July 25, 1950
Nakdong River Defense line at Nakdong River

  The North Korean army easily seized the province of Honam, which was already weakened by the capture of Taejon and the Kumgang battlefront.  The nation’s capital was quickly changed from Taegu to Pusan, a city located on the southernmost tip of the peninsula.  Now, the Republic of Korea had to struggle to keep a little patch of land around Pusan, spanning only 90km from east to west and 135km north to south.  

Meanwhile, the commander of the 8th army set up a defense line along Nakdong River and told U.S. soldiers that “retreating is out of the question…we must fight this land with our lives."

Under the blazing sun and merciless heat, the North, the South, U.S. forces, and UN troops were fiercely battling for a patch of land.  The army even drafted young students to make up for missing soldiers.  The Nakdong River turned crimson with blood, and the sound of gunshots and terrified screams permeated the air.  

It would have been difficult to guard the Nakdong defense line without the help of the U.S. air force.  The air force brought nearly 100 B-29 war planes from Okinawa and greatly weakened the enemy’s side by launching bombs.  The air force was always ready to help with at least 2 war planes when there was a land battle as well.  Thanks to their help, the North’s strength was significantly weakened.   

For the U.S. army, the fiercest battle of all was the Battle of Young-san at Nakdong River.  In this battle, Walker dispatched a mobile striking force to fight off the enemy during critical moments.  When he came back after a brief retreat, the found his fellow men bound and killed.  

In this foreign land far from their home, fear and rage fueled the hearts of U.S. soldiers and gave them a new spark of courage.  

The Nakdong River battlefront grew narrower and narrower from August to mid-September.  The situation for U.S. troops had been once desperate enough to consider retreating to Japan, but the tables were clearly turned now.

Kim Il-Sung’s hopes of seizing Pusan by August 15 failed to come true.  The North Korean army fought with maximum strength at Nakdong, but it was clearly not enough.

Now, the UN troops were ready to fire.