Battle of Pusan Perimeter
The Battle of Pusan Perimeter, occurring from June to September 1950, was a critical engagement during the Korean War following North Korea's invasion of South Korea. After initial rapid advances, North Korean forces faced stiff resistance as U.S. and South Korean troops established a defensive line known as the Pusan Perimeter in late July. This area, approximately eighty miles long and fifty miles wide, was situated in the southeast corner of the Korean Peninsula. The defense was composed primarily of U.S. infantry divisions and Republic of Korea (ROK) forces, commanded by General Walton Walker.
Despite being exhausted and understrength, North Korean troops launched relentless assaults on the perimeter for over a month. However, they struggled against U.S. aerial and naval bombardments and could not break the defensive lines. The successful defense of the city of Taegu was pivotal, allowing for crucial supplies and reinforcements to reach the besieged forces in Pusan. The situation shifted dramatically with the U.S. amphibious landing at Inchon on September 15, 1950, which disrupted North Korean supply lines and enabled the allied forces to break out of the Pusan Perimeter shortly thereafter. This battle marked a significant turning point in the war, influencing subsequent military strategies and engagements.
Battle of Pusan Perimeter
Date: July 29-September 19, 1950
Location: Southeast corner of Korea
Combatants: United States, South Korean, and United Nations forces vs. North Korea and China
Principal commanders:American and U.N., Lieutenant General Walton Walker (1889–1950); North Korean, Choe Yong Gun (1900–1976)
Result: American and South Korean forces successfully defended the Pusan Perimeter, preventing North Korea’s military conquest of the entire peninsula.
North Korean forces invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, advancing southward quickly despite U.S. military intervention. After defeats at Osan, the Kum River, and Taejon, the U.S. Eighth Army established in late July a defensive position in the southeast corner of the peninsula. A rectangular area, the Pusan Perimeter was about eighty miles from north to south along the Naktong River and fifty miles east to west to just north of Yongdok on the Sea of Japan. Defending it was the U.S. Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry and First Cavalry Divisions together with the First, Third, Sixth, Eighth, and Capital Divisions of the Republic of Korea (ROK), guided by General Walton Walker.
North Korea’s Third, Fourth, Sixth, Eighteenth, and Twelfth Guards and elements of its Thirteenth and Fifteenth Infantry and 105th Armored Divisions, though exhausted and understrength, initiated fierce fighting for over a month. No longer able to use previously devastating flanking and rear attacks and subject to constant U.S. air and naval bombardment, the North Korean forces, under Choe Yong Gun, battered but did not destroy the Pusan Perimeter.
The South Korean forces successfully defended Taegu, allowing supplies and reinforcements to arrive at Pusan behind shorter logistics lines. The amphibious landing assault at Inchon on September 15, 1950, and then interdiction of North Korea’s extended logistics lines enabled U.S. and South Korean forces to break out of the Pusan Perimeter and move northward swiftly after September 19.
