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2 bytes removed ,  05:07, October 27, 2018
→‎Pusan perimeter: clean up, typos fixed: a’s → a's
Line 35: Line 35:  
Pusan is a large port on the southern tip of Korea, through which came thousands of UN troops and hundreds of tanks and other heavy equipment.  By August, enough troops had come through that they could successfully hold the line against the North Koreans.  Knowing that time was not on their side, [[Kim Il-Sung]] ordered his soldiers to breach the line by any means necessary.  The North Korean army attacked repeatedly, but every attempt failed.<ref>''Battle'', by R.G. Grant, DK Publishing, 2005</ref>
 
Pusan is a large port on the southern tip of Korea, through which came thousands of UN troops and hundreds of tanks and other heavy equipment.  By August, enough troops had come through that they could successfully hold the line against the North Koreans.  Knowing that time was not on their side, [[Kim Il-Sung]] ordered his soldiers to breach the line by any means necessary.  The North Korean army attacked repeatedly, but every attempt failed.<ref>''Battle'', by R.G. Grant, DK Publishing, 2005</ref>
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Air power played a huge role in the defense of the perimeter.  With the skies firmly in UN control, American and British fighters and bombers had free reign.  [[B-29 Superfortress]]es, based on [[Okinawa]], hit North Korean supply lines and rear areas.  [[P-51 Mustang|F-82 Twin Mustangs]], F-80 Shooting Stars (America’s first combat jets), and propeller-driven medium bombers flew from Japan constantly, usually targeting North Korean troops.  [[P-51 Mustang|F-51 Mustangs]] operated from rough airfields inside the perimeter itself, some only a few minutes flying time from the enemy lines.  In addition, the carrier USS ''Philippine Sea'' had arrived, and joined the ''Valley Forge'' and ''Triumph'' in strikes on the North Koreans.  By the second week of September, UN planes were averaging around 700 sorties per day in support of the troops holding the line.<ref name="MyFirstRef"/>
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Air power played a huge role in the defense of the perimeter.  With the skies firmly in UN control, American and British fighters and bombers had free reign.  [[B-29 Superfortress]]es, based on [[Okinawa]], hit North Korean supply lines and rear areas.  [[P-51 Mustang|F-82 Twin Mustangs]], F-80 Shooting Stars (America's first combat jets), and propeller-driven medium bombers flew from Japan constantly, usually targeting North Korean troops.  [[P-51 Mustang|F-51 Mustangs]] operated from rough airfields inside the perimeter itself, some only a few minutes flying time from the enemy lines.  In addition, the carrier USS ''Philippine Sea'' had arrived, and joined the ''Valley Forge'' and ''Triumph'' in strikes on the North Koreans.  By the second week of September, UN planes were averaging around 700 sorties per day in support of the troops holding the line.<ref name="MyFirstRef"/>
    
In early September, enough UN troops had entered Pusan that the perimeter was secure, and attention could be turned toward a counter-attack.  Time, for the North Koreans, had run out.
 
In early September, enough UN troops had entered Pusan that the perimeter was secure, and attention could be turned toward a counter-attack.  Time, for the North Koreans, had run out.
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