The National Guard and its Role
in the Korean War

[KWE Note: This page opened on the Korean War Educator on Nov 16, 2004.]

Page Contents:

• Introduction
• Increments of Activation
• Army National Guard Units that Served in Korea
• Army National Guard Units Federalized for the War
• Resources

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Introduction

When the Korean War broke out, American troops stationed in neighboring Japan were unexpectedly thrown into war, and quickly discovered the strength and determination of an aggressing North Korean enemy.  Hundreds upon hundreds of combat-experienced and inexperienced American soldiers were killed in those first days of war on the Korean peninsula, so much so that MacArthur requested more troops to bring units up to strength and replace battle casualties.  He asked for artillery batteries, tank battalions, filler ground troops, a Marine Corps combat team, combat engineers, and more.

(Click picture for a larger view)

(Click picture for a larger view)

(Click picture for a larger view)

Unfortunately, after World War II ended, the regular U.S. military had been considerably downsized.  MacArthur's request for more troops was approved, but in order to meet his needs quota, it became necessary to activate thousands of National Guardsmen from all across the United States.  From then on, our nation's National Guard played an important role in the Korean War.

According to the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia, about one third (138,600 men) of the Army Guard's total strength was mobilized when war broke out in Korea. Forty-three units, including two infantry divisions, actually served in Korea. Other guard units were deployed to stateside and worldwide locations close to and far away from Korea.

Not just National Guard manpower was needed, either.  Some 67 percent of the Army National Guard's equipment was also mobilized for war.  According to The Korean War: An Encyclopedia, edited by Stanley Sandler:

"The Army National Guard gave up motor vehicles, tanks, and other ground weapons, plus light aircraft.  Besides 156 M-26 tanks, some 592 M-4 medium tanks were withdrawn from National Guard inventories.  The impact is suggested by the fact that, a year into the war, the Army National Guard had on hand only 33 percent of its authorized equipment.  Likewise, the Air National Guard was stripped of its F-74 jet fighter aircraft, and even such items as life vests, life rafts, and spare parts for F-51 aircraft were withdrawn for use by the active forces." [p. 300]

Elements of the Air National Guard were deployed, too.  By Fall of 1950, about one sixth of the Air National Guard had been activated.  During 1951, 22 of the 27 Air National Guard wings, with supporting units, were called up.  Like the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard's equipment was also put into action for the war effort, including F-84 jet fighters, life vests and rafts, and spare parts for aircraft. 

The Guardsmen left civilian jobs, new brides, young children, college studies, and many post-World War II hopes and dreams when their units were activated for the war.  Their contribution to the war effort was so significant that the Korean War Educator created this page to honor and remember our country's National Guardsmen, and to provide information about the National Guard's important role in the Korean War.  

The National Guard page of the Korean War Educator opened on Nov 16, 2004 with emphasis on the Army National Guard.  However, as the weeks and months go by, our readers will see extensive information and statistics added about the Air National Guard in Korea, too. Be sure to revisit this page often to see the progress being made on this important aspect of the Korean War.
 

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Increments of Activation

[Source: "When Are We Going? The Army National Guard and the Korean War, 1950-1953," authored by Renee Hylton, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, VA, p. 49.]

Increment No. 1 - 14 Aug 1950
Increment No. 2 - 14 Aug 1950
Increment No. 3 - 19 Aug 1950
Increment No. 4 - 1 Sep 1950
Increment No. 5 - 3 Sep 1950
Increment No. 6 - 14 Sep 1950
Increment No. 7 - 11 Sep 1950
Increment No. 8 - 11 Sep 1950
Increment No. 9 - 15 Sep 1950
Increment No. 10 - 5 Oct 1950
Increment No. 11 - 15 Oct 1950
Increment No. 12 - 21 Oct 1950
Increment No. 13 - 16 Jan 1951
Increment No. 14 - 23 Jan 1951
Increment No. 15 - 16 Mar 1951
Increment No. 16 - 1 May 1951
Increment No. 17 - 15 May 1951
Increment No. 18 - 15 Jan 1952
Increment No. 19 - 15 Feb 1952

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Army National Guard Units That Served in Korea

[Source: "When Are We Going? The Army National Guard and the Korean War, 1950-1953," authored by Renee Hylton, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, VA, p. 48.]
 

*First divisional elements arrive.  Note: Two ARNG infantry divisions, the 28th (PA) and 43d (RI and CT), deployed to Germany after Federalization.

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Army National Guard Units Federalized for the War

[Source: "When Are We Going? The Army National Guard and the Korean War, 1950-1953," authored by Renee Hylton, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, VA, p. 49-61.]

Alabama
 

Arkansas
 

California
 

Colorado
 

Connecticut
 

Delaware
 

District of Columbia
 

Florida
 

Georgia
 

Idaho
 

Illinois
 

Indiana
 

Iowa
 

Kansas
 

Kentucky
 

Louisiana
 

Maine
 

Maryland
 

Massachusetts
 

Michigan
 

Minnesota
 

Mississippi
 

Missouri
 

Nebraska
 

New Hampshire
 

New Jersey
 

New Mexico
 

New York
 

North Carolina
 

North Dakota
 

Ohio
 

Oklahoma
 

Pennsylvania
 

Puerto Rico
 

Rhode Island
 

South Carolina
 

South Dakota
 

Tennessee
 

Texas
 

Utah
 

Vermont
 

Virginia
 

Washington
 

West Virginia
 

Wyoming
 

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Resources

The Korean War Educator highly recommends the following educational resources that provide extensive information about the Army National Guard in the Korean War.  If there are other resources available that KWE readers know about, be sure to contact lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org.

A Very Long Weekend: The Army National Guard in Korea 1950-1953

Authored by Bill Berebitsky, this is the story of the 43 Army Guard units that served in Korea. Unit command reports and long forgotten news articles are combined with the recollections of 83 guardsmen and 9 men assigned to guard units. Hard cover, 300 pages, 28 illustrations, 9 maps. Order Information: $22.45 + $2.50 shipping & handling. Send checks payable to "A Very Long Weekend", 250 Mugo Pine Circle, Reno, NV 89511. Nevada residents add appropriate sales tax.

When Are We Going? The Army National Guard and the Korean War, 1950-1953

Authored by Renee Hylton, this is a publication that was distributed free of charge by the National Guard Bureau in Washington, DC. during the government's activities surrounding the 50th anniversary of the Korean War.  Hylton has done an excellent job of providing a comprehensive review of the Army National Guard's role in the Korean War.  The charts shown above (listing the activated Guard units) came from this booklet.  According to Hylton there are some 3,000 copies of this booklet still available through the National Guard Bureau.  To obtain a copy of it, send your name and U.S. mail address (it cannot be a post office box address), along with a request for a copy of "When Are We Going?" to: Renee.Hylton@ngb.ang.af.mil.

Korea 1950

Center of Military History, Department of the Army [CMH Pub. 21-1], reprinted 1989. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

Fighting On The Brink: Defense of the Pusan Perimeter

Authored by BG Uzal W. Ent, USA, Retired, Turner Publishing Company, 412 Broadway, PO Box 3101, Paducah, KY
42002-0121, 1996.

In Mortal Combat Korea, 1950-1953

John Toland, Quill, William Morrow, NY, 1991.

Counterattack on the Naktong, 1950

From the Leavenworth Papers series, Dr. William Glenn Roberston, Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Dec 1985. The book studies the withdrawal by the 24th Infantry division to the Perimeter, their defensive battles along the Naktong River and counterattack by the division on Aug 17, 1950 with the aid of the Provisional Marine Brigade. Available free from USAC&GSC upon request.

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