Australia in the Korean War weeks later by the American forces who entered through Incheon. US Army Lieutenant General John R. Hodge formally accepted the surrender of Japanese forces south of the 38th Parallel on 9 September 1945 at the Government House in Seoul. Although both rival factions tried initially to diplomatically reunite the divided nation, it was the Northern faction that eventually decided to try and do so with military force. Troops from the Soviet backed North Korean Army crossed the 38th parallel on 25 June 1950 beginning a civil war. The invasion of South Korea came as a surprise to the United Nations.
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