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The military history of Australia during the Korean War was very eventful. Japan's defeat in World War II heralded the end to 35 years of Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula. The surrender of Japan to the Allied forces on 2 September 1945 led to the peninsula being subsequently divided into North and South Koreas, with the North being occupied by troops from the Soviet Union, and the South, below the 38th parallel, being occupied by troops from the United States. The Soviet forces entered the Korean peninsula on 10 August 1945, followed a few weeks later by the American forces who entered through Incheon. U.S. Army Lieutenant General John R. Hodge formally accepted the surrender of Japanese forces south of the 38th Parallel on 9 September 1945 at the Government House in Seoul. Although both rival factions tried initially to diplomatically reunite the divided nation, it was the Northern faction that eventually decided to try and do so with military force. Troops from the Soviet backed North Korean Army crossed the 38th parallel on 25 June 1950 beginning a civil war. The invasion of South Korea came as a surprise to the United Nations. The same day the war had officially begun (25 June), the United Nations immediately drafted UNSC Resolution 82, which called for: #all hostilities to end and North Korea to withdraw to the 38th Parallel; #a UN Commission on Korea to be formed to monitor the situation and report to the Security Council; #all UN members to support the United Nations in achieving this, and refrain from providing assistance to the North Korean authorities. The Liberal government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies, immediately responded to the UN resolution by offering military assistance. 17,000 Australians served in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, and they suffered 339 dead, and 1200 wounded. With the commitment of Australian forces to the Korean War, the Australian government called for 1000 men who had prior military experience in World War II 〔p.24 Forbes, Cameron ''The Korean War'' Macmillan Publishers Australia, 01/11/2010〕 to enlist in the army for three years, with one year of overseas service in Korea. They were called Korean Force or K-Force.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Korean Force )〕 A portion of the force were recruited in Great Britain.〔p.70 Grey, Jeffrey ''A Soldier's Soldier: A Biography of Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Daly'' Cambridge University Press, 25/10/2012〕 At the end of their enlistment, personnel recruited from the United Kingdom could elect to be discharged in Australia, or returned to the UK.〔http://www.dva.gov.au/aboutDVA/publications/health_research/korean_war_mortality/Pages/Chapter%202.aspx〕 Their previous military experience would facilitate rapid deployment to Korea. ==Background== When the North Korean Army crossed into South Korea on 25 June 1950, they advanced for the capital Seoul, which fell in less than a week. North Korea's forces continued toward the port of Pusan, a strategic goal. In two days, the United States offered assistance and the United Nations Security Council asked its members to help repel the North Korean attack. Australia immediately contributed No. 77 Squadron RAAF and the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR), both of which were stationed in Japan under the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF). No. 77 Squadron converted to P-51D Mustang fighters before arriving in Japan in February 1946 to participate in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. Occupation duties proved uneventful, and No. 77 Squadron was preparing to leave Japan for Australia when the Korean War broke out in June 1950. 77 Sqn was immediately dispatched to Korea, where they became the first UN air unit to enter the war, primarily in ground support, combat air patrol, and escort missions. 3 RAR was rapidly committed as Australia's main land force contribution to the United Nations forces in the Korean War. After a period of intensive training and reinforcement in Japan, the battalion arrived in South Korea in late September 1950. The battalion formed part of the 27th Commonwealth Brigade and took part in the United Nations offensive into North Korea and the subsequent retreat into South Korea following the Chinese offensive in the winter of 1950–51. It was one of three units to receive the Presidential Unit Citation (US) after the Battle of Kapyong. In addition to combat personnel, the Australian military provided the majority of supply and support personnel to BCOF, which was superseded in 1952 by British Commonwealth Forces Korea (BCFK). Australian, British, Canadian, Indian and New Zealand units were part of BCFK. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Australia in the Korean War」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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