WI Republic of China in Korean War

Immediately following the UN resolution to aid South Korea, only the Republic of China (besides the US) volunteered ground troops:
The US Army History Center for Military History said:
Only Nationalist China offered ground troops-three divisions totaling 33,000 men, together with twenty transport planes and some naval escort. General MacArthur eventually turned down this offer on 1 August because the Nationalist Chinese troops were considered to be untrained and had no artillery or motor transport.
http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/SN04.HTM
What if the offer had been accepted? I don't see how they'd have had any appreciable military impact on the war, but I think the political impact - especially later, when Communist China intervened - would have been huge. Remember that, at the time, the Republic of China was still internationally recognized by virtually all non-Communist countries; it held China's UN seat.


So... What do you think would happen? Perhaps Mao would see sense, ignore the token RoC contribution, and keep the war confined to Korea as in OTL... but conversely, it's possible that the war might have expanded to the Taiwan Straits. In this context, it might be significant that Truman's initial authorization to MacArthur to commit US ground troops also ordered him to
by naval and air action defend Formosa against invasion by the Chinese Communists and, conversely, prevent Chinese Nationalists from using Formosa as a base of operations against the Chinese mainland
It's quite possible, of course, that this might have changed later...
 
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A few random thoughts

Korea was a shitstorm as it was.
No hate on the ROC contribution, but AFAIC, it's all downside politically for the US/UN with little military upside.
The good news such as it is, a whole new crop of KMT troops get some combat experience and maybe Americans see the KMT in a better light as capable comrades under fire rather than the corrupt bumblers that blew an insane military and economic advantage over the Communists.
That could have some interesting knock-on effects.
Chances of a Pacific version of NATO- where say, the US, Canada, ROC, ROK, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, and NZ forming in the crucible of the Korean Conflict, really low.


As you mentioned, it would give the PRC every excuse to (a) consider the UN hostile to the PRC and (b) see the Korean War as episode XII of the Chinese civil war and be more actively involved, if that were possible.

What would have prevented the Yalu offensive is a lot of delicate diplomacy, assurances the UN forces would stop at the Yalu River and no hot pursuit of NK troops. The US wasn't interested and figured it could handle whatever the NK's and helpers could throw at them. We all know how that went to buggery. ROC troops wouldn't have helped that situation appreciably IMO.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
I imagine it would make it more difficult for the United States to switch its recognition to the PRC later on.
 
The Seventh Fleet was already prepared to prevent any attempt by the PRC to expand the war into the Formosa Straits. If the PRC had then limits place on US forces might have been lifted. The US might well have bombed mainland China, support an ROC recapture of Hanan Island etc.
 
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