Canada in the Korean War

Japan's defeat in World War II brought an end to 35 years of Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

U.S. Army Lieutenant-General John R. Hodge formally accepted the surrender of Japanese forces south of the 38th Parallel on 9 September 1945 at the Government House in Seoul.

Troops from North's Korean People's Army (KPA) crossed the 38th parallel on 25 June 1950 beginning a civil war.

The day the war began, the United Nations immediately drafted UNSC Resolution 82, which called for:[4] When the Korean People's Army crossed into South Korea on 25 June 1950, they advanced for the capital Seoul, which fell in less than a week.

North Korea's forces continued toward the port of Pusan, a strategic goal and the seat of the ROK government.

Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes, then Chief of the General Staff was in favour of Canada providing an infantry brigade for the 1st Commonwealth Division.

The normal recruitment standards were lowered since "the army would not wish to retain the 'soldier of fortune' type of personnel on a long term basis'".

The new battalion trained in Calgary and at CFB Wainwright, before boarding the USS Private Joe P. Martinez on 25 November 1950, to Pusan in South Korea.

[6] The battalion landed in Korea in December and trained in the mountains for eight weeks before finally taking part in the war on 6 February, becoming a component of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade of the IX Corps in the 8th US Army.

The Patricias D Company led by Captain J. G. Turnbull were to attack but the ridge of the hill gave an easy line of sight for the Chinese.

[attribution needed][16] The Canadians learned during the operation that the Chinese were very good at concealing automatic weapons along approach lines.

American and South Korean men poured through a gap under protective covering fire from Australians who were holding their section of the line despite heavy pressure.

recalled it, "[W]e looked out and all we could see were South Korean troops flying past us along with all these monstrous American Vehicles they were supplied with".

After a night of fierce fighting Major Bernard O'Dowd, Officer Commanding, A Company, 3 RAR, managed to get through on a radio phone to a general of the 1st U.S. Marine Division.

Captain Mills, in command of D Company, was forced to call down artillery fire on his own positions on Hill 677 several times during the early morning hours of 25 April to avoid being overrun.

[23] The 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, also managed to withdraw and link up with the U.S. Army's 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion.

The eight Canadian ships' duties included shore bombardments and the destruction of North Korean trains and railway lines.

The only Canadian naval casualties of the Korean War occurred on 2 October 1952 during an inshore patrol by Iroquois on the east coast, inflicted by a coastal defence battery: 3 sailors died and 10 were wounded.

[25] In 1950, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was heavily involved with the transportation of personnel and supplies in support of the Korean War.

During Canada's involvement in the Korean War, 600 trans-Pacific flights were flown in Canadair North Stars, carrying 3000 tons of cargo and 13,000 passengers.

Twenty-two RCAF fighter pilots, however, flew the North American F-86 Sabre on exchange duty with the United States Air Force (USAF) in Korea so that they could gain combat experience.

He was known for shooting down three enemy planes in less than two days and contributing a major effort to the South Korean air support throughout the war.

[citation needed] On 29 November 1952, U.S. President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower fulfilled a campaign promise by going to Korea to find out what could be done to end the conflict.

The site of the peace talks, Kaesong, the old capital of Korea, was part of the South before hostilities broke out but is currently a special city of the North.

[28] The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, South Korea has the remains of 378 Canadians who died during the war.

Historian Chris Madsen concluded that, "Once the immediate need of providing a deterrent for other soldiers contemplating such behaviour was fulfilled and the general public lost interest, the Department of National Defence quietly returned the disgraced soldiers back to civilian life as quickly as possible.

[31]Suffice it to say that very few men who were actually found guilty of these crimes served their full sentences after being returned to Canada; in fact, most were released within a year or two.

The evidence clearly indicates that they immediately took the appropriate disciplinary action in cases involving serious criminal offences, whether perpetrated against civilians or fellow soldiers.