North Korea in the Korean War Soviets. Neither dictator was content to remain on his side of the 38th parallel, however, and border skirmishes were common. Even so, the North Korean invasion came as an alarming surprise to American officials. As far as they were concerned, this was not simply a border dispute between two unstable dictatorships on the other side of the globe. Instead, many feared it was the first step in a communist campaign to take over the world. For this reason, nonintervention was not considered an option by many top decision makers. As the North Korean army pushed into Seoul, the South Korean
Australia in the Korean War 1st Commonwealth Division and the 1st South Korean Division) seized the Jamestown Line destroying elements of the 42nd Army, 47th Army, 64th Army and 65th Army, and after five days of intense combat, eventually forcing the Chinese into retreat. The operation was a success, and ended on 15 October, with a few hills south of the line still in Communist hands, requiring a follow-up operation (Operation Polecharge). The official historian for the Korean War, Robert O'Neill, wrote of this battle: "In this action 3RAR had won one of the most impressive victories achieved by any Australian battalion. In five days