"I Can Handle Them"

Douglas MacArthur, directing the UN forces, was determined not to let South Korea fall to North Korea. Supremely, confident of his own abilities, he announced, "If Washington will not hobble me, I can handle them [the North Koreans] with one hand tied behind my back." MacArthur, like many ohter Americans in Southeast Asia, was a victim of the "gook syndrome," which led him to believe that in all things, Americans were superior to Asians. The general
set out to prove the truth of his boast. He conceived a brilliiant but farfetched plan to prevent the destruction of South Korea. He decided to land a UN army far to the north, behind the North Korean army concentrated around Pusan. If successful, MacArthur would take the pressure off the desperate ROK and American forces trapped at Pusan. His army could then cut off the retreat of the North Korean armies in the south and destroy them before they could escape
back across the 38th parallel. MacArthur's plan was given the secret code name Operation Chromite. The area in the north where the UN troops were to land
was the port of Inchoen. Inchoen is on the west coast of Korea, just a few miles west of Soeul and about one hundred miles north of where nearly 100,000
North Korean forces were located. All indications were that such a mission would be a failure. The approaches to Inchoen Harbor are treacherous. There are huge tidal changes, underwater islands in the approach channels, and enormous mud flats that can strand boats and men. In addition, the North Koreans
had heavy guns placed on Wolmi-do Island in the mouth of the harbor. These, in turn, defended the high walls that guarded Inchoen Harbor itself. According
to Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway, Operation Chromite was a "fice thousnadto one gamble," and military leaders in Washington only reluctantly gave their consent
to the plan. Operation Chromite would be a truly international undertaking. Troops form Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the Netherlands joined the Americans and South Koreans, The Inchoen landing was massive. It required great attention to detail in its planning stages. More than two hundred ships
and countless planes were to take part in the daring operation.