Today in military history: Chinese overwhelm Allies in North Korea

On Nov. 29, 1950, Chinese forces overwhelmed the Allies in North Korea. When North Korean forces, backed by the Soviet Union, crossed the 38th parallel to attack South Korea in June of 1950, the United States intervened, rapidly driving the communists back north. What could have been an Allied victory turned into a retreat when Chinese communist troops entered the fray. By the end of summer 1950, President Truman and General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the Asian theater, had set a new goal for the war in Korea. They set out to liberate North Korea from the communists. However, as…