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A Study on the Artillery Ammunition Supply System during the Korean War - Focused on Rail and Road Transport -

  • military history
  • 2024, (133), pp.279~319
  • Publisher : Military History Institute, MND
  • Research Area : Humanities > History
  • Received : October 10, 2024
  • Accepted : November 29, 2024
  • Published : December 31, 2024

Kang, Tae-Yoon 1

1국방대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The study examines the ammunition supply system of the ROK-US combined forces' artillery units during the Korean War, divided into two periods: before and after the US military support. Before the outbreak of the war and the arrival of UN forces, the South Korean military received ammunition upon the approval of the US Military Advisory Group, with quantities insufficient for full-scale warfare. Ammunition supply was not systematized, and the speed of the North Korean advance depended largely on the efforts of the South Korean Army commanders to secure ammunition. A systematic ammunition supply began to take shape with the US intervention and the establishment of the Busan Base Command. The US established the Japan Logistic Command, utilizing the Japanese mainland as a logistical support base and supplying ammunition to the warehouses in Busan via sea and air transportation. Subsequently, the ammunition offloaded in Busan was transported to the battlefield using the existing railway system, and in areas where rail transport was limited, the supply was managed via road transport using vehicles. As the war progressed, the ammunition supply system was fully developed, evolving from the Busan Base Command to the Busan Logistic Command and eventually to the 2nd Logistic Command. In the early stages of the war, when ammunition storage levels did not meet the required standards, emergency measures such as aerial transport and daily CSR adjustments were implemented for operational support. By the latter stages of the war, the establishment of stable ammunition storage and transport systems enabled consistent supply. Thus, the establishment of an ammunition supply system was a crucial element of sustained support during the Korean War.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.