The United States had originally paid no attention to the Korean War, but after the Battle of Chosin Reservoir broke out, the public suddenly became extremely excited
Once the Battle of Chosin Reservoir started, everything changed. The location was around Chosin Reservoir in the northeast of North Korea, where the temperature dropped to minus 38 degrees Celsius. The US X Corps, mainly the First Marine Division with about 25,000 men, plus part of the 7th and 3rd Army Divisions, totaling around 30,000, were surrounded by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's 12 divisions, approximately 120,000 troops. The volunteer army stealthily advanced from the Yalu River, and the US intelligence failed to detect the large-scale troop movement across the river.
The battle was divided into several stages. Initially, the US forces advanced in Yudam-ni and Sinuiju, while the volunteer army cut off their supply lines from the mountain slopes, isolating them for separate combat. General Oliver Smith, the commander of the First Marine Division, ordered his troops to hold positions at Hagaru-ri and Koto-ri. The air force launched over a thousand sorties to support, and the US Navy's 7th Fleet provided fire support from the Yellow Sea.
On December 1, the US forces began to break out southward, fighting along a 78-mile mountain road as they retreated. Engineers blasted through obstacles, and artillery units suppressed the pursuing forces. By December 7, they captured the pass at Koto-ri. Throughout this process, the US forces lost 15 tanks, with 1,029 Marines killed, 4,894 missing, 4,582 wounded, and 7,338 frostbitten, with non-combat casualties making up the majority. The volunteer army also suffered heavy losses, with Chinese data showing 7,304 killed, 14,062 wounded, and 30,732 frostbitten, totaling more than 50,000 casualties.
News of the battle returned to the United States. The first wave was radio reports; the Tokyo headquarters confirmed on November 28 that the First Marine Division was blocked. The Pentagon in Washington panicked, and State Department officials held an emergency meeting overnight, with telegrams piling up on the table. The media reacted fastest, with the New York Times' headline on November 29 being "Marines in Peril," accompanied by a photo of injured soldiers wrapped in blankets being hoisted by helicopters, the title so striking it made hearts race. The Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times followed, describing it as a "frozen hell," with frostbitten soldiers' fingers swollen like purple eggplants, making it impossible to pull the trigger.
Radio stations such as CBS and NBC had announcers whose voices tightened, pausing when reading the casualty numbers. The general public exploded in anger. Originally, people thought the Marine Corps was an ironclad army, an invincible force. How could it be suddenly surrounded? In factory workshops, workers gathered around radios, discussing it, not even taking lunch breaks. In schools, teachers mentioned it while teaching history, and students looked down at maps, calculating where North Korea was. Women's groups in churches sewed wool socks to send to the front, and donation boxes moved from supermarkets to street corners, with coins clinking continuously. On Capitol Hill, legislators argued furiously. Democrats questioned MacArthur's intelligence, why hadn't he warned earlier? Republicans demanded more troops, and President Truman faced enormous pressure. Media editorials directly pointed to strategic mistakes.
In the first few months of the war, Americans were too optimistic. The successful Inchon landing in September pushed the UN forces to the Yalu River, and MacArthur boasted that unifying Korea was imminent. The public believed it, and the stock market slightly rose, with a lively Christmas shopping season. However, the defeat at Chosin Reservoir burst their illusion. The Marine Corps wasn't a second-rate force; it was the elite of the US military, equipped with M26 tanks and F4U aircraft, with supply ships transporting ammunition from Japan. Yet, what happened? The volunteer army used a human wave tactic combined with flank encirclement, cutting off roads. Although the air force provided strong support, the wind and snow caused bombs to miss their targets. Although the US forces managed to retreat and reach the port of Hungnam on December 24 to board ships, they evacuated 100,000 refugees, 17,500 vehicles, and 350,000 tons of supplies, known as the largest naval evacuation in American history. However, they lost the entire northeastern region, and the frontline returned to the 38th parallel. The media called this a "retreat," and Marine veterans later described it as an "offensive withdrawal." But the public saw the figures: over 7,000 casualties, with half of them frostbitten, which was shocking. A PBS documentary later reflected that this battle made Americans truly realize that North Korea was not a group of irregulars, but a protracted struggle.
The domestic impact progressed layer by layer. First came shock, with newspaper sales surging, doubling the coverage of the Korean War in the New York Times from late November to December. The public got up from their sofas, posted maps to track the situation, and radio sales increased, with radio stations working overtime to broadcast news. Then came concern, with mothers crying on the streets calling out their sons' names, and veterans' associations holding meetings to show support. Fundraising heated up, with schools setting up boxes for donations, and students dropping coins; Hollywood produced short films to promote, with posters outside theaters saying "Support the Marine Heroes." Several congressional hearings were held, and MacArthur was criticized for not listening to the intelligence bureau's warnings. President Truman fired him in April 1951, partly due to the public backlash after the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. In the long run, this battle changed the American perception of the Korean War.
Before the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Americans donated bonds as routine. After the battle, communities held charity sales, and neighbors pooled money to send tobacco. NPR interviews with veterans said that upon returning home, neighbors asked questions all the time, not just occasionally. Books such as Hampton Sides' "On Desperate Ground" sold hundreds of thousands of copies, detailing the retreat, with readers leaving comments saying, "Finally understood why Dad never talked about that winter." The movie "Chosin" was released in 2010, had good box office, and audiences said they cried after watching. On the 70th anniversary in July 2020, the US embassy in China tweeted to commemorate, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned it as a "miracle" in his speech during his 2023 visit to the US. China responded with a different narrative, but the American public still regarded it as a heroic epic. On the Chinese side, the battle severely damaged the 9th Army Group, which took three months to recover, but stabilized the eastern front, proving to the international community that the Chinese army could stand up to the US military.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1847397987110920/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.