ON THIS DAY ·
Battle of Chosin Reservoir
27 Nov–13 Dec 1950 — The Ninth Army Group traps the US 1st Marine Division around the Changjin (Chosin) reservoir in temperatures thirty degrees below freezing. The Marines fight their way to the coast. Many Chinese troops are still dressed in thin cotton uniforms, and their divisions lose tens of thousands of men to frostbite and cold as well as battle.
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The moment in context
The Korean War began with a northern invasion, but by autumn 1950 the forces approaching China were American-led. The UN landing at Incheon in September reversed the course of the fighting. UN troops crossed the 38th parallel and advanced toward the Yalu, the river separating Korea from Manchuria, China’s industrial northeast. Premier and foreign minister Zhou Enlai warned through the Indian ambassador that China would act; Washington dismissed the warning as bluff. Mao judged the danger of remaining outside the war greater than the danger of entering it.
From Korean War and Mao’s mass campaigns, chapter 2 of The People’s Republic under Mao, 1949–1976 (1953).
The place: Battle of Chosin Reservoir — map and full story →
Teach this in 5 minutes
- Why it happened — Kim Il-sung’s war and Stalin’s consent. Kim Il-sung secured Stalin’s approval in April 1950 and Mao’s acceptance during a visit to Beijing in May. North Korea invaded the South on 25 June.…
- The turn — The Yalu, 19 October 1950. The Double Tenth directive preceded the Yalu crossing by nine days. Together they show how quickly consolidation gave way to an enduring emergency.…
- What it changed — A general with the prestige to object. Peng Dehuai emerged from Korea as China’s most respected soldier, credited with holding off the Americans with a peasant army. That standing helped…
Then ask the room: Did the Korean War strengthen or weaken Mao’s new state? The argued answer is on the chapter page →
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