XXXIX ICMH CONGRESS, TORINO, 2013
“JOINT AND COMBINED OPERATIONS IN THE HISTORY OF
WARFARE”
ABSTRACT
PhD OH Hong-Guk (South Korea)
A Study on the Combined and Joint Operation of the R.O.K. Armed forces through
the Vietnam War
1. Instruction
2. The outline of the Vietnam War
3. U.S.-South Korean combined operations in the Vietnam War
4. Combined operations and South Korean military development
5. Conclusions
1. Introduction.
I am very delighted to have been invited to speak for the second time following
last
year’s conference in Sofia.
Torino and Korea share a long history together.
In 1974, South Korea participated in the motor show hosted at Torino with our
first motor vehicle invention, the “Pony”.
Thanks to Torino’s help in publicity, the South Korean motor industry was able to
flourish in the meanwhile and become a healthy member of our economy today.
Further, when I matriculated at the national military academy in 1981, the first foreign
slogan we were told to learn was, “veni, vidi, vici.”
It was Gaius Julius Caesar’s oral declaration respecting his campaign in BC47.
You can now find this on the logo of Marlboro cigarette packets.
Of course, the phrase has now changed to mean, "wrapped, smoked, and early left"
And most recently, here in Torino is where Kim yun-ah won
her first Grand Prix in
2007.
2. The outline of the Vietnam War
This paper aims to trace the development and modernization of the South Korean military
while fighting alongside American troops in the Vietnam War
2013 is a special year, it marks the 60th anniversary since coming to a truce on the
Korean peninsula.
It also marks the 40th anniversary of the end of military conflict in Vietnam.
Also, Vietnam when it stopped boom until 40 years.
In January 27 th 1973, the Paris Peace Conference was held and the American troops and
combined forces finally pulled out of the Vietnamese peninsula.
[However, the two years later, Vietnam continued to wage war and eventually unified
under a Communist leadership.
From the end of World War II to 1979, Vietnam has was engaged in military combat for
35 years in a series of 4 different wars.
The first Vietnam War, a conflict between North Vietnam and France, concluded in
1954 with the battle of Dien Bien Phu.
The second Vietnam War started in 1959, included, the Khe shan battle on 1968 and
the Spring offensive on 1972.
The Paris Peace Treaty in 1973 put an end to the violence temporarily but the in
December of the following year.
The war broke out yet again as North Vietnam charged with an all-out offensive..
Ultimately, Saigon was taken over in April of 1975 and socialist Vietnam as we know it
today was founded.
The unified nation invaded Cambodia in 1978 and engaged in war with China in 1979.
The Vietnam War is often alluded to “the war between chess and the game of
badug ,” or “the battle of bicycles and planes.”
In other words, the Vietnamese soldiers had to face large-scale military offences and
weaponry using guerilla tactics.
To understand the circumstances of battle of the time, we can look at the remnants of
guchi Tunnels that were critical medium of transportation for the guerrilla soldiers.
This located 40km from Saigon to Cambodia’s direction
The tunnels were formed in total of 200km underground.
Meanwhile, the Korean peninsula today is still unstable.
The north Korea on Peonyyang were shelled to Yeonypeong-do and nuclear tests
were conducted.
However, South Korean has the diplomatic expertise to prevent war from breaking out
on the peninsula and the military advantage of nipping it at the bud.
Ironically, the Vietnam War is one critical reason why South Korea was able to prosper
to its current state after the Korean War.
It provided the opportunity for the south Korean military to develop under partnership
with the U.S. military in the Vietnam war.
3. Combined Operations of South Korean and U.S. militaries in the Vietnam
War
Between 1964 to 1973, 32thousand South Korean soldiers were involved in the War.
2 teams of military infantry division, 1 marine brigade, logistics support,
and
construction teams were part of the program.
These troops were supported from U.S. navy and air force departments.
The South Korea, Thailand, Philippine, Australia, and New Zealand’s forces were also
participated in the war.
The example of the combat U.S.-South Korean military cooperation are as followed.
2-1. Combat Duc Co
Firstly, It was the movie ‘We were solder’s’ where the battle of Duc Co in the
valley of Ia-drang.
Lt. col. Hal Moore who Mel Gibson is “First in, Last out!”
This is the combined operation the tiger division and the 25th division.
It troops were defeated north Vietnam army on 9 Aug. 1966.
After this battle , Korean company tactical base were called ‘fire base.
2-2. On-ground operation Berrier peninsula
The Kehsan battle in January 1968 and the tet offensive battle were the turning point in
the Vietnam War.
The violence and despondency of war were delivered to Washington through colored
TVs.
As a result, the ant-war peace protests finally pushed Washington to pull out troops.
This is when South Korean troops engaged in the largest scale on-ground operation.
Berrier peninsula borders closely located the 112 base and 4 front of the Vietnamese
army.
Que Son, a mountainous region most known for the My Son ruins, was occuppied by
the 2 division of the North Vietnamese.
Berrier peninsula’s central city, HoiAn is approximately 22km south from Da Nang
where a strategically significant location.
The 3 battalions of South Korean marine troops in cooperation with the Fist battalion
26 regiment U.S. marine forces fought on there.
First, the American marine battalion arrived on Southern part of the peninsula on the 8 th
of September 1969.
The second regiment arrived on the 12 th of that month near the northern part of
the peninsula.
R.O.K Army and U.S. Marines proved to be rock-solid fighters and allies in
Vietnam war.
2-3. Operation Ahn
In 1969, President Nixon pushed for the “Vietnamization” of the Vietnam War.
Nixon visited Communist China and the Soviet Union to investigate a transition to a
détente.
As a result, the majority of on-sight U.S. troops returned home and only 2 South Korean
division stayed behind.
At this critical time, 12 division of the Vietnamese army engaged in springtime offensive
on April 1972.
Located in mid-Vietnam, highway 19 number road was a strategically significant point
that linked Quy Nhon and Plaei ku.
If the Ankhe pass were taken over them, the south Vietnamese army were
destroyed perfectly.
From April 10, 1972 until the 26th that month, the armored regiment capital division of
the South Korean troops fought against the Vietcong in the Ankhe pass.
Over 2,000 soldiers were involved in this infamous battle.
The shelling from a 7 th fleet U.S. warship and air-strike from 7th Air force.
On April 24 th, with the fall of hill 638, the battle concluded to South Korean victory.
The second Vietnam War ended with the Paris Peace treaty in January 27, 1973.
However, 2 years later , the invasion and subsequent fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.
The Socialist republic of Vietnam was founded on 1976 and still stands today.
4. Combined operations and South Korean military development
The South Korean military was distributed new military technologies and equippment
through the Vietnam War.
Furthermore, learned to the doctrine of air and ground battle, and acquired battle
experience.
With the pulling out of the U.S. troops in 1971 from the Korean peninsula, the first
corps U.S.-South Korean military unit was founded.
This was a direct result of the trust and confidence the South Koreans had gained from
the U.S.-Korean military cooperation in the Vietnam War.
Furthermore, in 1978, the U.S.-South Korean joint military department was founded and
still stands today.
Through these measures, the South Korean and U.S. military efforts were able to keep
strong defense against the developing North Korean forces on the Korean peninsula.
There were 4 major instances of tunnel crossed D.M.Z. line, terror among other threats
from North Korea in the most recent history.
North Korea continues to threaten the South sporadically.
But the tight relations maintaining the U.S.-Korean military policies hold strong defense
against all of these threats.
The south Korean military made tremendous strides in its development following the
Vietnam War.
Ground forces improved in its technologies and equipment not to mention the expansion
of the number of units to 50.
The special forces units have also increased to a total of 7.
Navy forces have strengthened with destroyer and Aegis warship.
The Air force have been strengthened to F-22 and early warning aircraft.
The South Korean military was able to make great contributions to world peace.
In 1991, other than the Gulf War, South Koreans troops have been part of wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
After the end of the Iraq War, One unit even stayed behind in Ervil to aid in the postwar reconstruction in 2004.
In addition, South Koreans troops currently are located in parts of Lebanon and and
gulf of Aden .
The national military has also been an enthusiastic part of the world peace keeping
operation in Afghanistan and contributed to post-war reconstruction.
5. Conclusiuons
SON ZA said that the war left the country because of the life and death should
be cautious at the art of war.
In other words, what is more favorable to winning every fight is the make the opponent
give in.
In Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos, 3.8 million lives were lost to the violence of war.
Today’s war is a battle of military strength and a contest between technological powers.
If in the case of inevitable war, the most effective route would be to fight with an allied
force.
We can learn tactics and military strategy to develop our armies even further this way.
A fly can goes 1,000km ride on red rabbit horse for a day.