- RCT—Regimental Combat Team.
- RktBn—Rocket Battalion.
- ROK—Republic of Korea.
- SAC—Supporting Arms Center.
- SAR—Special Action Report.
- SCAJAP—Supreme Commander Allied Powers, Japan.
- ServBn—Service Battalion.
- SigBn—Signal Battalion.
- SigRepCo—Signal Repair Company (USA).
- SPBn—Shore Party Battalion.
- SpOpnsCo—Special Operations Company (USA).
- TAC—Tactical Air Coordinator.
- TAC X Corps—Tactical Air Command, X Corps.
- TacAir—Tactical Air.
- TADC—Tactical Air Direction Center.
- T-AP—Transport Operated by MSTS.
- T/E—Table of Equipment.
- TF—Task Force.
- TG—Task Group.
- T/O—Table of Organization.
- UDT—Underwater Demolitions Team.
- UF—Unit of fire.
- UN—United Nations.
- UNC—United Nations Command.
- USA—United States Army.
- USAF—United States Air Force.
- USMC—United States Marine Corps.
- USN—United States Navy.
- VMF—Marine fighter type aircraft (squadron).
- VMF(N)—Marine night fighter type aircraft, all-weather (squadron).
- VMO—Marine observation type aircraft (squadron).
- VMR—Marine transport type aircraft (squadron).
- WIA—Wounded in action.
- WP—White phosphorous.
- YMS—Motor Minesweeper.
- YTB—Harbor Tug, Big.
- YW—District Barge, Water (self-propelled).