In August, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. The United States and other nations under United Nations authority sent troops to help the South. But North Koreans quickly overran the Korean Peninsula. They pushed the U.N. forces back to Pusan, in the southeast corner of the country.
Commanding U.S. and U.N. forces, General Douglas MacArthur planned a surprise counterattack at Inchon in the northwest. His goal was to capture Seoul, the South Korean capital, and cut off North Korean forces to the south.
Early on September 15, ships carrying U.N. forces sailed into Inchon’s inner harbor. Backed by shelling and bombing from sea and air, the troops struggled through heavy seas and rain to land at two points. They had to scale high natural seawalls to battle the North Korean forces holding the port city. In a day of bitter fighting, they captured Inchon and a five-mile strip around it. Ten days later they took Seoul, outflanking the enemy as planned. General MacArthur’s bold gamble had turned the tide of the Korean War.
The Inchon Landing required precise timing because at low tide the harbor’s water drops so low that boats are stranded on the mud. Troops could land only during two-hour periods of high tide.