Korean War #40: Shock & Awe

Episode 40: Shock & Awe continues where we left off last time. This was the result of the Truman administration’s months of planning and theorising, and for the sake of NSC68 and the strategy of containment, it was believed to be the right one. The Chinese had finally intervened, and thus the efforts to make this so must have been considered a success. Yet, on the ground level, it was anything but a success, as the Chinese advanced with a ferocious pace and zeal that stunned and shattered all allied soldiers they encountered. With MacArthur apoplectic in Tokyo, it remained for the soldiers on the ground, let blindly into this mess by their vain commander, to pick up the slack. Instead, sense prevailed, and a massive retreat without parallel in American military history characterised the allies action in December of 1950. Several bloody and bitter battles were still to come with the Chinese, who blended their command with the North Koreans and fulfilled the total control of Pyongyang that Mao Zedong now aimed to seize. Beijing’s aims could not be certain, but Mao was now determined, after being pushed into this corner, to make something good out of the situation and to get some kind of benefit for his regime. As ever, it was the soldier on the ground that suffered for the statesman’s objectives. Meanwhile, Truman is confronted about nuclear weapons, and the plans to throw MacArthur under the bus were put into motion.*******Music used:“The Gaby Glide”, by Billy Murray, released in 1912 and available at: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Billy_Murray/Antique_Phonograph_Music_Program_04282015/The_Gaby_Glide_-_Billy_Murray  SPONSORS1) Use the code WDF15 to get 15% off your stylish new pair of headphones/earphones/listening things2) To access some fascinating books, nerd out with like minded enthusiasts, further your knowledge of some classical works, get 25% off your first three months AND help the show, head on over to onlinegreatbooks.com!Remember to BEFIT!B is for blogE is for email [email protected] is for Facebook, the Page and the GroupI is for iTunes, please rate, review and subscribeT is for TELL ANYONE!1) Pre-order our book on the Thirty Years War 2) Are you TeamFerdinand or TeamFrederick ? It's time to pick a side, and a t-shirt! 3) Don't forget of course to support WDF on Patreon to access ad-free episodes with the scripts attached, as well an hour of extra content every month, and so much more! - $1, $2 & $5 memberships available! 4) Of course, make sure you also follow us on Twitter, visit our Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.