0:00:08 > 0:00:12On the banks of this River in Korea in 1951,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16America, Britain and their United Nation allies
0:00:16 > 0:00:21were locked in a battle with tens of thousands of Communist troops.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31What moved the Allies to cross the world to fight here in Korea,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34only five years after the bloodshed of the Second World War,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38was their drive to stop Communism spreading further.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43I'll be revealing the dramatic reversals in military fortunes
0:00:43 > 0:00:49of the armies of the Capitalist West and the Communist East.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53And telling the story of how events in Korea
0:00:53 > 0:01:00nearly spiralled out of control, raising the spectre of nuclear war.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05The Korean war was waged
0:01:05 > 0:01:08by men from 24 different countries around the world.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Men divided by ideology but also by the way they fought.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17On one hand, massive firepower, on the other, overwhelming numbers.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20SHOUTING
0:01:20 > 0:01:24I'll be telling the story of what it was like for the ground troops
0:01:24 > 0:01:27when these two very different armies clashed.
0:01:29 > 0:01:36And describing the brutal fighting often waged in extreme conditions across the Korean peninsular.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40This is the story of a largely forgotten conflict
0:01:40 > 0:01:47and of a battle that took place here on the Imjin River during the Communist spring offensive of 1951.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51A battle that was to be a turning point in the war for Korea.
0:02:13 > 0:02:20I'm on a journey to perhaps the world's strangest border, the border between North and South Korea.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Right now, I'm about to enter the South Korean side
0:02:27 > 0:02:34of the four-kilometre-wide security zone that straddles the entire length of the boundary.
0:02:37 > 0:02:43This zone is effectively a no-go area, policed by troops from the United Nations,
0:02:43 > 0:02:49marked out by miles of barbed wire fences and defended with landmines.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56At the border itself, there are no fences or gates.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Here the border is simply marked by this block of concrete just
0:03:03 > 0:03:08four inches high, yet absolutely no-one is allowed to step across.
0:03:10 > 0:03:17Guarding the border on the south side stand the soldiers of the South Korean army.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Immediately opposite the men of the North Korean army.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34The only place along the entire border that the two sides
0:03:34 > 0:03:37are in direct communication,
0:03:37 > 0:03:43is on this spot where a few huts literally straddle the border.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Strictly speaking standing here, I'm in South Korean territory,
0:03:47 > 0:03:52but if I step beyond this table, in theory, I'm inside North Korea.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Although practically speaking, the mysterious country
0:03:56 > 0:04:01of North Korea lies beyond that guarded and locked door over there.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10So, how come such a bizarre situation exists here?
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Well, the fact is that North and South Korea
0:04:12 > 0:04:17are still officially at war and have been for over half a century.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23Before the second World War, the entire Korean peninsular was under the control of Japan.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27But when Japan was defeated, the victors divided the country
0:04:27 > 0:04:29along this line of latitude here, the 38th Parallel.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37The Soviet Union sponsored a Communist regime up here in the north,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40under Kim Il-sung and his capital, Pyongyang,
0:04:40 > 0:04:46and the Americans put Syngman Rhee, a fiercely right-wing Nationalist
0:04:46 > 0:04:49in control of South Korea in his capital, Seoul.
0:04:51 > 0:04:57Syngman Rhee wanted to govern not just South Korea but the entire peninsular.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02He wanted to unite North and South under a capitalist regime.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10In the North, his opposite number and bitter enemy, Kim Il-sung,
0:05:10 > 0:05:17also wanted to unify the Korean peninsular but under the banner of Communism.
0:05:19 > 0:05:26Each man had his dream of unifying Korea under his rule but neither of them did very much about it,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30until just after 4am on the 25th of June 1950,
0:05:30 > 0:05:37when without any warning, North Korea invaded the South.
0:05:37 > 0:05:45Within hours, 130,000 men of the North Korean army were pouring across the border.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49The North Korean army caught the South Koreans utterly unprepared,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52the South Koreans could barely muster a fighting force.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05Outgunned and overwhelmed by enemy tanks, the ill-equipped army were rapidly forced back.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Even though we fired our guns at them,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15the tanks were not damaged at all, we could not destroy them.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18We were in a panic. We couldn't resist the enemy.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20It was terrifying.
0:06:24 > 0:06:30In just 48 hours, the Communist soldiers were poised to attack the South Korean capital, Seoul.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Seoul was the jewel in the crown of South Korea
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and the North Korean army's attack on it was swift and certain.
0:06:56 > 0:07:02The Communists burst through these narrow streets meeting little resistance as they took control.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11The North Korean troops swamped the city
0:07:11 > 0:07:18and by June 28th, just three days after the invasion, Communist flags were flying over Seoul.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28But the North Koreans didn't stop here in Seoul.
0:07:28 > 0:07:34They pushed on southwards aiming to take the whole peninsular in the name of Communism.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44They crossed rivers, they traversed mountains
0:07:44 > 0:07:48and they defeated the weak South Korean army at every encounter.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57For the North Koreans, it was beginning to look like a walkover.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12The West and its allies feared the North seizure of South Korea
0:08:12 > 0:08:17would be another dangerous advance of Communism throughout the world.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23And the West was determined to do something about it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33The Americans took the lead in persuading the United Nations to go to the defence of South Korea.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Now the Soviet Union could have vetoed this proposal but they weren't there.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42In the Soviet Union's absence, the vote was passed.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46For the first time, the United Nations was going to war.
0:08:49 > 0:08:5621 nations from around the world, including Britain, would send men and equipment to Korea.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00But there would be no doubt as to who would be in charge.
0:09:04 > 0:09:11America by far the biggest single force was in command.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16The fighting in Korea was no longer a small skirmish in a far-flung country,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19it had dragged in a superpower.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Within days, allied troops began to flood into South Korea.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38American troops were the first of the UN Forces to arrive in Korea,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41shipped in from their bases in nearby Japan.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52And they entered here, through Korean's southernmost port, Pusan.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58When they landed, they faced a desperate situation,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and it was getting worse because by now the South Korean army
0:10:02 > 0:10:07had almost totally collapsed under the advance of the North Korean steamroller.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16But the American troops were virtually powerless to improve matters.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Because these were not the same battle-hardened, well-equipped men
0:10:21 > 0:10:24that had been victorious in the Second World War.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27We had equipment left over from World War II,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30most of which had been in a warehouse someplace.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34It was unserviceable to non-existent.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36We were in a very poor shape for everything.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41We were not ready to fight a war, that's the long and the short of it.
0:10:58 > 0:11:05Just weeks after setting foot on Korean soil, the American land forces faced a terrible humiliation.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13By now, the North Koreans controlled nearly the whole of Korean peninsula,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and this meant that the US troops and their South Korean allies
0:11:16 > 0:11:22were packed into an increasingly tight corner, an area that became known as the Pusan Perimeter.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29This was a tiny pocket of land, just 50 miles by 50 miles,
0:11:29 > 0:11:34around the port of Pusan in the southernmost tip of the peninsula.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Everywhere else was in North Korean hands.
0:11:40 > 0:11:47United Nations forces were surrounded, and in danger of being pushed out of Korea altogether.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05What was needed to rescue the United Nation's forces from disaster
0:12:05 > 0:12:13was a bold stroke from a decisive leader, and that's exactly what they got from the man in charge.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15The American General Douglas McArthur.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21McArthur was one of those commanders who was larger than life.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25He was America's most decorated officer in the First World War,
0:12:25 > 0:12:32and he relished the fame he'd won leading the defeat of Japan in the Second World War.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40Now the Korean War gave the aging general a chance of yet another triumph.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50McArthur knew that if he was to push Kim Il-sung's Communist army back into North Korea, he'd need
0:12:50 > 0:12:56a much more ambitious strategy than simply battling it out on the Pusan Perimeter.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02In World War II, McArthur's greatest victories had been achieved
0:13:02 > 0:13:09through amphibious landings, sending troops in by sea to attack behind enemy lines.
0:13:09 > 0:13:16Such landings carry grave risks, but McArthur was convinced he had mastered the technique.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23McArthur now proposed to use the same strategy in Korea,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26with a bold attempt to take the pressure off his forces
0:13:26 > 0:13:30trapped in this toe hold in the south-east of the peninsula.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34He would deliver an amphibious hammer blow, not down here,
0:13:34 > 0:13:41around Pusan, but 150 miles behind enemy lines to the north-west at the port city of Incheon.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46If he could seize Incheon, his troops could move onto Seoul,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50a mere 20 miles inland, cut the North Koreans off from behind,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54and force them to fight on two fronts - here and here.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58The North Koreans would be surrounded and crushed,
0:13:58 > 0:14:02but a landing at Incheon would be a high-risk exercise.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08The harbour city was placed at the end of a treacherous passage
0:14:08 > 0:14:13called Flying Fish Channel, where the tide raced in and out twice a day.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17When the tide fell by about 11 metres, or 36 feet,
0:14:17 > 0:14:23vast mud flats were exposed, making an approach impossible.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Even when the tide was in, the city was protected by high sea walls
0:14:27 > 0:14:31and a fortified island at the mouth of the harbour named Wolmi-do.
0:14:35 > 0:14:41McArthur's plan, codenamed "Operation Chromite", was to assemble a vast naval force,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43carrying 70,000 US troops,
0:14:43 > 0:14:48who would brave the dangerous tides of Incheon Harbour and land on the beaches.
0:14:52 > 0:14:58The Marines would first have to take the key beach at Wolmi-do, codenamed "Green Beach",
0:14:58 > 0:15:02which was only possible during the short window when the tide was high.
0:15:02 > 0:15:08Once the enemy had been silenced on Wolmi-do, the rest of the landing force would have to wait a whole
0:15:08 > 0:15:1412 hours for the tide to rise again, before they could assault Red Beach, to the north of Incheon,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16and Blue Beach, to the south.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Set for mid-September 1950, Operation Chromite
0:15:25 > 0:15:29was to be the largest amphibious landing since D-Day.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Many of McArthur's colleagues thought his plan near impossible.
0:15:33 > 0:15:41One of them even said, we drew up a list of every natural and geographic handicap, and Incheon had them all.
0:15:42 > 0:15:48McArthur himself privately admitted his Operation Chromite was risky.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56It was going to be a tough assignment for the crack US Marines
0:15:56 > 0:15:58hand-picked to carry out the operation.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05...APS unknown, bears one,
0:16:05 > 0:16:06align three, speed...
0:16:06 > 0:16:10The Marines' success hung on meticulous planning,
0:16:10 > 0:16:15but when I went to visit the British Royal Marines aboard HMS Albion
0:16:15 > 0:16:21I found out just how many factors can throw the best plan off course.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25There's the weather, there's the tide that has an impact. The sea state.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Of course, the Americans at Incheon had real problems with the tides.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Very high tides, just a 12 hour gap between them.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33How important is it to get the tides absolutely right?
0:16:33 > 0:16:39Well, if we get it wrong then we're going to end up either getting caught on sand bars offshore...
0:16:39 > 0:16:41And you're at the mercy of enemy fire.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46Absolutely. And if a tide is too high, then of course you may be actually slamming into the sea wall.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47Equally difficult to get people off.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50So timing is absolutely crucial.
0:16:52 > 0:16:58Now, when your landing craft are underway and you're on that landing craft and all your guys,
0:16:58 > 0:17:03how critical to you is the covering fire that's coming down on the enemy as you go into the beach?
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Oh, absolutely fundamental. That's why all our destroyers
0:17:06 > 0:17:12and our frigates have big guns on the front, that's what they're for, to buy us that time to get ashore.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16But this will be a matter of supreme concern, for the lads that are now on
0:17:16 > 0:17:19the landing craft and steaming into the beach.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24And what's it like being on a landing craft on your way into a beach?
0:17:24 > 0:17:29There will be guys that are utterly disorientated. They won't have a clue
0:17:29 > 0:17:35if they're in exactly the right position, what they're gonna see when they get off the landing craft.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41- Given with that, some would have been sick, some will be dizzy, some will be confused...- And frightened?
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Oh, hugely frightened.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46One of the crew of the landing craft who's working up on deck
0:17:46 > 0:17:51will be shouting, 500 metres to go, 400 metres to go, and then counting them down.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54And of course they get to 100 metres to go, they all stand up,
0:17:54 > 0:18:00the doors get pushed open and then they're just stood there waiting for the ramp to drop.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Hit the beach, ramp goes down, and then they're off.
0:18:04 > 0:18:10The US Marines waiting off the coast of Incheon were about to go through exactly the same experience,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13as zero hour for the amphibious landing drew near.
0:18:17 > 0:18:24At around 6am on the 15th of September the actual landing part of the operation swung into action.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Under the cover of allied naval gunfire,
0:18:27 > 0:18:35six British and American destroyers had already steamed in to within a mile of the city,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37and anchored so that their guns could fire
0:18:37 > 0:18:41at point blank range on Wolmi-do, and the entire Incheon area.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50For two days, Incheon had been bombed by aircraft dropping napalm
0:18:50 > 0:18:54on the North Korean defences, and pounded by warships.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57LOUD BLASTING OF GUNS
0:19:00 > 0:19:03DRONING OF PLANES
0:19:09 > 0:19:14Now, under yet more covering fire, the landing craft used the high tide
0:19:14 > 0:19:19to sweep in from the sea and land on Wolmi-do's Green Beach.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Through the chaos caused by the supporting fire,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29wave after wave of landing craft headed for Green Beach.
0:19:30 > 0:19:36Smoke was boiling out of Incheon, the entire beach area simply disappeared
0:19:36 > 0:19:38in an enormous cloud of dust and smoke,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41with only the occasional glare of rocket bursts showing through.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48It was just awesome.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56But as the first wave of Marines approached Green Beach,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59they were faced with a daunting task.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Scaling the 12 foot high defensive sea walls under enemy fire.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Well, this is Green Beach on Wolmi-do today.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Not quite the same sight that would have
0:20:33 > 0:20:37greeted the first wave of US Marines as they clambered up the sea wall.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53With the second wave of Marines just four minutes behind they quickly advanced inland,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56the landscape blackened and blasted by the covering fire.
0:21:02 > 0:21:08The Marines swept over the island, meeting limited resistance and suffering few casualties.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15In just two hours the Marines' Commander radioed the waiting fleet.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Wolmi-do secured.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Phase one of their mission had been accomplished.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35For the Marines, the battle had only just begun.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39As this tide retreated it took with it the landing craft,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42their vital lifeline to the allied ships out there.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44They had to dig in.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46For the next 12 hours they had the unenviable task
0:21:46 > 0:21:50task of defending the island against a possible counterattack.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55It was vital the Marines held their ground.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Only if they retained control of this crucial island could
0:21:58 > 0:22:02further waves of landing craft move safely onto Incheon itself.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10They waited hour after hour for the tide to turn.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Waiting to defend against any North Korean counterattack.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22But the big attack never came.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Only at half past five did the tide come back in,
0:22:26 > 0:22:31and conditions were again favourable for the next phase of the American landings, further up the channel.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Red Beach fell to the Marines with little resistance,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41but there was still one more beach to capture.
0:22:49 > 0:22:56Almost simultaneously the Marines assaulted here at Blue Beach, about a mile south of Incheon.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00But things on Blue Beach didn't go quite as smoothly.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Out to sea, 25 separate assault waves had formed,
0:23:09 > 0:23:14but as they approached the shore, many of them were swept wildly off course by the strong currents.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21The assault on Blue Beach was in disarray.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Landing crafts at risk of capsizing, men in danger of drowning.
0:23:29 > 0:23:35Those who did make it through found the beach choked with smoke from the earlier Naval bombardment.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The actual landing conditions were terrible.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44The city was on fire, and the rain was mixing with the smoke and
0:23:44 > 0:23:48fire of the bombardment, so it was very difficult finding the beach.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Some units got mixed up, landing on the wrong beaches,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56and we just had to get it all sorted out.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02Despite the problems, there was no serious opposition to stop the allied advance.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08They managed to push on through Incheon and further inland.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Their journey took them eastwards, liberating village after village,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19rapidly crushing what little North Korean resistance they met.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27Their bold attack behind enemy lines had been a resounding success.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34In just 11 days, the men of the United Nations Army had
0:24:34 > 0:24:39reached their target and recaptured the South Korean capital, Seoul.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49The war in Korea was taking a whole new turn.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59By now, the Allied Forces pinned down inside the Pusan perimeter
0:24:59 > 0:25:03had been reinforced with fresh battle-ready troops.
0:25:05 > 0:25:11They broke out and thrust North to join those who'd recaptured Seoul.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27The United Nations Forces could now attack the North Korean Troops from two directions.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Kim Il-Sung's Army was effectively surrounded and quickly collapsed.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Within just two weeks the allies had pushed the crumbling North Korean Army
0:25:38 > 0:25:44back over the 38th Parallel, back into North Korea.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46It was an incredible turnaround.
0:25:54 > 0:26:00The two Koreas were now back where they began, divided by the 38th Parallel.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08The question for the UN Allies was what to do next.
0:26:11 > 0:26:19The United Nations could have ended the war right there but McArthur wanted to press on.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24He didn't just want to kick Communism out of South Korea
0:26:24 > 0:26:28but crush it in North Korea as well.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32He said the North should pay the penalty for invading the South.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36He urged the United Nations to take the war across the border.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48At the end of September 1950, McArthur got his way.
0:26:48 > 0:26:55He was given the go-ahead to cross the 38th Parallel and push into North Korea,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59the UN Army were no longer repelling an invasion.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02They had themselves become the invaders.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14The Allied invasion of North Korea began very well.
0:27:14 > 0:27:20On October the 7th the main body of the United Nations force drove northwards and within a month
0:27:20 > 0:27:24they'd overrun the Communist capital Pyongyang.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Still they pressed on scattering any North Koreans who opposed them.
0:27:28 > 0:27:34The United Nations forces were now within reach of fulfilling McArthur's vision
0:27:34 > 0:27:39of a total victory over Communism and the United Anti-Communist Korea.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Word went around that McArthur had even promised his troops
0:27:44 > 0:27:48would be home by Christmas, in a month's time.
0:27:49 > 0:27:56But every step his men took north threatened to awaken a sleeping dragon.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04McArthur's troops were now fast approaching the Yalu River,
0:28:04 > 0:28:08the border between North Korea and Communist China.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13LOUD CHEERING
0:28:19 > 0:28:21SINGING AND CHEERING
0:28:24 > 0:28:29The Chinese leader Mao Zedong had been watching events in Korea.
0:28:29 > 0:28:35His new Communist regime was only a year old and far from secure.
0:28:35 > 0:28:42Now the United Nations Army was rapidly approaching his Eastern border.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46As far as Mao was concerned this was blatant Imperialist aggression
0:28:46 > 0:28:49and it had to be stopped.
0:28:49 > 0:28:56In September 1950 he ordered the Chinese People's Volunteer Army into North Korea.
0:28:58 > 0:29:04Led by Commander Peng Dehuai, their aim was to confront and crush the United Nations.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14The vast armies of China had joined the war.
0:29:17 > 0:29:23Almost overnight the men of the United Nations faced a very different enemy.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30The Chinese were tough. They were battle-hardened veterans
0:29:30 > 0:29:38of years of civil war, experts in close quarters fighting and used to the rugged terrain.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43What really set them apart as a fighting force is that they were highly politicised.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47Each man had to sign a pledge of commitment to the cause.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51And each unit had to swear an oath to destroy Imperialism.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54They warned us if we didn't wipe out the enemy in Korea now,
0:29:54 > 0:29:58one day they would come back to China and we would lose everything.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03We swore to triumph in the Communist cause and protect everything the revolution had won for us.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07We weren't ever going to be oppressed by Imperialists again.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10CHEERING
0:30:13 > 0:30:16The Chinese may have been rugged and determined,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20but their real advantage lay in the sheer vastness of their numbers.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26The UN, on the other hand, relied on completely different strategies.
0:30:26 > 0:30:32Rather than the mass use of troops travelling swiftly and silently across open countryside,
0:30:32 > 0:30:37the UN had fewer troops, relying on road-bound tanks and artillery.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48Artillery was the key weapon that would form the bedrock of the Allied battleplan.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57Dan and I were given the chance to experience what it's like to be under live artillery fire
0:30:57 > 0:30:59when we visited the bombard shelter
0:30:59 > 0:31:02of the British Royal School of Artillery.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08A converge, a PD, a two rounds...
0:31:08 > 0:31:12- At my command, a one-round fire for effect.- A three...
0:31:13 > 0:31:14One, zero, fire, over.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35You can feel the shockwaves go through you.
0:31:35 > 0:31:36You're telling me you can!
0:31:39 > 0:31:43How critical is the artillery defending a position like this
0:31:43 > 0:31:47- against imagining these waves of Chinese attacking?- Absolutely vital.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51The contribution that artillery makes in delaying the enemy,
0:31:51 > 0:31:53taking them out, taking out large numbers,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56which would have been critical with the Chinese,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59because they did the human wave tactics, was vital.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02INDISTINCT SHOUTING
0:32:04 > 0:32:09The lethal effect would probably about 150 metres in a circle
0:32:09 > 0:32:12taking people out, that would be killing them,
0:32:12 > 0:32:17- and then the actual damage would go out to about two or 300 metres. - Extraordinary.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19And that effect would be continuous.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24Day or night, all weathers, 24 hours a day. That's what you would receive.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28The effect on the enemy out there would be absolutely devastating.
0:32:34 > 0:32:40Even inside the reinforced bunker, we could feel the force of the explosions,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43but it was only out in the open that we could see the impact
0:32:43 > 0:32:45those explosions would have on the enemy attack.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48So these shells are just like giant hand grenades.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Yes, and that's the effect we're after.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Each shell breaks up into hundreds of fragments.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56- Thousands of fragments. - Thousands of fragments.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59The air would have been black with those fragments,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02and I've got some here which we fired today, actually.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05The whole range. The optimum size is probably this one.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08If you just look at that you'll see how heavy and sharp...
0:33:08 > 0:33:10That's just a jagged edge.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- One of those would kill someone. - Oh, easily, easily.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16These two here would have taken this chap's arms off,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18this one here would have killed him,
0:33:18 > 0:33:20that one up the top is a serious head wound,
0:33:20 > 0:33:23and the last one in here would have hurt his leg.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27And yet the Chinese came on and on through this stuff.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30But as they're coming forward, they're encountering their comrades,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33wounded, injured, screaming, do they keep going?
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Do they help them out? What do they do?
0:33:35 > 0:33:39The whole time, they're just sapping the momentum out of this attack.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55But no matter how lethal the artillery fire,
0:33:55 > 0:33:59it did little to stem the massed attacks of the Chinese army.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04"We swarmed into action like ants.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08"The enemy guns overheated with the continuous use.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12"They began to misfire, and could no longer hit their targets.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18"In the end, they would see so many people coming at them, they would panic."
0:34:23 > 0:34:26One after another, United Nations positions
0:34:26 > 0:34:32were simply overwhelmed by wave after wave of Chinese infantry.
0:34:44 > 0:34:51Some United Nations units fought hard, others fell back in disarray.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Generally, morale collapsed, and to make matters worse,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57the bitter Korean winter was setting in.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04By late November 1950, with the temperature well below zero degrees,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08men of both sides were fighting at the limit of human endurance.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17The Chinese soldiers were wearing only lightly padded cotton uniforms
0:35:17 > 0:35:21and thin canvas shoes to protect them against the bitter cold.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25The Allies fared little better,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28and much of their equipment simply seized up.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35The men had to keep themselves awake for fear of freezing to death as they slept.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40"The first night the Chinese hit us, I lost 39 men to frostbite.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45"The next afternoon I went down to the medical station,
0:35:45 > 0:35:49"and the doctors were breaking off all those frozen toes with forceps.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51"I never saw those men again.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55"I lost a whole platoon to frostbite."
0:35:57 > 0:36:02Fighting a war in these dire conditions was not what these men had expected.
0:36:02 > 0:36:08To make matters worse, some American marines found themselves surrounded in a place called Chosin.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Despite relentless Chinese attacks,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13the Americans managed to fight their way out.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Elsewhere on the battlefield, other soldiers couldn't cope.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24Without waiting for orders, some turned around and fled.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29We moved headlong helter-skelter trying to get to the port at Pusan.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33It was disgusting, unbelievable.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38I never felt so ashamed in all of my life as to be a part of an army that was running away.
0:36:46 > 0:36:52Allied defences were crumbling across practically the entire frontline.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00The United Nations generals had no choice.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03They ordered a full-scale withdrawal.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11It was the largest military withdrawal in US history.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15As the Chinese drove south,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19the United Nations army folded in front of them.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21By January 1951,
0:37:21 > 0:37:25the Americans and their allies had been thrown back, south of Seoul.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30Once again, the South Korean capital was in the hands of the Communists,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32but this proved a step too far.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Because the Chinese had moved so far south,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40their supply lines were now severely strained,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42and the tide turned yet again.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47The UN Army once more began to push north.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52Over the first weeks of 1951,
0:37:52 > 0:37:57the Allies clawed their way back to a line just north of Seoul,
0:37:57 > 0:37:59but just south of the old border.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04After seven months of see-sawing advance and withdrawal,
0:38:04 > 0:38:09once more, the two sides were practically back to where they'd been when the war began.
0:38:14 > 0:38:20The huge, sweeping moves of the two sides, up and down the peninsula,
0:38:20 > 0:38:24subsided into an apparent stalemate.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28But how to break this stalemate
0:38:28 > 0:38:34was to lead to a crisis of the very highest level of the American leadership.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41The American President, Harry Truman,
0:38:41 > 0:38:45did not want to do anything to escalate the war in Korea.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51But General McArthur still demanded total victory over his Communist enemy.
0:38:51 > 0:38:56McArthur believed his President's policy was too timid,
0:38:56 > 0:38:59and he was going to say so, loud and clear.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01In order to achieve total victory,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04he demanded that the war should be taken into China itself.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11What McArthur was proposing was not simply to attack China,
0:39:11 > 0:39:16but to have the option of attacking it with nuclear weapons.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21This war was threatening to go nuclear.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33With McArthur now publicly challenging Washington policy,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37President Truman had to make a decision, and he made a brave one.
0:39:39 > 0:39:45I believe that we must try to limit the war to Korea for these vital reasons -
0:39:45 > 0:39:50to make sure that the precious lives of our fighting men are not wasted,
0:39:50 > 0:39:55to see that the security of our country and the free world is not needlessly jeopardised,
0:39:55 > 0:39:59and to prevent a Third World War.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04I have therefore considered it essential to relieve General McArthur.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08General McArthur is one of our greatest military commanders,
0:40:08 > 0:40:14but the cause of world peace is much more important than any individual.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20McArthur's dismissal marks the end of an era,
0:40:20 > 0:40:26the end of the Allied aim to unite the two Koreas under a democratic flag.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36McArthur's job went to General Matthew Ridgway,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39a man both liked and respected by his ground troops,
0:40:39 > 0:40:44and a man who accepted the idea of a divided Korea.
0:40:48 > 0:40:54Ridgway's aim was to establish a defensible line in the mountains and rivers just north of Seoul,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57from where he could keep the Communists at bay.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02But the Chinese commander, Peng Dehuai,
0:41:02 > 0:41:03had a different plan.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09He wanted to demolish the Allied forces, and throw them out of Korea once and for all.
0:41:09 > 0:41:15Unknown to the mainly British and American soldiers who were starting to dig in,
0:41:15 > 0:41:21China's vast armies were preparing to launch a massive attack,
0:41:21 > 0:41:23their spring offensive.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56As night fell on the 22nd of April 1951,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59hundreds of thousands of North Korean and Chinese troops
0:41:59 > 0:42:02prepared to attack right along the battle front,
0:42:02 > 0:42:07marked here in the Western section of the peninsula by the Imjin River,
0:42:07 > 0:42:08only 30 miles from Seoul.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15These Chinese troops were masters in infiltration and concealment.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Morale was high.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Confident of victory, the Chinese leaders told their men
0:42:23 > 0:42:27they would be celebrating May Day in the streets of Seoul.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32That night, the Chinese took their positions along the banks of the Imjin,
0:42:32 > 0:42:35and lay in wait for the order to move.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45The Chinese commander Peng Dehuai's plan
0:42:45 > 0:42:50was for a huge coordinated attack, practically from coast to coast,
0:42:50 > 0:42:52and the aim of his spring offensive?
0:42:52 > 0:42:58To destroy entire UN divisions by swamping them with sheer weight of numbers,
0:42:58 > 0:43:02carving them up into small pockets, and wiping them out, one by one.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05Then he'd move to recapture Seoul.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10Peng ordered the North Koreans to bring pressure on the east end of the line here,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13but the main attack would be by the Chinese themselves,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16punching a hole through the line in three places,
0:43:16 > 0:43:22against mostly South Korean forces here, American forces here,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24and here in the west, where I am now,
0:43:24 > 0:43:29the Chinese put a large force up against the mainly British 29th Brigade,
0:43:29 > 0:43:36who were defending the historic invasion route to Seoul across the Imjin River.
0:43:36 > 0:43:42Until now, the Americans and South Korean troops had borne the brunt of this war,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46but over the next few days the men of the mainly British 29th Brigade,
0:43:46 > 0:43:49led by Brigadier Tom Brody, would play a vital role.
0:43:51 > 0:43:57The 29th Brigade's nine mile long front along the Imjin River was pivotal.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00If the Chinese breached the line in this position,
0:44:00 > 0:44:03the Allied divisions either side would be exposed,
0:44:03 > 0:44:05and the routes to Seoul would be open.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10Of vital importance were two river crossings,
0:44:10 > 0:44:15with tracks leading to the capital just 30 miles to the south.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20700 men of the Gloucestershire Regiment guarded this track
0:44:20 > 0:44:22from the hills just south of Aforn,
0:44:22 > 0:44:26which they later called Gloucester Crossing.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31This second crossing and track were guarded by another 700 men
0:44:31 > 0:44:35from the battalion of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.
0:44:35 > 0:44:41In support, both British battalions could call on the Royal Artillery's field guns, back here.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44All this, plus some tanks in reserve here,
0:44:44 > 0:44:49and some other units on either side were part of Brody's 29th Brigade.
0:44:49 > 0:44:55Everything in this region was under the overall command of the American 3rd Division.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00There were just 4,000 men in the British 29th Brigade,
0:45:00 > 0:45:04thinly spaced and not yet properly dug in,
0:45:04 > 0:45:10a pitifully small contingent to be defending such a crucial stretch of front.
0:45:10 > 0:45:17Advancing on them the entire Chinese 63rd Army, over 27,000 men.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22The British were outnumbered by around seven to one.
0:45:29 > 0:45:3610pm on 22nd April, the first Chinese troops started to wade across the shallow section of water,
0:45:36 > 0:45:40but they were held back for nearly two hours by less than 16 men
0:45:40 > 0:45:44from a platoon of the Glosters, firing from up on the south bank.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50'And then we saw the Chinese,
0:45:50 > 0:45:55'they were thick in the water, somewhere around 2,000 men.
0:45:55 > 0:46:01'It was an astonishing target and we did use up all our ammunitions.'
0:46:01 > 0:46:07After halting four separate Chinese assaults, the British troops ran out of ammunition
0:46:07 > 0:46:11and they had no choice but to pull back and rejoin their unit.
0:46:11 > 0:46:16There was now nothing to stop the Chinese from advancing further.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23Throughout the night of 22nd April, vast numbers of Chinese soldiers
0:46:23 > 0:46:27succeeded in crossing the Imjin River, that's it down there,
0:46:27 > 0:46:29and pushing southwards towards here.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34This area, known as Castle Hill, was held by around a hundred men
0:46:34 > 0:46:36of the Glosters' A Company.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38They were in for a very long night.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49For six hours, under moonlight and the glare of parachute flares,
0:46:49 > 0:46:54A Company fought a ferocious close quarters battle for control of this hill.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01MACHINE GUN FIRE
0:47:05 > 0:47:08Again and again, the Chinese attacked up it,
0:47:08 > 0:47:12and A Company drove them back with machine gun and mortar fire.
0:47:12 > 0:47:18They received vital help from their artillery, five miles to the rear.
0:47:26 > 0:47:27'Shells rained down.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30'In front of me, a whole squad was blown to pieces,
0:47:30 > 0:47:35'and the bodies of dead and wounded scattered along the track.
0:47:35 > 0:47:36'I didn't wait to be killed.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41'I ran beyond that barrage as fast as my legs would carry me.'
0:47:42 > 0:47:48At times, the supporting artillery was the only thing slowing the Chinese advance.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01At first light on the 23rd April,
0:48:01 > 0:48:06things were looking decidedly bleak for the whole 29th Brigade.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10In fact, it was looking grim right away along the whole Allied line.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Some 30 miles over to the east,
0:48:12 > 0:48:16a South Korean division collapsed under the Chinese pressure,
0:48:16 > 0:48:21and American and Commonwealth troops desperately tried to plug the gap.
0:48:21 > 0:48:26It made it all the more vital that the British 29th Brigade held on here at all costs.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31The Northumberland Fusiliers, guarding the easterly track
0:48:31 > 0:48:35down from the river, had found their forward positions threatened.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38The Chinese had begun to gain the high ground,
0:48:38 > 0:48:41and the Fusiliers were being pushed back.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46The line was weakening, and the Chinese were infiltrating the gaps
0:48:46 > 0:48:48between the British positions.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51As for the Glosters, five miles to the west,
0:48:51 > 0:48:55their A Company were unable to hold out any longer on Castle Hill.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59There was no other option for the soldiers here,
0:48:59 > 0:49:03reduced to just one officer and fewer than 60 men, than to pull back
0:49:03 > 0:49:06and join the rest of the battalion further south.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09Relying completely on supporting artillery fire,
0:49:09 > 0:49:14they managed to retreat to a hill that became known as Gloster Hill.
0:49:14 > 0:49:19By dawn on the next day, the 24th April, the entire battalion,
0:49:19 > 0:49:24reduced to around 400 men, were all defending Gloster Hill
0:49:24 > 0:49:27against around 10,000 Chinese soldiers.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30And they were practically surrounded.
0:49:31 > 0:49:36By now, the Gloster situation was so precarious
0:49:36 > 0:49:39that the 29th Brigade Commander, Brigadier Brody,
0:49:39 > 0:49:43sent in a column of tanks along this valley
0:49:43 > 0:49:46in an attempt to blast its way through them.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50But the lead tank was hit and it blocked the route,
0:49:50 > 0:49:55and the attempt to break through to the Glosters had to be abandoned.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58All hope of getting help to them evaporated.
0:50:02 > 0:50:07That afternoon, General Sole, the American Commander of all the units in the area,
0:50:07 > 0:50:09radioed to ask how things were going.
0:50:09 > 0:50:14Brigadier Brody, instead of urgently requesting the Gloster withdrawal,
0:50:14 > 0:50:17replied simply that things were a bit sticky.
0:50:17 > 0:50:22He couldn't have chosen a worse moment for British understatement.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26The American General was given no idea how bad things really were,
0:50:26 > 0:50:31and so he ordered 29th Brigade to hold their position.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33What followed was disaster.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45At 10pm, the Chinese struck.
0:50:45 > 0:50:50The Glosters fought a bloody hand to hand battle, and pushed back attack after attack.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53The battle raged all through the night.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04It was the beginning of the end for the Glosters.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16The entire 29th Brigade was at breaking point.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20If they didn't withdraw, they faced death or captivity.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24The attempt to get any relief to the Glosters may have been blocked,
0:51:24 > 0:51:29but on the right, the Northumberlands line of retreat was still clear.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33Brigadier Brody had ordered tanks up the track to escort them out,
0:51:33 > 0:51:38but the withdrawal became chaotic as the Chinese managed to swarm
0:51:38 > 0:51:41onto the track and climb on the British tanks.
0:51:41 > 0:51:46The crews of neighbouring tanks were forced to hose each other's tanks
0:51:46 > 0:51:51with machine gun fire in an attempt to dislodge the clambering Chinese.
0:51:51 > 0:51:57The rescue of the Northumberlands were succeeding but only just.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01But the Glosters off to the west were left to their fate.
0:52:01 > 0:52:06In the face of the rapidly advancing Chinese, Brigadier Brody had by now
0:52:06 > 0:52:10been forced to withdraw the artillery supporting his troops,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13and once these vital guns were silenced,
0:52:13 > 0:52:18the men of the Glosters really were at the mercy of the Chinese.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22The men stranded just up there on the top of Gloster Hill
0:52:22 > 0:52:25were preparing for a nearly impossible task.
0:52:25 > 0:52:30They were going to try and make a break for it, but many had not slept or eaten for days,
0:52:30 > 0:52:37and with virtually no ammunition, getting back to friendly lines would be a near impossible task.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42But the Glosters had little choice.
0:52:42 > 0:52:46They set out to cross the enemy infiltrated stretch of land
0:52:46 > 0:52:49on what for many would be their final journey.
0:52:52 > 0:52:58The Glosters had started the Battle of the Imjin with 700 men.
0:52:58 > 0:53:0158 had been killed in the fighting.
0:53:01 > 0:53:07Only 63 made it back to the safety of British lines that night.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11Nearly 600 Glosters were taken prisoner.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15'It was a very shameful moment surrendering, I hated doing it.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19'Surrendering seemed to go against everything that I thought
0:53:19 > 0:53:22'soldiering should be about.'
0:53:22 > 0:53:27The rest of 29 Brigade had fared little better than the Glosters,
0:53:27 > 0:53:33but those few days in April 1951 had taken their toil on the enemy too.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Although 29 Brigade had lost a quarter of its men,
0:53:36 > 0:53:41it had destroyed nearly half the Communist forces attacking them across the Imjin.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45And right the way along the entire battlefront in Korea,
0:53:45 > 0:53:50other British, American and Allied forces fought heroic battles of their own.
0:54:02 > 0:54:07No-one knows exactly how many the Chinese lost,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09but it was in the tens of thousands.
0:54:18 > 0:54:23The Communist offensive ground to a halt along the entire battle line.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27It was to be the last major assault of its kind -
0:54:27 > 0:54:31the Chinese would never again launch an attack on the scale
0:54:31 > 0:54:34of the Spring Offensive of 1951.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38Like the Americans, they too had finally realised
0:54:38 > 0:54:42that neither of them could win control of the whole of Korea.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50While the Allied crushing of the Communist Spring Offensive,
0:54:50 > 0:54:55in great part along the Imjin River, did not end the fighting immediately
0:54:55 > 0:54:58it did bring both sides to the negotiating table.
0:55:01 > 0:55:07Yet when they first met on July 10th 1951, few could have had any
0:55:07 > 0:55:13inkling that the negotiations would drag on for over two years.
0:55:13 > 0:55:18All this time, the vicious battles for minor stretches
0:55:18 > 0:55:23of tactical ground continued, and the casualty rate soared.
0:55:26 > 0:55:31This increasingly futile war was to go on another two years,
0:55:31 > 0:55:34before the fighting finally ended.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41The two sides agreed the position of the new border between them,
0:55:41 > 0:55:47and they agreed on roughly the line of the 38th Parallel about here.
0:55:47 > 0:55:53And on 27th July 1953, they agreed a ceasefire.
0:55:56 > 0:56:01In three years of war, more than two million people had lost their lives,
0:56:01 > 0:56:04and a country had been devastated
0:56:05 > 0:56:10And yet the border between North and South Korea had barely changed.
0:56:13 > 0:56:18And there's one even bigger irony, the two sides have never signed a peace treaty.
0:56:18 > 0:56:24The state of war between North and South Korea still officially exists.
0:56:27 > 0:56:32To this day, Korea's two sides remain in an uneasy stalemate.
0:56:32 > 0:56:37North Korea is still one of the most undeveloped countries in the world,
0:56:37 > 0:56:40and fiercely secretive.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45South of the border, it's a very different story.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55South Korea has developed into a vibrant and thriving democracy.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03Today the two Koreas may be vastly different,
0:57:03 > 0:57:06but one thing hasn't changed.
0:57:08 > 0:57:14For the people of North and South Korea, the threat of a return to hostilities still looms.
0:57:16 > 0:57:2250 years after the ceasefire, South Koreans still plan for the worst.
0:57:22 > 0:57:29Around twice a year, a siren sounds across the South Korean capital here in Seoul.
0:57:29 > 0:57:34It's a drill for the taking of immediate shelter in the event of a North Korean attack.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39SIREN
0:57:39 > 0:57:46For a few minutes, these city streets empty in readiness for a return to hostilities.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48SIREN CONTINUES
0:58:00 > 0:58:05There was an awful lot of very brave fights going on right in the middle of the line.
0:58:06 > 0:58:13Next time, 20th Century Battlefields brings you the Tet Offensive, fought in Vietnam.
0:58:13 > 0:58:19This massive communist assault was the turning point of the 20th century's longest war.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23I'll explain how the American military had to adapt itself
0:58:23 > 0:58:25to face up to a guerilla fighting force.
0:58:25 > 0:58:32And I'll be experiencing what it was like for the soldiers as they fought through South Vietnam.
0:58:32 > 0:58:35The Tet offensive was one of the most decisive battles of the 20th century.