This episode covers the Chinese counterattack that hit the US 8th Army in the western part of North Korea. Shortly after MacArthur launches his forces north toward the Chinese border, the Chinese launch their own counterattack, surprising the UN forces with nearly 300,000 soldiers who have been hidden in the hills. This counterattack collapses the ROK II Corps on the right flank of the 8th Army, endangering the entire army with encirclement. Will UN air supremacy and firepower be able to withstand the massed Chinese armies?

This episode covers the UN amphibious assault at Incheon, the collapse of the North Korean army, and the rush north to the Yalu River. The North Korean offensive to eliminate the Pusan Perimeter has failed. Conditions are right for a counterattack to drive the Communists north, but only General Douglas MacArthur is so bold as to propose an amphibious assault at Incheon, just twenty miles from Seoul. The Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine generals almost universally oppose it as too risky due to the challenging geography, tides, and distance from the front. Yet this operation would be MacArthur’s masterpiece, utterly changing the course of the war… until the Chinese arrive.

This episode covers the background of the Korean War and the opening months of the war. This includes the reasons why Korea was divided in half after the Second World War, the rising tensions of the Cold War, the surprise invasion and decision by the US to intervene, along with sixteen other states of the United Nations. This episode ends at the final North Korean attack on the Pusan Perimeter in September 1950.

Six Day War Bonus Episode (Preview)

This is a preview for the bonus episode, available on Patreon, which covers:

• Why did I decide to create the Wheels of History Podcast?

• Why did I choose to do a series on the Six Day War?

• A discussion of three books I used as main sources for this series

• A tanker’s thoughts and discussion about three tanks used in the Six Day War: the American Sherman tank, the British Centurion tank, and the Soviet T-54 and T-55 tanks.

Episode 4: Victor and Vanquished

This episode covers the final days of the Six Day War, in which Israel defeats Egypt and Jordan, and then makes a last minute attack to seize the Golan Heights from Syria. Although Israel has been wildly successful in the war, how far should they push their luck? The Soviet Union is increasing its pressure on Israel to accept a cease fire and there is the ever-present risk of the United States or the Soviet Union becoming directly involved in the war.

Part 3: The Die is Cast

This episode covers the start of the Six Day War, in which Israel launches a surprise attack on Egypt, Jordan joins the war against Israel, and the first three days of the war play out. This includes the Israeli air attacks against the Egyptian Air Force, the Israeli offensive in the Sinai, the Jordanian attempt to seize West Jerusalem, and the Israeli offensive into the West Bank.

Part 2: The Road to War

This episode covers the rising tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors from the end of the Suez War in 1956 to the start of the Six Day War in 1967. This includes the rise of Nasser and his efforts to use Arab nationalism to unify the Arab world against Israel, Soviet support and arms to equip Egypt and Syria, Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel, and even efforts to divert the Jordan River waters to prevent Israel from using it for irrigation. These actions and Israeli reprisals eventually lead to a crisis, where Egypt kicks out the United Nations peacekeepers along the border with Israel and blockades Israeli shipping into the Red Sea.

Part 1: Background

In six days, Israel attacked and defeated the armies of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, redrawing the map of the Middle East. Why did the war happen? Why did Israel win so decisively, despite being outnumbered and surrounded? And how does this war impact the current state of affairs with Israel and its neighbors?