ARSOF in the Korean War: 25 June 1950 -- 27 July 1953

ARSOF in the Korean War

INTRODUCTION

The Korean War (25 June 1950 — 27 July 1953) was a highly transformative period for what are known today as Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF). Starting when the communist North Korean People’s Army attacked across the 38th Parallel into South Korea, the war expanded when U.S.-led United Nations (UN) forces and Communist China entered the fray. The Korean War consisted of five phases:

During the war, ARSOF evolved rapidly and repeatedly to meet the threat. In addition to activating numerous raider and Ranger units and training programs, the Army employed a revitalized psychological warfare (psywar) capability. Civil Affairs units provided vital services to Korean civilians and administered occupied areas. When the Army became aware of North Korean partisans fighting the Communists from off-shore islands, it organized a bicoastal guerrilla warfare advisory effort from scratch. This campaign was augmented in 1953 by 99 Special Forces (SF)-qualified soldiers from the new 10th SF Group, the first deployment of its kind.

Back in the U.S., the Army created the Psywar Center at Fort Bragg, NC, the command and training headquarters for stateside psywar and SF personnel. This center exists today as the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. Seventy years later, the Korean War experience continues to have lasting implications for ARSOF.

Organized by the five phases, this site documents the ARSOF role in the Korean War. It features historical articles, key ARSOF ‘icons’ from that era, psywar leaflets, and period U.S. Army Signal Corps-produced videos.

For more information on the phases of the Korean War, visit The U.S. Army Center of Military History

Phase 1: Overview
morning_calm

War in the Land of the Morning Calm

The Korean War

born_of_desperation

Born of Desperation

Early Special Operations in the Korean War

price_of_stabilization

The Price of Stabilization

Cultivating and perpetuating knowledge

mcgee

John H. McGee

Soldier, Leader, Trainer

ghq_raiders

GHQ Raiders

Wonsan to Chang-to

military_recovery

Military Recovery of Downed Airman

Eastern Korea

ee_aircrew_recovery

Escape & Evasion

West Coast Aircrew Recovery and the Guerrilla-Held Islands

sunyup

Republic of Korea General Paik Sun-yup

ROK’s most decorated veteran of the Korean War

25_july_1950

25 July 1950

Three Combat Forces

8th_army_ranger

Eighth Army Rangers

First in Korea

rebirth_of_rangers

Rebirth of The Rangers

The Ranger Infantry Companies in Korea

highly_praised_luxury

A Highly Praised Luxury

The Ranger Infantry Companies in Korea

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GHQ Raider Monument

14 July 2010, USASOC Memorial Plaza

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CA/PSYWAR Timeline

1950-1953

standing_start

From a Standing Start

Psychological Warfare and Civil Affairs in Korean

proper_ganders

The "Proper Ganders"

1st Radio Broadcasting & Leaflet Group

ganders1

The Ganders, Part I

Strategic PSYWAR in the Far East: Introduction

ganders2

The Ganders, Part II

1st RB&L Group Conducts PSYWAR in Korea

crawford_sams

A Civil Affairs Pioneer

BG Crawford F. Sams, U.S. Army Medical Corps

same_org

Same Organization, Four Different Names

U.S. Army Civil Affairs in Korea 1950-1953

ICONS

BG John Hugh McGee

BG John McGee

(1908-1991)

BG Crawford F. Sams

BG Crawford Sams

(1902-1994)

VIDEOS

VIDEO: The First Forty Days in Korea
VIDEO: The Turning of the Tide
VIDEO: Civil Assistance, Korea
VIDEO: A Day In Korea
VIDEO: The Lodge Act Soldier
Phase 2: Overview
ivanhoe

The Ivanhoe Security Force in Korea, 1950

2nd Infantry Division counter-guerrilla unit

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From Hill 710 to “Big Switch”

Ranger Edmund J. Dubrueil, 1st Ranger Company

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The 2nd Ranger Infantry Company

“Buffaloes” in Korea, 1950-1951

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"When Men Don't Panic"

2nd Ranger Infantry Company on Hill 581

cold_steel_third

"Cold Steel Third"

The 3rd Ranger Infantry Company

that_dam

“That D****d Dam”

The 4th Ranger Infantry Company and the Hwachon Dam

5th_ranger

“Travel Light and Freeze at Night”

The 5th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) in Korea

8th_ranger

The 8th Ranger Company

“Black Devils” on Hill 628

6th_ranger

The 6th Ranger Company

Look Sharp, Be Sharp, Stay Sharp

pyongyang

The U.N. Occupation of P’yongyang

P’yongyang fell to ROK and U.S. forces on 19 OCT 1950

munske

The Mayor of P’yongyang

The Three Wars of COL Charles R. Munske

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Smoke Bomb Hill

Birth of the Psywar Center,
Part I

mcclure

MG Robert A. McClure

Persistent advocate for psychological warfare

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Dick Zayac

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

ICONS

LTC Leif Bangsboll

LTC Leif Bangsboll

(1919-2001)

MG Robert A. McClure

MG Robert McClure

(1897-1957)

COL Charles R. Munske

COL Charles Munske

(1897-1985)

MG John K. Singlaub

MG John Singlaub

(1921-2022)

MG John Van Houten

MG John Van Houten

(1904–1974)

VIDEOS

VIDEO: The United Nations Offensive
VIDEO: Ranger Ready
VIDEO: Ranger Mark of a Man
Phase 3: Overview
history_resistance

A History of Resistance

The Origins of the North Korean Anti-Communist Guerrillas, 1945-1950

guerrillas_midst

Guerrillas in Their Midst

An Introduction to Veritas
Vol. 8, No. 2

spitfire

Operation SPITFIRE

No Lessons Learned

northwestern_islands

Fight for the Northwestern Islands

The ‘Battle of Taehwa-do’

insignia_wolfpack

The Insignia of WOLFPACK

 

facets_army

Facets of the U.S. Army Guerrilla Commands

A Photographic Overview

culture_language

Culture, Language & Special OPS

Recruiting & Training “TURNCOAT” Agents in Korea

cia_paramilitary

CIA Paramilitary Operations

Korea, 1950-1951

jack_operations

JACK Operations & Activities

Korea, 1951-1953

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Soldier-Sailors in Korea

JACK Maritime Operations

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Creating an Army Guerrilla Command

Part I: The First Six Months

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One Guerrilla's Fight

Operating Behind Enemy Lines in the Korean War

working_with

Working with what
you have

Guerrilla Warfare on the Korean East Coast

giant_enters

A Giant Enters the Battle

Order of Battle of the UN and Chinese Communist Forces

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"Do what You Can"

UN Civil Assistance, Chinnamp'o, North Korea

hungnam

The Refugee Evacuation from Hungnam

9-24 December 1950

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Voice of the U.S. and Aggressors

The 2nd Loudspeaker & Leaflet Company

ICONS

COL Jay D. Vanderpool

COL Jay Vanderpool

(1917–1993)

BG Russell W. Volckmann

BG Russell Volckmann

(1911–1982)

VIDEOS

VIDEO: Chinese Reds Enter the War
VIDEO: United Nations Forces Escape The Chinese Trap
VIDEO: United Nations Consolidate Below the 38th Parallel
Phase 4: Overview
guerrilla

The Army’s Guerrilla Command in Korea

Part II: The Rest of the Story

ccrak_navy

The CCRAK ‘Navy’

jack_air

JACK Air Operations

Korea, 1951-1953

photo_memoir

A Korean War Photo Memoir

ccrak

CCRAK

The Combined Command for Reconnaissance Activities, Korea

helicopters_korea

Helicopters in the Korean War

The Rescue of Virginia 1

avedon

Herbert Avedon

Making Psywar a Career

VIDEOS

VIDEO: United Nations Forces Push The Chinese Back
VIDEO: The United Nations Offensive Continues
VIDEO: United Nations Forces Cross the 38th Parallel
VIDEO: The Reds Launch Their Expected Spring Offensive
Phase 5: Overview
closing_acts

Closing Acts

The Special Warfare Campaign at the End of the Korean War

barbula_old_bardy

Barbula and Old Baldy, March 1953

Colombia’s Heaviest Combat in Korea

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TLO

Line-Crossers, Special Forces, and the "Forgotten War"

sf_korea

A Combat First

Army SF Soldiers in Korea, 1953-1955

catch

Catch as Catch Can

Special Forces and Line Crossers

psywar_korea

The Psywar in Korea

A Matter of Adjustment

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Rebuilding Psywar

An Introduction

rebuilding_psywar

Rebuilding Psywar

The Psychological Warfare Division

volunteering_for_combat

“Volunteering” for Combat

Loudspeaker Psywar in Korea

surrender_please

We're Asking the Reds to SURRENDER-PLEASE!

Collier’s, 13 December 1952

1stll_korea

1st L&L in Korea

A Photographer’s Record, 1952-53

1st_rbl_fec

The 1st RB&L Advance Tackles FEC Priorities

Far East Command Priorities

top_priority_rbl

Top Priority RB&L Missions

Radio Tokyo, VUNC, and KBS

radio_stations_japan_korea

U.S. Armed Forces Radio Stations in Postwar Japan and Korea

4th_mrbc_japan_korea

The 4th MRBC in Japan & Korea

1951-1952

postscript

Postscript

Joseph E. Dabney

radio_pusan

Radio Pusan

“The Voice of South Korea.”

flying_high

Flying High

The 4th MRBC Antenna Riggers

harris_presses

Harris Presses &
Psywar Leaflets

The 3rd Reproduction Company, 1st RB&L Group

haynes_leaflets

1st RB&L Group Products for Korea

The J. B. Haynes Leaflet Collection

feaf

FEAF's Humanitarian Bombing

Full Spectrum Campaign in Korea

fs_psywar_1952

Strategic Psywar

Full Spectrum UN Psywar Aligns with Allied Bombing Campaign in Korea

contrasts_independence

Contrasts in Independence

Full Spectrum March 1st and Plan PATRIOT

mayday

The May Day Riots

Labor-organized assembly turns into an anti-American riot

clearer_view

A Clearer View of Psywar

Fort Riley & Fort Bragg, 1951-1952

clearer_view_background

Background to A Clearer View of Psywar

Fort Riley & Fort Bragg, 1951-1952

psywar_center_pt2

The Psywar Center,
Part II

Creation of the 10th Special Forces Group

ICONS

COL Aaron Bank

COL Aaron Bank

(1902-2004)

Colonel Jack T. Shannon

COL Jack Shannon

(1917-1997)

VIDEOS

VIDEO: United Nations Forces Counterattack
VIDEO: The Korean Cease-Fire Talks Begin
VIDEO: The UN Line is Stabilized While Truce Talks Continue
VIDEO: Defense Against Enemy Proganada
VIDEO: Truth Is Our Defense
VIDEO: Armed Forces Assistance to Korea
VIDEO: Special Forces
VIDEO: Phantom fighters (10th Special Forces)
Psywar Leaflets from the Korean War

Psywar Leaflets from the Korean War

Less than five years after the end of World War II, on 25 June 1950, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea, starting the Korean War. Woefully unprepared, the U.S and its United Nations (UN) allies scrambled to defend the Republic of Korea. One of the U.S. Army’s shortcomings since the end of WWII was psychological warfare (psywar). In June 1950, the Tactical Information Detachment (TID), at Fort Riley, KS, was the only psywar unit on active duty. Three months later, it deployed to Korea and was re-designated as the 1st Loudspeaker and Leaflet (L&L) Company. VIEW COLLECTION

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