Chapter 1
The Dominoes Still Stand: A Cold War TL
By Okmangeez
Chapter 1:
At the end of the Cold War, the United States stood at the top of the world as the undisputed world superpower. To examine how the United States became the lone superpower, edging out their opponent and rival USSR, one must go back to the beginning of the Cold War and study the early events that defined the power capabilities and the role of the United States in the world.
On June 25th of 1950, the Korean War began with the North Korean invasion of South Korea. Despite several warnings of an imminent invasion, such as the rapid North Korean build-up on the 38th Parallel and the increase of Soviet military assistance in the DPRK, the United States was caught flat-footed as the military of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea swept the Republic of Korea's military off its feet. Within three short weeks, almost 90% of the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the invaders, with only the city of Pusan remaining under the RoK's control. The US rapidly deployed its forces into the Korean Peninsula to help its ailing allies after the UN agreed to partake in the Korean War by assisting South Korea (UN Resolution 82). With the UN agreeing to assist the US's endeavor, the United Nations requested America to select a commander to lead the UN forces. There was some debate over who would be the leading commander, but the majority of the Joint Chief of Staffs agreed that Omar Bradley, the lone remaining General of the Army and military commander over Japan, would serve the role well. As a result, Omar Bradley became the Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command (UNCOM) and immediately began to deploy US ground forces into Pusan [1].
By the end of August, nearly 120,000 US soldiers would take a position on the Pusan Perimeter, supported by hundreds of tanks and artillery pieces, 15,000 additional UN soldiers, and around 50,000 Republic of Korea soldiers. The UN forces outnumbered the Korean People's Army's forces heavily, with around 240,000 UN soldiers facing 100,000 KPA soldiers. Additionally, the KPA was critically lacking in supplies, air support, and armor as their failed assaults on the Pusan Perimeter resulted in the loss of carefully hoarded equipment and American air assaults cut the supply lane to a trickle. After much consideration, Bradley believed that the best course of action was to continue the air assaults to whittle down North Korean forces, break out of the Pusan Perimeter, and attempt a small amphibious landing at the port city of Wonsan in order to cut off retreating North Korean forces [2]. On September 1st of 1950, the UN forces began their counterattack out of Pusan, assaulting the city of Kumi with relative ease and taking the city. At the same time, hundreds of American bombers and fighters struck strategic supply hubs in Inchon, Seoul, Kaesong, and Taejon. These air attacks would hamper with the KPA's ability to resupply and would leave the KPA forces stuck in the southern end of Korea in a vulnerable spot that the UN forces would exploit. The UN forces would rapidly advance and cut through the KPA resistance for an entire week before a new theater opened in the Korean War.
On September 10th, the US 1st Marine Division, numbering at 12,000 strong, and 8,000 soldiers of the 3rd ROK Infantry Division landed at the town of Wonsan after a massive air bombardment. Despite fierce resistance from the garrison forces within the city, the attack took the KPA by complete surprise, as the front lines were still hundreds of miles away from the town. As a result, the amphibious invasion successfully secured the port city and thousands of additional UN forces began to reinforce the town to assault North Korea proper. This sudden naval invasion, although not totally unexpected, threw the KPA leadership in a loop. It is rumored that Kim Il-Sung, on hearing that the Americans and South Koreans landed at Wonsan, slammed his fist on his desk and yelled, "We were supposed to roll the damn capitalists in three weeks, not the other way around!" Regardless of the KPA's attempt to resist the UN forces at Wonsan, the defense fell into a disarray as the UN forces coming out of Pusan trapped a large chunk of the KPA in southwest Korea and the UN forces in Wonsan began to move southwards to Kumhwa to prevent any garrison forces in Seoul and Incheon from retreating. By the end of October, the KPA was completely crushed, Seoul was secured, and the UN forces had taken Pyongyang. Within just 4 months, the tide of the war had turned completely against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the UN forces began to set up a defensive line near the 40th Parallel Line in the case of a Chinese offensive, which Bradley believed was possible and hoped to avoid [3]. Although Bradley believed in Truman's "Roll Back" policy of removing North Korea completely, he hoped that by conquering the majority of North Korea and being non-threatening towards the Chinese, he could help the UN and China reach an agreement on the Korean problem. His move was very tactful and was a deciding factor in the eventual Treaty of Manila.
With the fall of Pyongyang and the halt of the UN forces at the 40th Parallel, the upper echelons of the People's Republic of China began to discuss a possible intervention in the Korean War. An emergency meeting was held from October 10th to October 14th in Beijing regarding the approaching UN forces and the imminent fall of North Korea. Most of the military leaders rejected the idea of entering the Korean War, citing that the PRC was still weak and was in no position to enter another war when the Chinese Civil War ended just a year before. However, Mao Ze Dong, the leader of the PRC, believed that intervening in the war was crucial to Chinese security and asked Premier Zhou Enlai, another supporter of intervention, to plead a case to the other leaders. Premier Zhou agreed to convince the leaders and debated with the other leaders of the PRC for two full days, insisting that intervening was necessary due to the fact that the UN forces could cross the Yalu River and invade China if North Korea fell. However, just as the Chinese Politburo seemed convinced of entering the war, news arrived that the UN had completely halted at the 40th Parallel (slightly more south in the west). To most of the Chinese leadership, this action was welcomed by many of the leaders who desired to avoid war and weakened Mao's case for intervention [4]. Mao was furious of the Politburo's decision to withhold troops from entering Korea and argued for intervention with some of the few remaining pro-intervention leaders. Due to his insistence and pressure from the Soviet Union, the PRC leadership agreed to send in 6 divisions (100,000 soldiers) into North Korea to help "defend against any imperialist aggression." These divisions were mainly seen as a token force, as it became clear that the UN forces were far too entrenched, well supplied, better armed, and held complete control of the sea and sky. Despite this, Peng Dehuai, the commander of the People's Volunteer Army forces in Korea, attempted a direct assault on UN positions despite being outnumbered and outgunned. The result was expected, as the Chinese forces suffered 15,000 casualties in a two-week long assault while the UN forces suffered a mere 800 casualties in the same time frame.
The Truman Administration, seeing victory right in front of them, was quite alarmed at the Chinese attack in Korea. When the attacks were easily repulsed, however, President Harry S. Truman believed that the US was in a position to dictate terms and requested for peace negotiations in Inchon. Initially, Mao rejected the idea and prepared to send in more soldiers into Korea. However, the Chinese Politburo and military leaders threatened to rebel against Mao's orders if he "needlessly sent in more Chinese soldiers to die." Thus, on November 3rd of 1950, negotiations between the People's Republic of China and the United States began. The negotiations were held in the city of Manila (initially, Tokyo or Kyoto was offered as neutral grounds, but was rejected vehemently by the Chinese) and went on for 3 weeks. Initially, the PRC demanded that the United States (in their eyes, the United Nations was merely a puppet organization controlled by the United States) to withdraw completely from North Korea and retreat back to the 38th Parallel. To counter this offer, the United States promised to withdraw all US troops above the 38th Parallel and declare all territory above the 40th Parallel as a De-Militarized Zone for 49 years but demanded the complete annexation of North Korea. China objected immediately and countered with a rump North Korea being established above the 39th Parallel line and a Demilitarized Zone between the 39th and 38th Parallel Lines. The United States continued to push its offer on the Chinese, and the Chinese finally caved in to sign after news arrived of another failed offensive on the solidified UN lines. Thus, the Treaty of Manila was signed by the United States, the Republic of Korea, and the People's Republic of China on November 28th of 1950. A day after the treaty was signed, Chinese forces withdrew from Korea and back into Manchuria. After confirming that all Chinese forces left the Korean Peninsula, all UN forces, excluding the RoK Army, withdrew south of the 38th Parallel line except a few select divisions to clear the rest of occupied North Korean territory. The remaining North Korean government and military went into exile in the USSR as the RoK and UN forces crushed the last resistance strongholds in Chosan and Najin.
On December 10th, the last North Korean stronghold in Najin fell and the RoK officially unified the nation under the government in Seoul. President Syngman Rhee, the first Korean president, was hailed as a hero by the Korean people as he managed to swiftly reunite the nation while limiting the death of Koreans (200,000 Koreans died during the six-month war). He would be considered the father of modern-day Korea, bravely leading the people against the onslaught of communism and reuniting the nation under his rule. However, the biggest boost of the end of the war was for President Truman and the Democratic Party. The slogan "One Free Korea" would become a popular phrase used by the Democratic Party to demonstrate that the Democratic Party was successful in not just containing communism, but rolling it back and wiping it out completely from Korea. President Truman would receive a huge boost in popularity as the war ended with minimal American casualties (5,000 dead) and the war ended in a major victory against communism. This wave of popularity and the boost in American prestige and power, combined with major American efforts and success in Europe, convinced Eisenhower to run for the Democratic Party. Despite Eisenhower's hesitation due to some scandals that Truman faced early on, Truman's success in Korea (with minimal losses) and diplomatic push against communism abroad, brought Eisenhower onboard. As a result, Eisenhower ran on the platform of fighting communism and corruption, using only force if absolutely needed. His popularity as a general during WW2, combined with the popularity of the Democratic Party, greatly changed the playing field of the 1952 elections [5].
On the opposite side, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China silently contemplated the losses they have suffered after North Korea's annexation. Stalin was furious that North Korea fell so easily and blamed it on the PRC for being indecisive and cold in "their communist brother's greatest time of need." This began the great Sino-Soviet Split as both sides began to see each other in a much more negative light. Meanwhile, Mao was angry at the other leaders of the Communist Party and blamed them for causing the American victory in the Korean War. The failures of China during the Korean War and the fall of North Korea would begin a long and bitter power struggle between Mao and opposing members of the Chinese Politburo. However, with the fall of North Korea, Mao began to gain more power and popularity amongst the people and leaders, claiming that if he had been able to lead the PVA, North Korea would've never fallen and the Korean Peninsula would be united under communism.
While all eyes were turned to the 1952 US Presidential Elections, a series of events began to unfold across Iran and other parts of the world as the next hopeful president of the United States would have another set of challenges...
+++++
[1]: Major PoD: Douglas MacArthur dies during the Philippine Campaign (towards the end of the war as the US invades the Philippines) and Japan is treated like Germany post-war. Instead of a military government, Bradley is merely the commander over watching the occupation forces and making sure that a proper democratic government is installed. The Emperor is removed but freed from being tried. Protests do appear across Japan but are swiftly put down by the US forces as the democratic government takes power.
[2]: Bradley was a major opponent of the amphibious invasion of Inchon and believed that a slow and steady advance would result in fewer casualties and effectively destroy the KPA. However, he did believe that a small landing in Wonsan was still needed to cut off the KPA.
[3]: In OTL, Bradley was careful and believed that MacArthur's aggressive rhetoric against the Chinese would draw the Chinese into the war.
[4]: In OTL, the Chinese Politburo was convinced by Mao and allowed the People's Liberation Army to enter Korea and assist the North Koreans.
[5]: In OTL, Eisenhower ran as a Republican because of the Korean War, the 1950 Truman Administration Scandal, and the failure of the Truman Administration to "roll back" communism. With the American victory in Korea, it can be said that Eisenhower is much more open to accepting the Democratic nomination.
+++++
AN: All credits go to theg*ddam*hoi2fan for giving me a great idea on writing this TL. I revised some previous works I had in my file and created this new TL.
So basically, the PoD is that MacArthur dies in WW2, too late to directly affect the outcomes of WW2, but change the course of the Korean War, and the Cold War itself. This timeline will not just be focused on Korea. It will inspect events all across the world and things will be very different as time goes on (as you can already see with the 1952 Presidential Election). The next chapter will be about the 1952 elections and the beginning of the Iran Crisis, both of which will go very differently ITTL.
I'm done with finals so I'll be spending quite some time brainstorming, researching, and writing out this time line. Hope you all enjoy!
Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize.
By Okmangeez
Chapter 1:
At the end of the Cold War, the United States stood at the top of the world as the undisputed world superpower. To examine how the United States became the lone superpower, edging out their opponent and rival USSR, one must go back to the beginning of the Cold War and study the early events that defined the power capabilities and the role of the United States in the world.
On June 25th of 1950, the Korean War began with the North Korean invasion of South Korea. Despite several warnings of an imminent invasion, such as the rapid North Korean build-up on the 38th Parallel and the increase of Soviet military assistance in the DPRK, the United States was caught flat-footed as the military of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea swept the Republic of Korea's military off its feet. Within three short weeks, almost 90% of the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the invaders, with only the city of Pusan remaining under the RoK's control. The US rapidly deployed its forces into the Korean Peninsula to help its ailing allies after the UN agreed to partake in the Korean War by assisting South Korea (UN Resolution 82). With the UN agreeing to assist the US's endeavor, the United Nations requested America to select a commander to lead the UN forces. There was some debate over who would be the leading commander, but the majority of the Joint Chief of Staffs agreed that Omar Bradley, the lone remaining General of the Army and military commander over Japan, would serve the role well. As a result, Omar Bradley became the Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command (UNCOM) and immediately began to deploy US ground forces into Pusan [1].
By the end of August, nearly 120,000 US soldiers would take a position on the Pusan Perimeter, supported by hundreds of tanks and artillery pieces, 15,000 additional UN soldiers, and around 50,000 Republic of Korea soldiers. The UN forces outnumbered the Korean People's Army's forces heavily, with around 240,000 UN soldiers facing 100,000 KPA soldiers. Additionally, the KPA was critically lacking in supplies, air support, and armor as their failed assaults on the Pusan Perimeter resulted in the loss of carefully hoarded equipment and American air assaults cut the supply lane to a trickle. After much consideration, Bradley believed that the best course of action was to continue the air assaults to whittle down North Korean forces, break out of the Pusan Perimeter, and attempt a small amphibious landing at the port city of Wonsan in order to cut off retreating North Korean forces [2]. On September 1st of 1950, the UN forces began their counterattack out of Pusan, assaulting the city of Kumi with relative ease and taking the city. At the same time, hundreds of American bombers and fighters struck strategic supply hubs in Inchon, Seoul, Kaesong, and Taejon. These air attacks would hamper with the KPA's ability to resupply and would leave the KPA forces stuck in the southern end of Korea in a vulnerable spot that the UN forces would exploit. The UN forces would rapidly advance and cut through the KPA resistance for an entire week before a new theater opened in the Korean War.
On September 10th, the US 1st Marine Division, numbering at 12,000 strong, and 8,000 soldiers of the 3rd ROK Infantry Division landed at the town of Wonsan after a massive air bombardment. Despite fierce resistance from the garrison forces within the city, the attack took the KPA by complete surprise, as the front lines were still hundreds of miles away from the town. As a result, the amphibious invasion successfully secured the port city and thousands of additional UN forces began to reinforce the town to assault North Korea proper. This sudden naval invasion, although not totally unexpected, threw the KPA leadership in a loop. It is rumored that Kim Il-Sung, on hearing that the Americans and South Koreans landed at Wonsan, slammed his fist on his desk and yelled, "We were supposed to roll the damn capitalists in three weeks, not the other way around!" Regardless of the KPA's attempt to resist the UN forces at Wonsan, the defense fell into a disarray as the UN forces coming out of Pusan trapped a large chunk of the KPA in southwest Korea and the UN forces in Wonsan began to move southwards to Kumhwa to prevent any garrison forces in Seoul and Incheon from retreating. By the end of October, the KPA was completely crushed, Seoul was secured, and the UN forces had taken Pyongyang. Within just 4 months, the tide of the war had turned completely against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the UN forces began to set up a defensive line near the 40th Parallel Line in the case of a Chinese offensive, which Bradley believed was possible and hoped to avoid [3]. Although Bradley believed in Truman's "Roll Back" policy of removing North Korea completely, he hoped that by conquering the majority of North Korea and being non-threatening towards the Chinese, he could help the UN and China reach an agreement on the Korean problem. His move was very tactful and was a deciding factor in the eventual Treaty of Manila.
With the fall of Pyongyang and the halt of the UN forces at the 40th Parallel, the upper echelons of the People's Republic of China began to discuss a possible intervention in the Korean War. An emergency meeting was held from October 10th to October 14th in Beijing regarding the approaching UN forces and the imminent fall of North Korea. Most of the military leaders rejected the idea of entering the Korean War, citing that the PRC was still weak and was in no position to enter another war when the Chinese Civil War ended just a year before. However, Mao Ze Dong, the leader of the PRC, believed that intervening in the war was crucial to Chinese security and asked Premier Zhou Enlai, another supporter of intervention, to plead a case to the other leaders. Premier Zhou agreed to convince the leaders and debated with the other leaders of the PRC for two full days, insisting that intervening was necessary due to the fact that the UN forces could cross the Yalu River and invade China if North Korea fell. However, just as the Chinese Politburo seemed convinced of entering the war, news arrived that the UN had completely halted at the 40th Parallel (slightly more south in the west). To most of the Chinese leadership, this action was welcomed by many of the leaders who desired to avoid war and weakened Mao's case for intervention [4]. Mao was furious of the Politburo's decision to withhold troops from entering Korea and argued for intervention with some of the few remaining pro-intervention leaders. Due to his insistence and pressure from the Soviet Union, the PRC leadership agreed to send in 6 divisions (100,000 soldiers) into North Korea to help "defend against any imperialist aggression." These divisions were mainly seen as a token force, as it became clear that the UN forces were far too entrenched, well supplied, better armed, and held complete control of the sea and sky. Despite this, Peng Dehuai, the commander of the People's Volunteer Army forces in Korea, attempted a direct assault on UN positions despite being outnumbered and outgunned. The result was expected, as the Chinese forces suffered 15,000 casualties in a two-week long assault while the UN forces suffered a mere 800 casualties in the same time frame.
The Truman Administration, seeing victory right in front of them, was quite alarmed at the Chinese attack in Korea. When the attacks were easily repulsed, however, President Harry S. Truman believed that the US was in a position to dictate terms and requested for peace negotiations in Inchon. Initially, Mao rejected the idea and prepared to send in more soldiers into Korea. However, the Chinese Politburo and military leaders threatened to rebel against Mao's orders if he "needlessly sent in more Chinese soldiers to die." Thus, on November 3rd of 1950, negotiations between the People's Republic of China and the United States began. The negotiations were held in the city of Manila (initially, Tokyo or Kyoto was offered as neutral grounds, but was rejected vehemently by the Chinese) and went on for 3 weeks. Initially, the PRC demanded that the United States (in their eyes, the United Nations was merely a puppet organization controlled by the United States) to withdraw completely from North Korea and retreat back to the 38th Parallel. To counter this offer, the United States promised to withdraw all US troops above the 38th Parallel and declare all territory above the 40th Parallel as a De-Militarized Zone for 49 years but demanded the complete annexation of North Korea. China objected immediately and countered with a rump North Korea being established above the 39th Parallel line and a Demilitarized Zone between the 39th and 38th Parallel Lines. The United States continued to push its offer on the Chinese, and the Chinese finally caved in to sign after news arrived of another failed offensive on the solidified UN lines. Thus, the Treaty of Manila was signed by the United States, the Republic of Korea, and the People's Republic of China on November 28th of 1950. A day after the treaty was signed, Chinese forces withdrew from Korea and back into Manchuria. After confirming that all Chinese forces left the Korean Peninsula, all UN forces, excluding the RoK Army, withdrew south of the 38th Parallel line except a few select divisions to clear the rest of occupied North Korean territory. The remaining North Korean government and military went into exile in the USSR as the RoK and UN forces crushed the last resistance strongholds in Chosan and Najin.
On December 10th, the last North Korean stronghold in Najin fell and the RoK officially unified the nation under the government in Seoul. President Syngman Rhee, the first Korean president, was hailed as a hero by the Korean people as he managed to swiftly reunite the nation while limiting the death of Koreans (200,000 Koreans died during the six-month war). He would be considered the father of modern-day Korea, bravely leading the people against the onslaught of communism and reuniting the nation under his rule. However, the biggest boost of the end of the war was for President Truman and the Democratic Party. The slogan "One Free Korea" would become a popular phrase used by the Democratic Party to demonstrate that the Democratic Party was successful in not just containing communism, but rolling it back and wiping it out completely from Korea. President Truman would receive a huge boost in popularity as the war ended with minimal American casualties (5,000 dead) and the war ended in a major victory against communism. This wave of popularity and the boost in American prestige and power, combined with major American efforts and success in Europe, convinced Eisenhower to run for the Democratic Party. Despite Eisenhower's hesitation due to some scandals that Truman faced early on, Truman's success in Korea (with minimal losses) and diplomatic push against communism abroad, brought Eisenhower onboard. As a result, Eisenhower ran on the platform of fighting communism and corruption, using only force if absolutely needed. His popularity as a general during WW2, combined with the popularity of the Democratic Party, greatly changed the playing field of the 1952 elections [5].
On the opposite side, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China silently contemplated the losses they have suffered after North Korea's annexation. Stalin was furious that North Korea fell so easily and blamed it on the PRC for being indecisive and cold in "their communist brother's greatest time of need." This began the great Sino-Soviet Split as both sides began to see each other in a much more negative light. Meanwhile, Mao was angry at the other leaders of the Communist Party and blamed them for causing the American victory in the Korean War. The failures of China during the Korean War and the fall of North Korea would begin a long and bitter power struggle between Mao and opposing members of the Chinese Politburo. However, with the fall of North Korea, Mao began to gain more power and popularity amongst the people and leaders, claiming that if he had been able to lead the PVA, North Korea would've never fallen and the Korean Peninsula would be united under communism.
While all eyes were turned to the 1952 US Presidential Elections, a series of events began to unfold across Iran and other parts of the world as the next hopeful president of the United States would have another set of challenges...
+++++
[1]: Major PoD: Douglas MacArthur dies during the Philippine Campaign (towards the end of the war as the US invades the Philippines) and Japan is treated like Germany post-war. Instead of a military government, Bradley is merely the commander over watching the occupation forces and making sure that a proper democratic government is installed. The Emperor is removed but freed from being tried. Protests do appear across Japan but are swiftly put down by the US forces as the democratic government takes power.
[2]: Bradley was a major opponent of the amphibious invasion of Inchon and believed that a slow and steady advance would result in fewer casualties and effectively destroy the KPA. However, he did believe that a small landing in Wonsan was still needed to cut off the KPA.
[3]: In OTL, Bradley was careful and believed that MacArthur's aggressive rhetoric against the Chinese would draw the Chinese into the war.
[4]: In OTL, the Chinese Politburo was convinced by Mao and allowed the People's Liberation Army to enter Korea and assist the North Koreans.
[5]: In OTL, Eisenhower ran as a Republican because of the Korean War, the 1950 Truman Administration Scandal, and the failure of the Truman Administration to "roll back" communism. With the American victory in Korea, it can be said that Eisenhower is much more open to accepting the Democratic nomination.
+++++
AN: All credits go to theg*ddam*hoi2fan for giving me a great idea on writing this TL. I revised some previous works I had in my file and created this new TL.
So basically, the PoD is that MacArthur dies in WW2, too late to directly affect the outcomes of WW2, but change the course of the Korean War, and the Cold War itself. This timeline will not just be focused on Korea. It will inspect events all across the world and things will be very different as time goes on (as you can already see with the 1952 Presidential Election). The next chapter will be about the 1952 elections and the beginning of the Iran Crisis, both of which will go very differently ITTL.
I'm done with finals so I'll be spending quite some time brainstorming, researching, and writing out this time line. Hope you all enjoy!
Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize.
Last edited:
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