Marines in the Korean War Commemorative Series: Fire Brigade - U.S. Marines in the Pusan Perimeter, Pershing Medium Tank, North Korean Tank, Vought F4 Corsair, General Gates, Sikorsky Helicopter

This official U.S. Marine Corps history provides unique information about an important aspect of the Korean War. Subjects covered in this history include: the Pershing Medium Tank, the North Korean medium Tank, Vought F4 Corsair, General Gates, Sikorsky Helicopter, rifles, and mortars.

Here is an excerpt:

"The Marines have landed." How familiar the phrase, how extraordinary the circumstances on 2 August 1950. Instead of a beach saturated with enemy fire, the scene was a dock in the port of Pusan in the far southeast corner of Korea. The landing force was the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade; the situation it would soon face was one of desperate crisis.

The men arriving on board the transport ships that day knew they were going into battle, and their brigade commander, Brigadier General Edward A. Craig, had made his combat standards very clear in a meeting with his officers before the ships had sailed from San Diego: "It has been necessary for troops now fighting in Korea to pull back at times, but I am stating now that no unit of this brigade will retreat except on orders from an authority higher than the 1st Marine Brigade. You will never receive an order to retreat from me. All I ask is that you fight as Marines have always fought."

At sea, no one knew where the brigade would be committed to action, and the men knew nothing about the forthcoming enemy except it was called the North Korean People's Army (NKPA). On board their ships they had seen the situation maps which daily showed the steadily retreating line of defense, as the enemy drove irresistibly farther and farther into South Korea. The regular physical fitness drills and weapons target practice took on an urgent new sense of purpose for the Marines.