Sunday, June 25 at 3 a.m. ET
Hosted by Oliver North
Communist North Korea expected little resistance when they invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. Barely five years after the end of World War II, this bold Soviet backed land grab caught America and the world off guard.
Within days, the first hastily assembled U.S. Army unit, known as Task Force Smith, shipped out from Japan. The troops were under trained and ill equipped. In a rare interview with its commander, retired Brigadier General Charles “Brad” Smith gives a blow-by-blow account of the first bloody battle of the Korean War.
The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur called them "an arrogant display of strength." But the enemy outnumbered Task Force Smith 15 to 1. However, Smith and his surviving men were soon joined by tens of thousands of troops deployed to remind the Communists that they couldn't have South Korea without a fight. The months that followed were some of the darkest days of the Korean War.
In this gripping episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," we will take you inside the Pusan Perimeter, the first hot battle of the Cold War. You’ll meet the soldiers and Marines who, with their backs to the sea, fought fiercely to victory. You’ll also hear from Marine Corps legend Major General Raymond Murray, who as a young lieutenant colonel, led troops ashore at Inchon.
You’ll also hear from former MacArthur aide Alexander Haig. Haig describes how this controversial amphibious landing became MacArthur’s last brilliant military operation and turned the tide of the war.
Staff for this episode:
Executive Producer: Pamela K. Browne
Produced and Written by: Martin Hinton and Steven Tierney
Editor: Josh Parker
Designer: Greg Van Why
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