Five years after emerging victorious from World War II, the United States became embroiled in the Korean War. In August of 1950, despite the relative industrial and technological disadvantages suffered by the enemy North Korean Peoples’ Army, the...
When the North Korean 4th Division breached the Pusan Perimeter in the sector of the U.S. 24th Infantry Division on 6 August, it triggered an extensive series of counterattacks that lasted for the next two weeks. Those counterattacks and the...
The purpose of this paper is to determine the utility of the 2d Infantry Division as a platform for decisive operations on the Korean Peninsula. Based on an unclassified North Korean campaign plan, a model CFC campaign plan was constructed that...
One of German General Carl Von Clausewitz's key concepts is culmination. His primary work On War describes culmination for the attacker as the point beyond which he can no longer continue his attack and risks destruction from a counterattack. For...
The purpose of this monograph is to inquire whether or not the traditional explanation of poor peacetime training and unit readiness is adequate to account for U.S. Army defeats during the first month of the Korean War. General histories of the...
More than 60 years since the outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula, the United States Armed Forces continue to stand by the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of the Republic of Korea in an effort to deter further North Korean aggression. The...
From 1945-1950, the United States Army transitioned from a conventional force designed for maneuver warfare in Europe to a role, which supported the Air Force in their delivery of nuclear weapons. This secondary role emerged from strategic studies...
In November, 1950, the United States Army suffered one of its most devastating defeats ever, in the frozen mountains of North Korea at the hands of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. This defeat fundamentally changed the nature of the Korean...
This monograph analyzes the use of bypassed forces in defensive operations to determine if they are a viable means for increasing tactical depth of the defense. Because of the fluid nature and rapid tempo of modern battle there will be situations...
This study researches the positioning of the current Heavy Division Bridge Company to best support River Crossing Operations. Numerous changes in force structure, size of the force, and optimum use of engineer capabilities have raised valid...
Historical examples are an expedient way to develop an understanding of operational art theory and concepts. A historical illustration of both operational success and failure is the Korean War. Several aspects of the Korean War remain relevant to...
This study examines a portion of the current US Army rear operation doctrine as it applies to the tactical level of war. Specifically, it compares the capability of the dedicated rear area tactical combat force (TCF) with an on-order tactical...
Air/Land Battle doctrine stresses the need for Army units to fight successfully out-numbered. This dictum implies the conduct of defensive operations at the beginning of a war. The shift to offensive operations, the counterattack, can be the key to...
This monograph examines the problem of conducting a defense along a wide front. With the broad sectors assigned to some of our divisions in Europe and the huge frontages that divisions in contingency roles may be required to defend, this is a...
This narrative recounts the historical leadup to the Korean War and an operational account of some of the battles and operations during the first twelve months of the war. Its primary focus is on US employment of Republic of Korea (ROK) Army units...
This monograph examines the feasibility of adapting the Soviet concepts of "desant" and the Operational Maneuver Group for amphibious application in future joint campaigns. It is based on premises that future employment of U.S. military forces will...
A study of General Walton H. Walker's career offers a lens through which to view the evolution of Army training doctrine, revealing its strengths and weaknesses over a period of nearly four decades. However, an understanding of the skills necessary...
Department of Military Art and Engineering, United States Military Academy
This document details the United Nations defensive and offensive actions, the Chinese communist intervention, the first United Nations counteroffensive, and the Chinese communist forces spring offensive.
This book was originally published in 1954, the year following the close of the Korean War. The accounts of small-unit actions were written primarily for junior officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates of the United States Army who had not...