Operation Inchon: Korean War Amphibious Assault (Restored)

Thanks for reminding us SGT John " Mac " McConnell of the brilliantly planned Inchon landing. We had more than ample WWII experience with landings under fire.
Korea is composed of rugged terrain but it has and is still vulnerable from the sea.
The strategic flanking movement succeeded in relieving pressure of LTG Walker’s Eighth Army. However this success and the resulting drive to the North drew the CHI COM into the war.
Images: 1950-09-15 Carrying scaling ladders, U.S. Marines in landing craftshead for the sea wall at Inchon. September 15, 1950; 1950 Inchon landing map; 1950-09-15 Troops of the 31st Infantry Regiment land at Inchon harbor, Korea; 1950-09-15 Inchon land map - Operation Chromite
Background:
"During the grim opening weeks of the Korean War, while American forces fought desperately in defense of the Pusan Perimeter, Far East Commander and General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was already conceiving of a bold stroke that would crush the North Korean People's Army. He planned an amphibious assault behind North Korean lines at Inchon, a port city on South Korea's west coast close to Seoul and North Korean Army supply lines. Planning for the Inchon invasion, code-named Operation CHROMITE, began August 12, 1950, and was completed the following month.

The objectives of Operation CHROMITE were three-fold; neutralize the fortified Wolmi Island, which controlled access to Inchon Harbor; land and capture Inchon, 25 miles west of Seoul; seize Kimpo Airfield just south of Seoul; and, finally, capture the city of Seoul. As part of his overall plan, General MacArthur envisioned that the Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA) would breakout of the Pusan Perimeter at the same time as the Inchon landing and push the North Korean Army northward, trapping it between the two forces.

On the morning of September 13, gunfire support ships from Vice Admiral Arthur D. Struble's Joint Task Force 7 (JTF 7) made their way up the narrow channel toward Inchon. JTF 7 comprised forces from nine nations and included 230 warships, 21 aircraft squadrons, and special amphibious, engineer, logistics and under water demolitions team (UDT) units. Additionally, General MacArthur had activated U.S. Army X Corps under the command of Major General Edward M. Almond to serve as the amphibious assault force. Tenth Corps was comprised of two divisions, the U.S. First Marine Division, with its attached South Korean Marine Regiment, and the U.S. Army 7th Infantry Division (including more than 8,000 South Korean soldiers), plus artillery, engineer, and other support elements. That afternoon, carrier-based aircraft, naval cruisers and destroyers delivered punishing aerial and naval bombardments on enemy fortifications and coastal artillery positions. The purpose was to soften up the enemy in preparation for the ensuing land assault.

The 1st and 5th Marine Regiments of the First Marine Division would spearhead the amphibious assault by navigating a narrow channel with swift currents while dodging islands and any remaining coastal defense battery sites. The amphibious assault began at about 6:25 a.m. on September 15. The first wave of Marines reached Wolmi Island at 6:33 a.m. and moved rapidly inland against almost no resistance. Within a few minutes, more Marines landed and moved across the island to seal off the causeway leading to Inchon. By 7:50 a.m. Wolmi Island was secured. During the assault, Far East Air Force (FEAF) combat fighters and B-29 bombers flew air interdiction missions and bombed key enemy airfields to prevent North Korean aircraft from joining the battle.

After the effortless capture of Wolmi Island, there was an anxious period when the tide began to fall, causing further activity to cease until late in the afternoon. By then, the North Koreans were fully alerted. United Nations Command (UNC) aircraft supporting the assault force patrolled the roads and countryside during the day, isolating the port out to a distance of 25 miles. Naval gunfire covered the closer approaches to Inchon. Later in the afternoon of September 15, two waves of assault forces headed for separate landing areas on Inchon's shoreline, designated Red Beach and Blue Beach; however, these "beaches" were faced with solid rock sea walls, which the Marines had to climb.

The Red Beach assault team arrived at 5:33 p.m. Most of the Marines climbed the sea wall with scaling ladders; however, some made their way through holes in the wall made by naval bombardment. Two objectives, Cemetery and Observatory Hills, lay in front of the assault team. On the left flank of the landing area an intense firefight ensued when the Marines encountered North Korean soldiers in trenches and a bunker just beyond the sea wall. Cemetery Hill was taken 22 minutes after the landing. On top of the hill, North Koreans threw down their weapons and surrendered. By midnight, the Marines had fought against sporadic resistance to the top of Observatory Hill.

Blue Beach assault team reached the landing area at 5:32 p.m. and had to climb a high sea wall that abutted the beach. This assault force had taken its objectives by 1:30 a.m. on September 16. The two regiments ashore were in contact by 7:30 a.m. Thereafter a solid line existed around Inchon and escape for any enemy still within the city became unlikely. Casualties for the X Corps invasion forces were 20 men killed, 1 missing in action and 174 wounded.

On the second day of the invasion, X Corps forces advanced rapidly against light resistance and by evening had reached the Beachhead Line, six miles inland from the landing area. Thus, within 24 hours of landing, X Corps had secured the high ground east of Inchon; occupied an area sufficient to prevent enemy artillery fire on the landing and unloading area; and obtained a base from which to mount the attack to seize Kimpo Airfield. Tenth Corps ground troops advanced rapidly towards Kimpo on September 17 and were at the edge of the airfield by 6:00 p.m. The southern part of the airfield was seized within the next two hours. The 400-500 enemy soldiers who ineffectively defended Kimpo appeared surprised and had not even mined the runway. Several small enemy counterattacks struck the perimeter positions at the airfield during the night. These company-sized counterattacks were repulsed, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy troops who finally fled to the northwest. Kimpo was secured during the morning of September 18.

The capture of Kimpo gave the UNC one of its major objectives. It broadened the capability of employing air power in the ensuing phases of the attack on Seoul, and, more importantly, provided a base for air operations to disrupt supply of the North Korean Army.

Also on the second day, vessels carrying the 7th Infantry Division arrived in Inchon Harbor. General Almond was eager to get the division into position to block a possible enemy movement from the south of Seoul. On the morning of September 18, the division's 2nd Battalion of the 32nd Infantry Regiment landed at Inchon and the remainder of the regiment went ashore later in the day. The next morning, the 2nd Battalion moved up to relieve an U.S. Marine battalion occupying positions on the right flank south of Seoul. Meanwhile, the 7th Division's 31st Regiment came ashore at Inchon. Responsibility for the zone south of Seoul highway passed to 7th Division at 6:00 p.m. on September 19.

The battle for Seoul lay ahead and was far more brutal than the action at Inchon. To further strengthen X Corps as quickly as possible, the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team was flown to Kimpo September 24 and 27 to cover X Corp's left flank and clear the Kimpo Peninsula. Meanwhile, the U.S. Marines expanded their bridgehead north of the Han River and advanced on Seoul, recapturing the capital city on September 27. During this period, most of the U.S. 7th Infantry Division moved southward to block the escape routes of North Korean troops attempting to retreat northward as the Eighth U.S. Army broke out of the Pusan Perimeter. On October 7, with North Korean forces in full retreat, the allies could declare Operation CHROMITE a total victory and arguably one of the most successful amphibious operations in military history.
From; http://www.nj.gov/military/korea/factsheets/chromite.html


FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 (Join to see) SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT MSG Andrew White SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Bill Koski

My late father-in-law was there, but relatively out of the action. He belonged to an outer perimeter of MacArthur's staff. And for the record, he did not know a single man who did not detest the Imperial Royal Divine general.

Might need to pull this old OPLAN out and update it...it may need to be implemented.