Over the Beach. US Army Amphibious Operations in the Korean War
Abstract
In the summer of 1950, when the North Korean Army attacked South Korea, a US Army infantry battalion landing team was conducting an amphibious landing exercise in Japan. Over the previous 5 years, the Army and the Marine Corps had struggled bitterly over which Service should have the responsibility for amphibious warfare. During the 920s and 930s, both Services had grappled with the problem of transporting and landing ground forces from the sea, but the Marine Corps systematically developed doctrine, tactics, techniques, procedures, and equipment for assault landings against defended shores. During World War II, both Services made use of those techniques and developed improved methods for conducting amphibious operations. In Admiral Chester W. Nimitz's Pacific Ocean Areas (POA), both Marine and Army forces carried out landings against Japanese-held islands in the South and Central Pacific, culminating in the seizure of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands by forces of Tenth US Army under Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. In the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and European Theater of Operations (ETO), the Army, working with the British who had pioneered their own approach to amphibious operations, had developed doctrine and capabilities for continental assault landings and had carried out some of the largest amphibious operations in history in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Normandy, and Southern France. In the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), General Douglas MacArthur used predominantly Army and some Marine forces to carry out a series of landings along the coast of New Guinea and the nearby islands before conducting the amphibious invasion of the Philippines, which included several landings of various sizes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA507443
Entities
People
- Donald W. Boose Jr.
Organizations
- United States Army Combined Arms Center