A Korean War WI

Since today's the 62nd anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War, here's a WI that suddenly popped up: WI, instead of Walker, it was MacArthur that got killed in the car crash on December 23, 1950? How would the war, and indeed, the rest of the Cold War, go from there?

Marc A
 
Without MacArthur's unusual actions during the Korean War, including his thoughts on nuking China into surrender, cooler heads like Ridgeway and Walker could possibly command the UN force there, although I'm not sure if that would also affect post-war Japan in terms of MacArthur's absence in there.
 
How about less arrogance towards Chinese intentions and capabilities as the Chinese border was approached. Perhaps even a back channel assurance to China that the UN forces won't be entering Chinese territory.

So the Chinese attack doesn't come "out of the blue" and instead of the second great retreat, there is just some units forced back.
 

Deleted member 9338

Would there be a landing at Inchoun? Sorry for the spelling.
 

pnyckqx

Banned
Would there be a landing at Inchoun? Sorry for the spelling.
Yes. Inchon happened before MacArthur's proposed death.

Walker had some difficulties that were not of his making. Eighth Army was nowhere near ready to fight at the outset of the Korean war. The four divisions that made up Eighth Army were at half strength and poorly disciplined, as was much of the Occupation Army in all theaters.

Walker was in the process of correcting the matter when he took over in 1948. Had anyone but Walker been there, the situation would have been much worse.

In the event of MacArthur dying in a car crash, a more senior commander would have been appointed UN commander. That officer would have probably been General Lawton J. Collins, moved in from his job as Army Chief of Staff.

Collins would have been the best qualified general available. He had Pacific Theater experience during WWII, and the diplomatic abilities to deal with UN allies.
 
EDIT: Misread the date of the POD whoops!

Well, I don't think actually too much would change. By this point the Chinese have already intervened ...I don't think it's too plausible to change things too much. At best, perhaps the armistice line is drawn a bit further north...

However Truman would avoid the scandal of sacking MacArthur in TTL...
 
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pnyckqx

Banned
Without MacArthur's unusual actions during the Korean War, including his thoughts on nuking China into surrender, cooler heads like Ridgeway and Walker could possibly command the UN force there, although I'm not sure if that would also affect post-war Japan in terms of MacArthur's absence in there.
i don't know where people come up with the idea that MacArthur wanted to nuke China. That wasn't his plan. What he did plan was actually much worse, and would have done far more long term environmental damage to the region.

No doubt, the use of nukes, at least in a theoretical sense was discussed by US Officials, but there is no record of MacArthur ever advocating their use in the Korean war. Hell, it was discussed during the US-Vietnam war, but nothing ever came of it, yet nobody ever accuses Westmoreland of being crazy...dishonest, yes, but not crazy.
 
Wouldn't the amendment about setting the limit of the President's term to just two after Roosevelt? Even if Truman managed to finish up his first two terms, by law he cannot run for a third term, which leaves either Eisenhower or Adlai Stevenson as President.
 

pnyckqx

Banned
I doubt there'd be a landing at Inchon in TTL given that it was entirely MacArthur's idea.

That being said, the North Korean forces were stretched pretty thin. I imagine that had the same forces used in the Inchon landings been deployed to reinforce the Pusan perimeter, the resulting offensive could be just as effective if not more.

Who knows? Perhaps Walker uses the influx of new forces to launch a series of smaller enveloping offensives to trap and destroy a larger portion of the NKPA than in OTL (most of which escaped the planned encirclement which was to have followed Inchon due to the slow allied advance and Mac's insistence on retaking Seoul.) Without these forces the Americans/UN forces could then sweep into North Korea and occupy most of it, stopping short of the Yalu perhaps and negotiating an earlier end to the war...

A victorious Korean war would certainly make things interesting for Truman. Come 1952 he'll have quite the notch on his belt. In such a scenario I could very well see him running for a third term...
Sure Inchon would have happened. ITTL Inchon happened before the POD. Inchon was September 15, 1950. ITTL, MacArthur dies December 23, 1950
 

pnyckqx

Banned
Wouldn't the amendment about setting the limit of the President's term to just two after Roosevelt? Even if Truman managed to finish up his first two terms, by law he cannot run for a third term, which leaves either Eisenhower or Adlai Stevenson as President.
i believe the Constitutional Amendment passed while Truman was President. That would have (according to the wording of the Amendment) excluded Truman from it's provisions. He could have run for as many terms as the electorate would have tolerated.
 
Any chance of China accepting a rump North Korea and Truman getting an unambibious victory?

If so is Truman in office until Jan 20 1957?
 
Any chance of China accepting a rump North Korea and Truman getting an unambibious victory?

If so is Truman in office until Jan 20 1957?

Depends on if UN forces can reverse its fortunes quickly enough, I'd say. At most I see a new border some distance to the north of 38th parallel, but no more than that. AIUI 1951-1953 was spent in attacking and counterattacking along roughly the same positions - for two years.

Given enough spin Truman can play it as a victory against Communism, and possibly get another term. Which begs the question: would Ike still get drafted? If so, would he still run as a Republican?

Marc A
 
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