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Thailand’s Contribution to the Land Campaigns of the United
Nations in the Korean War
In the early hours of a rainy Sunday, 25 June 1950, heavily
armed military units from the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea (North Korea) launched an invasion of the
Republic of Korea (South Korea). The action heralded the
beginning of a protracted conflict that was to last for just
over three years.
Two days later, as the
South Korean (ROK) defence
forces crumbled and fell back,
the UN Security Council met in
hurried session and agreed to
‘…furnish such assistance to
the Republic of Korea as may be
necessary to repel the armed
attack and to restore international
peace and security to the
area.’ By-passing Congress,
US President Harry Truman ordered
the commander-in-chief
of the Far East, General Douglas
Macarthur, to provide whatever
assistance was needed to repel
the North Korean invasion. By
referring to the conflict as a ‘police action’ instead of a full-blown
‘war’, Truman was able, under the articles of the US Constitution,
to justify his direct intervention rather than wait for Congress to
give its assent.
American forces based in occupied Japan were airlifted
into South Korea and went into action for the first time on 5 July.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the small South Korean army and
the US forces fought delaying actions, aiming to gain the necessary
time for more US reinforcements to arrive and for other UN
member states to commit troops to the battlefield.
US President G. Ford
Part One
By Duncan Stearn
Britain was the first nation to agree to join the US in Korea,
followed in rapid succession by Australia, France, Canada, and New
Zealand. The first forces from these nations began arriving in southern
Korea in late August.
On 20 July 1950, following a late-night meeting lasting more
than three hours by the members
of the Defence Board of
Thailand, an agreement was
reached to offer a 4,000-strong
contingent to support the UN
effort. Prime Minister Pibul
Songgram was quoted as saying,
“Only by fast and decisive
action can we cope with the
critical situation all over Asia.”
This was an oblique reference
to the recent fall of China to
the Communists as well as the
on-going revolts against French
rule in Vietnam and Laos and
the largely expatriate Chinese
insurgency in Malaya.
That April, the United
States had allocated more than $10 million worth of arms and other
military equipment specifically designed to combat the so-called
‘communist menace’. Money was also allocated for the construction
of highways, especially for the north-east region of Thailand. This
allocation further brought Thailand into the American sphere of
influence, despite the large numbers of Chinese immigrants who
made up a high proportion of the Thai population.
Thailand’s first measure of support for South Korea had come
on 30 June when she sent four tonnes of rice as a goodwill gesture.
The UN and US officially accepted Thailand’s offer off troops
for Korea on 16 August, the first by an Asian nation. Significantly,
Thailand’s offer gave the lie to a claim by the Soviet Union that only
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European countries would send soldiers to fight in Korea. The Thai
ambassador to the United States, Prince Wan Waithayakon ( Pictured
directly below ) stated Thai forces were being committed “to
defend the cause of peace, freedom and justice. Aggression must
be stopped in Korea, or anywhere else, otherwise small nations will
fall.” Although he stated Thai soldiers would be sent as soon as possible,
it would be almost two months before the first troops were
ready to embark.
In September, the Philippines joined the UN coalition, becom-
ing the first Asian country to put its soldiers on the ground
in Korea. The coalition eventually encompassed 16 nations,
with South Africa, the Netherlands, Greece, Belgium,
Luxembourg, Ethiopia, Turkey and Colombia, committing
troops to the United Nations Command (UNC), as the intervention
force was known. Additionally, Denmark, India,
Norway and Sweden provided medical units and Italy,
although not a member of the UN, supplied a hospital.
A newspaper report filed by the AAP-Reuter correspondent
in Bangkok suggested the imminent arrival of
the Thai Expeditionary Force (TEF) should ‘not be underrated’
claiming the Thais would ‘likely [prove] a first-class
small-arms fighting unit.’ The reporter noted the UN could
expect a Thai soldier to possess three qualities: ‘imagination,
patriotism, and personal bravery.’ It was noted the TEF
was a voluntary force and ‘when the government called for
4,000 men, 14,000 volunteered within a fortnight.’ Among
those volunteers was Prince Chalermpol, who was assigned the
rank of a captain in the infantry.
A small advance force of Thai troops arrived in Japan on
12 October. Eight days later a ceremony for 1,200 Thai infantrymen
took place in Bangkok with a parade down Ratchadamnoen
Avenue, reviewed by Army Commander-in-Chief General Phin
Choonhavan. The commander told his men Communism was a
menace which needed to be stopped, which is why Thai troops
were now on their way to help in the defence of South Korea. This
would be the first occasion Thai troops had served overseas since
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the First World War.
The first contingent of Thai soldiers, designated the 21st
Infantry Regiment, arrived in South Korea on 7 November. The Thais
were initially assigned to the US 187th Airborne Regiment, then to
I Corps (December 1950), IX Corps (January 1951), the 1st Cavalry
Division (March 1951) and finally the 2nd Infantry Division (27
December 1951).
The Thai troops arrived during the coldest winter for two centuries.
Despite the intensely cold weather, Thai morale was boosted
by the arrival of 10 specialist cooks who provided traditional Thai
cuisine to the soldiers.
The Thais did not see action until almost four months after
their arrival. In cold conditions, this first combat took place on 28
February 1951 near Hoengsong on the central front. Assisting their
ROK allies, the Thai troops, led by Colonel Boriboon Chulacharita,
engaged the North Koreans in a two-hour battle. The Thais and ROK
soldiers attacked the North Koreans in a two-pronged assault. The
action ended with success, the Thais and ROK claiming 50 North
Koreans killed and dozens wounded. The Thais suffered one man
wounded.
While operating with the US 1st Cavalry Division, the Thai contingent
impressed their allies with a strong performance in action
Thai trops attend a wounded comrade
near Uijongbu,
some 30
kilometres northeast of Seoul. This was after the unofficial Chinese
entry into the war which saw UN forces hurled back from the North
Korea-China border. The action was prior to Seoul falling for the
second time.
A UN counter-offensive recovered Seoul and by the end of
April 1951 the front line was established and maintained around
the 38th Parallel, the pre-war boundary between the two Koreas.
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