Korea

In 1945, Soviet troops took over Korea north of the 38th parallel, establishing a communist government. Meanwhile, a democracy was set up in the south.

The conflict started when North Korean troops invaded the South in the summer of 1950, pushing Southern forces almost all the way back to Pusan in the Southeast.

16 nations provided troops to try and free the South and halt communist advances.

The war was a test of the Truman Doctrine, and the US containment strategy.

The US provided much of the UN force and did most of the fighting.

The US forces were led by General Douglas MacArthur, a WW2 hero.

MacArthur employed a dangerous plan, landing his troops at Inchon not far from the 38th parallel. It succeeded, forcing communist forces back.

MacArthur got permission from Truman to pursue communist forces into the North, in the hopes of reuniting Korea. They moved aggresively towards the Yalu River.

The Chinese however, were worried about their own security, so they invaded across the Yalu River and entered Korea, pushing UN forces back.

The war ended in a virtual stalemate near the 38th parallel.