The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War is, arguably, one of the most difficult battles that have ever been fought by The American military in our history as a nation. The coalition forces of the United Nations, which eventually consisted of 21 nations, 88% of which were American, were faced with some of the most austere fighting conditions, not only by the Chinese enemy—who vastly outnumbered them and took them by surprise—but also by the operational environment conditions that were at play during the conflict. In addition to this they were subjected to the demands of the unrealistic and reckless leaders who they fell under, namely General MacArthur. The operational environment at play during this battle, and to a greater extent, the Korean War, was summed up accurately by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Omar N. Bradley when he said in a Congressional testimony on May 15, 1951 that the Korean war was "the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy." Politically, Korea was a divided nation. From the beginning of the 20th century until the end of WWII, Korea was under Japanese rule. Post WWII the peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel between the communist Soviet Union and the …show more content…
Like in so many other battles that came before and after this one, the U.S. underestimated the Chinese enemy. Major General Ned Almond, has been quoted saying, “don’t let a bunch of Chinese laundrymen stop you.” One commander that deserves due respect for his actions during this battle is Major General O.P. Smith. Smith displayed sound judgment and tactical foresight before the battle began and prepared his battlefield meticulously, despite the pressure from MacArthur and Almond to advance to the Yalu. MG Smith was commander of the 1st Marine Division, which fell under the command of MG Almond’s X Corps. The two Generals openly did not like each