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Chosin: Heroic Ordeal of the Korean War
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About Chosin: Heroic Ordeal Of The Korean War
Product Description It was 1950, a brutally cold November in North Korea, and the war seemed all but over. And then a force of nearly 70,000 Chinese "volunteers" crossed the Yalu River, encircling the 30,000 United Nations troops at the Chosin Reservoir. The epic story of what followed--one of the iconic battles in Marine history--is told for the first time in gut-level detail in this book. From the point of view of the men in the foxholes and tanks, outposts and command posts, Chosin offers a harrowing, firsthand account of the 1st Marine Divisions breakout battle against overwhelming Chinese forces in the bitter North Korean winter. Seasoned military historian Eric Hammel describes the errors and miscalculations by American higher-ups that left the division strung out at the end of a narrow road scores of miles from the sea. Then he plunges into the action: the massing of Chinese forces; the punishing climate and terrain; the high-level over-confidence that crippled the American command; and the onset of the overpowering Chinese assault. His account provides a wealth of tactical and human detail and small unit action: from an intelligence officers efforts to make sense of conflicting reports, to engineers improvising a bridge from logs and snow, from Marines marching to POW camps, to a battle-weary messengers discovery of headquarter staff safely ensconced behind friendly lines, settling down in formal dress to a full-course dinner. The result is the most complete book ever written on this heroic battle, a masterful narrative from the perspective of those who fought. Previously published under the same title by Vanguard Press, 1981, ISBN - 081490856X; and by Presidio Press, 1990, ISBN - 089141782. From the Back Cover “Leaves the reader in awe of the feat of arms.”—Infantry Magazine “Full of accounts of the stuff that legends are made of.”—Sea Power Magazine “A factual, revealing, and penetrating look at war at its worst and men at their best.”—San Diego Union Told from the point of view of the men in the foxholes and tanks, outposts and command posts, this is the definitive account of the epic retreat under fire of the 1st Marine Division from the Chosin Reservoir. The author first sketches in the errors and miscalculations on the part of the American high command that caused the Marines to be strung out at the end of a narrow road scores of miles from the sea. He then plunges right into the action: the massing of Chinese forces in about ten-to-one strength; the Marines’ command problems due to the climate and terrain and high-level over-confidence; and the onset of the overwhelming Chinese assault. There is a wealth of tactical detail and small unit action: from an intelligence officer trying to make sense of conflicting reports, to engineers improvising a wooden bridge made from logs and then paving it with snow, to tired, frightened Marines being marched off to POW camps. In one of the most startling episodes a battle-weary officer reports to a higher headquarters safely located in the rear behind friendly lines and finds formally dressed staff personnel sitting down to full course dinners. Chosin is the most complete book written to date on this iconic battle. Author Eric Hammel’s masterful account offers an invaluable perspective on war at the gut level. About the Author Eric Hammel is a critically acclaimed military historian with over thirty books to his credit, including the pictorial histories Pacific Warriors and Iwo Jima. He lives in Northern California.
