The Third Campaign In the wake of the Second Campaign, our forces pursued the enemy and by mid-December made a sneak approach to the 38th Parallel. After making a thorough reconnaissance of enemy positions, our forces got everything ready for an offensive. In the evening of December 31, 1950, our troops stormed across the 38th Parallel, captured Seoul and crossed the Hangang River to recover the Port of Inchon and drive the enemy to the 37th Parallel. The enemy brought in four divisions in reinforcements from Japan and the United States and massed them along a defense line along the Rakdong River.

The enemy mechanized units retreated only 30 kilometers every night -- a distance that our troops could cover in a night, The enemy plan was to do everything to lure our troops to attack his fortified positions, and then, --- having worn out our troops --- to mount a frontal attack against us and land his marines on our flank to cut off our retreat.

By now the Chinese People's Volunteers had fought three major campaigns in a row in severe winter after their entry into Korea three months before. They neither had an air force nor sufficient anti-aircraft guns to protect them from enemy bombers. Bombed by aircraft and shelled by long-range guns day and night, our troops could not move about in the daytime. And they had not a single day's good rest in three months. It is easy to imagine how tired they were.

As our supply lines had now been extended, it was very difficult to get provisions. The strength of our forces had been reduced by nearly 50 percent due to combat and non-combat losses/ Our troops badly needed reinforcements and rest and reorganization before they could go into battle again. By now we had three armies on the southern bank of the Hangang River, quite close to the 37th Parallel. Our main forces were then stationed north of the Hangang River on the 38th Parallel and in the area south of it, where they were resting and undergoing reorganization. They built fortifications in anticipation of enemy counter-attacks and a prolonged war.