August 28, 1950-the Joint Chiefs of Staff  -  A 5000:1 Gamble

  The Nakdong River reeks of blood as war rages on the battlefront.  For now, the ultimate goal of the UN troops is to not be swept off to the sea along the river.  The North Koreans are battling with the same ferocity as the South Koreans and their allies to penetrate the defense line.  

Meanwhile, Gen. MacArthur was doing his best to complete Operation Chromite, a daring plan to launch a mass attack on Inchon to wipe out the majority of North Korean forces.

However, the U.S. Ministry of National Defense  was opposed to this idea because Inchon was to be the target of this plan.  The shore of the West Sea, which borders Inchon, is a dangerous spot for landing.  This is because the difference between high tide and low tide is far too great and inconsistent as well.

In addition, the Nakdong River defense line was already struggling, and it would be a dangerous gamble to dispatch soldiers at Nakdong to Inchon.  

Despite the odds, Gen. MacArthur still believed the plan would succeed.  

First of all, he thought Inchon would be a good location for the recapture of Seoul, since it was only 32km away from Seoul.  He believed recovering control of Seoul would greatly hurt the morale of the enemy.

Secondly, MacArthur predicted that a surprise attack on Inchon would catch the enemy off guard, since most of their forces were concentrated on the Nakdong River defense line.    

Also, he pleaded to the Ministry of Defense that the soldiers at Nakdong were weary and may be fighting a losing battle.  

Finally , the Ministry of Defense gave permission to launch Operation Chromite.  However, Gen. MacArthur was advised to try Kunsan if landing at Inchon was too difficult.  

Meanwhile, U.S. troops at the Nakdong defense line were struggling in one of the fiercest battles ever against the North. This was also when the Battle of Youngsan  took place.