Murphy's Law in Korea? MacArthur gets his day...

[Blochead]

I don't see a lot of Korea related AH, so... Any way MacArthur could have crossed the Yalu River? Triggered WWIII? Done so without getting orders from the President? Perhaps Dewey is elected?

Discuss... I'll be taking notes.

 

[Saladin]

The Chinese entered the war *because* they saw the possibility of MacArthur crossing the Yalu and invading China to topple their regime. So, the only way you can get the US/UN across the Yalu is to vastly icrease the troops in theatre ... and use the South Koreans as occupation troops in North Korea


Chris

 

[Max Sinister]

Hmm, WI the Americans had stopped a few km before the river, thus signaling "we only want North Korea, but leave China alone"? Could Korea be reunited?

 

[Saladin]

Hmm, WI the Americans had stopped a few km before the river, thus signaling "we only want North Korea, but leave China alone"? Could Korea be reunited?

Remember that the Americans had *not* reached the river when the Cinese intervened. In addition, the intervention had been planned for more than a mnth when it happened. *Perhaps* announcements to the efect that they intended to remain in NK would have worked, but I doubt it. As a new regime, the Chinese would have been very nervous and somewhat paranoid at their ideological enemies getting so close

 

[Dave Howery]

Hmm, WI the Americans had stopped a few km before the river, thus signaling "we only want North Korea, but leave China alone"? Could Korea be reunited?

I started a thread similar to this on the old board... basically, my idea was that the UN forces would stop on the 40th parallel (roughly), and fortify it, and then annex that part of NK to the south. This would have taken away most of NK's population and arable land, leaving them with only the poor mountainous northern third of the country. The big question is, would China intervene to save part of NK, instead of the whole thing as they did in OTL?

 

[tinfoil]

I started a thread similar to this on the old board... basically, my idea was that the UN forces would stop on the 40th parallel (roughly), and fortify it, and then annex that part of NK to the south. This would have taken away most of NK's population and arable land, leaving them with only the poor mountainous northern third of the country. The big question is, would China intervene to save part of NK, instead of the whole thing as they did in OTL?

OR would China have just wrung their hands, 'reluctantly' annexed the rump left over (purely as a defensive move, of course , and then rattled their sabers?

 

[Aldroud]

I read somewhere that China, during the initial ramp up in the UN, offered to join the UN effort to liberate S.Korea. The US led coalition rejected the offer. Anyone know if that's true or am I confused?

 

[TeaDaemon]

I read somewhere that China, during the initial ramp up in the UN, offered to join the UN effort to liberate S.Korea. The US led coalition rejected the offer. Anyone know if that's true or am I confused?

Yes, but not the People's Republic of China, it was the Republic of China, aka Taiwan, Chinese Taipei, etc. Needless to say, their offer of help was declined on the basis that if nothing else was likely to bring the PRC into the war, that was.