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Battle of Inchon Timeline

(September 15 – September 19, 1950)

The Battle of Inchon was an amphibious invasion launched by United Nations forces during the Korean War. Orchestrated by General Douglas MacArthur, the daring landing at Inchon, South Korea, on September 15, 1950, caught North Korean forces off guard, severed their supply lines, and enabled the recapture of Seoul, dramatically turning the tide of the war in favor of the UN and South Korea. Less

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Outbreak of the Korean War

North Korea invades South Korea

Jun 25, 1950

From the outbreak of the Korean War following the invasion of South Korea by North Korea on 25 June 1950, the KPA had enjoyed superiority in both manpower and ground combat equipment over the ROK and UN forces dispatched to South Korea to prevent it from collapsing.

Image source: Battle of Inchon

North Korea invades South Korea

Dogfight over Incheon

Jun 27, 1950

On June 27, 1950, in the Dogfight over Incheon, the US Air Force shot down a North Korean plane over Incheon, one of the early air engagements of the war over the port city that would later become the site of the famous amphibious landing.

UN landing at Pohang

Jul 18, 1950

That distinction belonged to the United Nations landing that took place on 18 July 1950 at Pohang, South Korea, which preceded the Inchon operation as the first UN amphibious landing of the war.

Planning Operation Chromite

MacArthur formulates Operation Chromite

Jul 23, 1950

On 23 July, MacArthur formulated a new plan, code-named Operation Chromite, calling for an amphibious assault by the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division and the United States Marine Corps (USMC)'s 5th Marine Regiment in mid-September 1950.

MacArthur wins over Sherman with Corregidor story

Aug 1950

MacArthur won over Sherman by speaking of his affection for the US Navy and relating the story of how the Navy carried him out of Corregidor to safety in 1942 during World War II.

UN forces learn of mines in North Korean waters

Sep 1950

The UN forces did not become aware of the presence of mines in North Korean waters until early September 1950, raising fears that this would interfere with the Incheon invasion.

MacArthur gets underway for Incheon aboard USS Rochester

Sep 12, 1950

He got underway for Incheon in his flagship, the heavy cruiser USS Rochester, on 12 September 1950, to personally oversee the amphibious operation he had championed against considerable skepticism.

Reconnaissance and Deception

ROK Navy infiltrates Yonghung-do and Tokchok-do (Operation X-ray)

Aug 17, 1950

On 17 August 1950, a ROK Navy intelligence unit infiltrated the islands of Yonghung-do and Tokchok-do as part of Operation X-ray, and obtained information on the conditions there until 14 September.

UN reconnaissance team lands on Yonghung-do

Sep 1, 1950

Separately on 1 September 1950, a UN reconnaissance team (with members from US military intelligence units including the KLO and CIA) also infiltrated Yonghung-do to obtain information on the conditions there ahead of the landing.

Spy ring arrest raises fears Chromite plans leaked

Sep 1950

Exacerbating this fear, the leader of a North Korean-Japanese spy ring arrested in Japan in early September 1950 had a copy of the plan for Operation Chromite, and the UN forces did not know whether he had managed to transmit the plan to North Korea before his arrest.

VF-53 Corsairs shoot down Soviet A-20 Havoc over Yellow Sea

Sep 4, 1950

US Navy patrol aircraft, surface warships, and submarines operated in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and the Yellow Sea to detect any reaction by North Korean, Soviet, or People's Republic of China military forces, and on 4 September 1950 F4U Corsair fighters of Fighter Squadron 53 operating from USS Valley Forge shot down a Soviet Air Force A-20 Havoc bomber after it opened fire on them as it flew toward the UN naval task force.

Far East Air Forces raids roads near Kunsan

Sep 5, 1950

On 5 September 1950, aircraft of the USAF's Far East Air Forces began attacks on roads and bridges to isolate Kunsan, typical of the kind of raids expected prior to an invasion there, part of the deception plan to disguise the true target.

Napalm strikes burn Wolmi-do's eastern slope

Sep 10, 1950

On 10 September 1950, five days before the Incheon landing, 43 American warplanes flew over Wolmi-do, dropping 93 napalm canisters to "burn out" its eastern slope in an attempt to clear the way for American troops.

Deceptive Kunsan raid by HMS Whitesand Bay commandos

Sep 12, 1950 - Sep 13, 1950

On the docks at Pusan, USMC officers briefed their men on an upcoming landing at Kunsan within earshot of many Koreans, and on the night of 12–13 September 1950 the Royal Navy frigate HMS Whitesand Bay landed US Army special operations troops and Royal Marine Commandos on the docks at Kunsan, making sure that North Korean forces noticed their visit.

Aftermath and Legacy

Historians contrast Inchon with German Baltic offensive of 1941

Sep 1950

He contrasts the US military's 1950 Incheon-Seoul operation with the German offensive in the Baltic in 1941: in the Baltic region the Germans achieved strategic surprise on the first day and then, exhibiting a breakthrough mentality, pushed forward rapidly, seizing key positions and advancing almost 200 miles (320 km) in four days.

Slow 11-day advance on Seoul negates strategic gain

Sep 1950

American forces achieved a strategic masterpiece in the Incheon landing in September 1950 and then largely negated it by a slow, tentative, 11-day advance on Seoul, only 20 miles (32 km) away.

Film release: Inchon (1981)

1981

Inchon (1981), directed by Terence Young with Laurence Olivier as General Douglas MacArthur, dramatized the planning and execution of the famous landing, becoming one of the most notable cinematic depictions of the battle.

Image source: Inchon (film)

Film release: Inchon (1981)

North Korean film Wolmi Island released

1982

Wolmi Island (1982), a North Korean film, depicted the defense of Wolmi-do from the perspective of the defenders, offering the opposing regime's cinematic account of the battle.

Image source: Wolmido

North Korean film Wolmi Island released

The Landing

Clark activates Palmido lighthouse

Sep 15, 1950

At 00:50 on 15 September 1950, Lieutenant Clark and his South Korean squad activated the lighthouse on the island of Palmido, guiding the invasion fleet through the treacherous approaches to Incheon harbor in darkness.

X Corps hits Green Beach on Wolmido

Sep 15, 1950

At 06:30 on 15 September 1950, the lead elements of X Corps hit "Green Beach" on the northern side of Wolmido, beginning the main assault of the Battle of Inchon.

3rd Battalion, 5th Marines captures So Wolmi Do

Sep 15, 1950

According to Heinl, "With the capture of So Wolmi Do at 1115, the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines had accomplished its mission," securing the island fortress guarding the approach to Incheon.

Eight LSTs follow at 1800

Sep 15, 1950

Eight LSTs followed at 1800, landing follow-up forces ashore after the tide rose again, sustaining the momentum of the amphibious assault at Incheon.

Amtracs cross mud flats supported by rocket fire

Sep 15, 1950

The 2.5 miles of mud flats defining the approach necessitated the use of 172 Amtracs, supported by two LSMRs launching 2000 5-inch rockets each, to carry the Marines across the exposed tidal flats into the city.

First three waves reach Red Beach

Sep 15, 1950

At 1730, the first three waves reached the beach at Incheon, as the second phase of the assault pushed inland from the seawall toward the heart of the port city.

11th Marines artillery battalions in position

Sep 15, 1950

By 2150, the 105mm 1st and 2d Battalions, 11th Marines, were in position and ready to lend artillery support to the infantry pushing through Incheon during the night of the landings.

MSTS brings 7th Infantry Division ashore

Sep 18, 1950

Doyle's Invasion Force — Attack Task Force 90; and the Military Sea Transportation Service, which was to bring in the United States Army's 7th Infantry Division on 18 September 1950, reinforcing the expanding beachhead.

Battle of Inchon ends

Sep 19, 1950

The battle began on 15 September 1950 and ended on 19 September, with UN forces securing the port of Incheon after a dramatic reversal of fortune in the Korean War.

Key Facts

  1. General Douglas MacArthur planned and commanded the amphibious assault despite strong opposition from other military leaders who considered Inchon's extreme tides and narrow channels too risky.
  2. The landing, codenamed Operation Chromite, involved over 70,000 troops, primarily U.S. Marines of X Corps, supported by more than 250 ships.
  3. Inchon's massive tidal range—up to 29 feet—meant landings were only possible for brief windows, adding to the operation's difficulty and surprise.
  4. The successful landing cut North Korean supply lines and communication routes, forcing enemy troops retreating from the Pusan Perimeter into a trap.
  5. UN forces recaptured Seoul by late September 1950, marking a dramatic reversal in the Korean War just months after North Korea nearly overrun the entire peninsula.

Source

This Battle of Inchon timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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