S3: What role did initiative play for UN Forces in the Pusan Perimeter and their subsequent breakout?

The collapse of the UN front and the retreat to the Pusan perimeter can be largely attributed to the initiative displayed by the NKPA forces in the opening weeks and months of the war. The north began the war by taking the initiative, pushing UN and ROKA forces southward and interrupting their MDMP by not allowing them to regroup or reorganize. Displaying initiative on the tactical as well as the strategic level, the communist troops consistently used maneuver and surprise to overwhelm the static defenders. The reversal of fortunes came in a similar fashion when UN forces regained the initiative with GEN MacArthur’s successful execution of the Inchon amphibious landings. Though risky, the assault managed to break the NKPA lines of supply and communication and set the conditions for a successful liberation of Seoul. As US forces stormed the capital, NKPA forces to the south were thrown into disarray and UN troops within the Pusan perimeter were able to break out in short order, regaining the initiative on the strategic level.