After the Korean War broke out, the first reaction of the United States was very intriguing. The day after the war broke out, the United States did not let the American troops stationed in Japan rush to South Korea, but let its Seventh Fleet quickly enter the Taiwan Province Strait, with the aim of preventing the People's Liberation Army from liberating Taiwan Province Province.
To find out the reason, we need a map first. On the map, we can clearly see that China and Taiwan Province Province (at that time, Taiwan Province Province was under the control of the Kuomintang, but actually under the disguised control of the Americans) and South Korea and Japan formed a triangular structure in geography.
Japan is the most stable base for the United States to advance in the Far East because of its strong industrial base. With the help of Japan's industrial system, the weapons, equipment and logistics materials needed by the US military in wartime can be produced locally, and it is not necessary to transport them from China. The protection of war-damaged equipment and the treatment of the wounded can also be completed in Japan (Japan's post-war economic recovery is based on the military orders of the United Nations army in the Korean War). So Japan is the most important point in this triangle structure.
If there is a war on the Korean Peninsula or Taiwan Province Province, the US military can use Japan as a springboard to support it. In order to launch a military attack on the Japanese island from Chinese mainland or the Soviet Union, Taiwan Province Province and South Korea will form the first barrier to protect Japan, so that Japan, South Korea and Taiwan Province Province of China will form a very solid triangular structure.
Of course, there is nothing impeccable in the world, and this strategic triangle structure is no exception. The problem with this layout of Americans is that these three points are really impeccable, but once any one of these three points is loose, the other two will collapse completely in a short time.
Why do you say that? Because if we lose Japan, South Korea and Taiwan Province Province will lose their strategic rear. Without Japan as a forward base, if the US military wants to rush to the Korean battlefield or the Taiwan Strait battlefield, it can only come from Hawaii. How far is it from the map? Perhaps these two places were lost before the American fleet arrived.
If something happens in Taiwan Province Province, then the forces in East Asia can use Taiwan Province Province as a springboard to attack Okinawa, and then attack the Japanese island. Once Japan can't keep it, so can South Korea. By the same token, if South Korea is lost, then the other side can cross the narrow Ma Haixia and go straight to the Japanese island. Without Japanese support, it is only a matter of time before we lose Taiwan Province Province.
If we have a clear understanding of the situation set by the United States in East Asia, we can better understand the reaction of the United States after the outbreak of the Korean War.
From a technical point of view, the United States is not messing around. If the People's Liberation Army had liberated Taiwan Province Province at that time, from the American point of view, Taiwan Province Province would probably have been used by the Soviet Union. Theoretically, if the Soviets take Taiwan Province Province as a springboard, they can capture Okinawa and further advance the Japanese island. By then, South Korea will completely lose its strategic rear.
Once this happens, no matter how stubbornly South Korea resisted before, the Korean Peninsula will ultimately have nothing to do with the United States. By then, the main island of Japan will directly face potential threats from both north and south. Originally the best strategic springboard for the United States, it will become a worthless death by this time. Once this happens, the United States will lose its foothold in the first island chain and can only retreat eastward, while the next strategic foothold is far away in Hawaii. ...
Now we know that a small island in Taiwan Province Province is strategically related to the control of half of the Pacific Ocean. For Americans, letting the Seventh Fleet sail into the Taiwan Province Strait after the outbreak of the Korean War is equivalent to moving out the gas tank at home after discovering the fire-first ensuring that half the building will not be blown up, and then putting out the fire. Let the Seventh Fleet block the Taiwan Province Strait, that is, to rule out the worst possibility first. Only when Taiwan Province Province is safe can Japan be safe; Only when Japan is safe can the US military have more energy to deal with what happened on the Korean Peninsula.
This is a geographical analysis, but it is necessary to say one more word. It can also be seen from here that the widely circulated statement that "China lost the opportunity to recover Taiwan Province Province because of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea" is totally nonsense. Not to mention that the Korean War is directly related to China's northeast sovereignty, nor that the Seventh Fleet entered the Taiwan Province Strait long before the volunteers entered the DPRK. Just from the general trend, from the moment of the victory of the Liberation War, the chain reaction behind it is beyond China's control. If we don't win the war of liberation, we can't end the fact that China is divided. It can be said that the Korean War was an exam that China could not escape after reunification. Fortunately, the New China National Examination did well. (Excerpted from Wang Wei's Understanding the World Pattern-Blue Strategy)