Customer Reviews

Chosin: Heroic Ordeal of the Korean War

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was with Able Co. 5th Marines, 1st MarDiv, and was wounded during this battle. Naturally, I was very interested in how a military historian saw it. Eric Hammil has done a thorough job of recounting the minute by minute and day by day events of the Chosin Reservoir battle. For one engaged, war becomes about a 10 square yard arena. You only see a small part and are emotionally involved with a very small group. The big picture is not available. Only from talking with others who were there can one begin to understand what happened. Hammil has done an excellent job. He covers it from the view of the individuals engaged, and from the overview of those who were in command. Excellent reading for anyone who is interested in how battles are won and lost. I could almost smell the cordite again when I read it.

Very nicely done account of a very horrible event. Granted, I suppose it is not the type of book that is "everything to everyone" but it does give one author's perspective on one huge event. The author perhaps misses covering all the sides to all the hundreds of personal stories which unfolded here, but overall I enjoyed the work and suggest it's reading and indeed, it's addition to your collection.

Hammel does a great job of recounting effectively the Marine breakout from the Chosin Reservior. It's obvious that he used the citations from many of the Medals of Honor and Navy Crosses that were awarded to add detail. The maps, though few, are nevertheless very helpful, and the TOO of the First Marine Division is a great addition. A great, exciting, and generally accurate read.

The only criticism I have is that Hammel's account is somewhat insulting towards the U.S. Army troops on the other side of the Reservior. I think part of this is because the U.S. Army itself had somewhat buried that story, and there were few good sources available.

Apart from that criticism, its an extremely worthwhile book. To get the full story, read this, and then Roy Appleman's fantastic "East of Chosin" for balance.

This is yet another book on the Chosin campaign. My gripe with the book deals with the portrayal of the army units on the east side of the reservoir, whom Hammel seems to have worked into the book in a slap-dash manner. I believe he hastily added these occasionl glimpses without much interest, as their portrayal is riddled with inaccuracies. For example, he falls into the same trap that Mr Martin Russ ('Breakout') has in his research involving Captain Ed Stamford, the marine tac-air controller attached to the army. The supposedly jaundiced view Stamford has of the "doggies'" ineptitude actually stems from an "as-told-to" article in which Stamford basically was interviewed by a marine writer for a dubious magazine article published in 'Catholic Digest' and 'Blue Book' magazines. Stamford was greatly annoyed by it and didn't want it used as a source, and he hadn't cleared it for publication. He said he was incensed by its tone and rhetoric. Hammel lists this article in his bibliography. He obviously didn't interview Stamford; that's part of the reason for the negative portrayal, and partly why legions of casual readers on the subject think the US Army behaved in a less than honorable manner. This book came out years ago, probably before the more authoritative works on the subject were released. His book was interesting, though, for the list of Navy Cross recipients in the appendix. I would recommend the official USMC history by Montross and Canzona, which is actually a volume of its Korean war history, and 'Escaping the Trap' by Roy Appleman.

Hammell has quite a large number of inaccuracies, slanted opinions, and has failed to verify facts from his sources. The book has a very negative view of the same US Army, whose sacrifice on the east side of Chosin undoubtedly saved the allies chance for withdrawal from Hagaru-ri and also provided the rear guard action for the evacuating column. Appears to be written more for personal glory and profit, than a source of useful information.