Customer Reviews

The Darkest Summer: Pusan and Inchon 1950: The Battles That Saved South Korea--and the Marines--from Extinction

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bill Sloan has written another commendable story of combat. This time he covers the opening months of the Korean War when South Korea and especially the US were unprepared to repulse an invasion from the north. The signs were there but were ignored by MacArthur in Japan and by Washington. The author has chosen the first three months when the US was slowly coming up to speed, throwing in reinforcements piecemeal against the determined NKPA.

Before beginning his war coverage, the author describes how Truman and Johnson in the five years since WWII had gutted the Armed Services, especially the Marine Corps which was on life support. He goes on to depict the Army as poorly trained and equipped as well as low in morale. To make matters worse, the non confrontational ways of Acheson in regards to China and Soviet Union only encourage Stalin to help train and equip North Korea to invade the South.
Mr Sloan's battle coverage begins with the fall of Seoul and continues down the peninsula toward the important port of Pusan. In between Seoul and Pusan, you'll read about the battles for Suwon, Osan, Kum River, Taejon, Kumchon, Yongdong, Sanju, Sachon, Kosong, Obong-ni Ridge, Taegu and the Naktong River line, also called the Pusan Perimeter.
These were days when US Forces, both Gis and Marines, suffered heavy casualties and by August were almost pushed into the sea. In September there was a reversal when MacArthur landed at Inchon and within two weeks recaptured Seoul, saw the Pusan breakout and the full fledge retreat of the NKPA back to North Korea. MacArthur wasn't satisfied with regaining the 38th Parallel; he talked Truman into attacking the North with the objective of combining the two countries into one democratic one.

The battle coverage of the select engagements was good, descriptive. Using many sources including primary documents as well as interviewing 56 veterans, Mr Sloan was able to present many first hand experiences that added to the tactical details, giving greater depth to the book. The book closes with a brief summary of the rest of the war that includes UN forces invading the North, the Chinese counterattack, the dragged out negotiations as well as the present day circumstances. There is closing remarks on Truman and MacArthur as well as a discussion on whether the war had merit or if it is appreciated by the current generation.

Even though I really liked the book and eagerly recommend it, I couldn't give it five stars. The author provides too small of a window into the war, specializing too much which gives an incomplete view of the battle. I understand that was the author's intent but if this is the only book on the Korean War you read, you will have an incomplete picture of it. It can't compete with the full coverage books from Clay Blair, Bud Hannings and Roy Appleman. Secondly, there are only a few large scale maps of the peninsula. It would have been helpful to have a detailed map of each engagement covered; it certainly would have helped to follow the action. Also provided are photos and an extensive Notes section, Bibliography and Index.

Bill Sloan's work here is extraordinary, in that its a very truthful telling of how the Marines stopped the North Korean onslaught at the commencement of the Korean War. I've read alot of books on the war, and like a lot of them, this one is justifiably unkind to the Army. However, this brings new insights, as the Marines were on the brink of extinction prior to the war, something alot of folks do not know about. Also, unlike alot of the books on the Korean War, this one utilizes alot of first person interviews, from a quickly dying breed of veterens of the conflict, including my late father. This is an honest history, warts and all, of what really went on. All marines, current and ex, should be proud of the accomplishments which described throughout the book. A very fine book.

Bill Sloan again does an excellent job with his treatment of the first few months of the Korean War. There are many fine books out there that give the Army's view of the first disasterous months of the Forgotten War. Sloan justly gives them credit in his extensive notes(Blair's "The Forgotten War"; Fehrenbach's "This Kind of War"). Kudos to Mr Sloan for his written work on the First Marine Brigade's efforts to stem the tide and greatly backstop Walker's Eighth US Army. The action sequences and insertions of valorous deeds by young Marines do the Corps proud. This book is written in the same gritty factual fast paced style as Sloan's efforts describing the Okinawan campaign in "The Ultimate Battle."
As an Army veteran it always pains me greatly to read about the initial painful efforts of the US Army's attempts to halt the initial onrush of NKPA forces into South Korea. Sloan provides a succinct overview of those weak initial efforts and the causes that led to the post-war draft Army's weakened condition. The Marines as a fighting force have never been equaled and were much needed during this trying time. Sloan's book is an excellent example of the perils of unpreparedness by our nation for armed conflict, but also a shining example of the fighting spirit of volunteer forces who are aptly supplied and ably led.

I have just finished this book and was very impressed by the Authors efforts. His research and writing ability are 1st rate. The only part that saddens me was his very accurate description of the Army's initial poor performance against the North Korean Army. Here the Author pulls no punches what with the Truman's Administration slashing of the defense budget. That and the failure of the Army's High Command of the Eighth Army to maintain a proper level of training and discipline. That the troops did as well as they did is a compliment to the average American fighting man. It is also a glowing endorsement to the Marines with their high standards of training and fighting spirit.
Altogether its is a fine investment if you are interested in the history of Americas "Forgotten War".

While this book is not perfect, I like how Bill Sloan took the Korean War and expanded it beyond the Inchon invasion and the disastrous retreat in the fall of 1950. Here we see of the United States army was defeated as a military force by the NKPA. We get an almost blow by blow description of how the the Army's destruction as a fighting force from 1945 and onwards lead to the route of the forces sent into Korea in the summer of 1950.

The book also does a great job describing the well known risks associated with the Inchon landings and how controversial they were. Sloan also heaps criticism on Douglas MacArthur for going for trophies and not trying to cut off and eliminate the retreating North Korean's.

All in all this is a decent book which offers a unique insight into a little known corner of our least well known war.

Before I get into the review proper of this book I have to confess that I am a fan of Bill Sloan and his writing. While his work may not be as scholarly as some would like, i.e. it is written in a rather informal mode, he never-the-less is quite readable and for the most part, quite accurate. Now that being said, it should also be realized that with the study of the Korean War, as with every war ever written about, there are many, many different opinions and versions of what happened as in when, where, who, why and of course for the most part, war is written about through the advantage of hindsight. This is okay though. We need as many opinions as available. All of us have the capability of thinking and reasoning for ourselves and if a fact here and there in any such work as this is contested, then so much the better. This gives us all incentive to do a bit more reading and research on our own part if we are interested in such matters.

It should also be noted, that with most studies of war, the Korean War being no exception, there is plenty of room for finger pointing after the fact for everyone interested in such. We all have our little prejudices and I doubt seriously if any historian or writer of history is without his or hers; at least I have never read one and I have been such works for a lot of years now. As an example, I am in no stretch of the imagination an admirer of MacArthur's actions during this war, so I was delighted when Sloan indulged in a bit of MacArthur bashing. On the other hand, I have always been an admirer of Truman, so I was in a state of chagrin when Sloan turned his been on President Harry. Honestly though, I could not fault Sloan's logic and facts for the most part.

The Darkest Summer is an account of the beginning to the Korean War, or conflict, if you will which began with the invasion of South Korean by North Korean Forces on June 25, 1950. The book follows and in primarily concerned with the Pusan Defense Perimeter as established by U.S. and ROK Forces and then the invasion of Inchon and the eventual defeat of the North Korean Army. We of course know that this was only the start of what could arguably be called the most brutal war in U.S. History, and that upon the event of U.S. Forces nearing the Yalu River and the boarders of Manchuria, the Chinese Army intervened. This work does not cover the disasters which followed.

One of the reasons I liked this work, as with other accounts by Sloan of other battles and other wars, is that he is quite meticulous in including the personal story of literally hundreds of men who were the unfortunate participants. Other works by other authors cover grand strategy and minutely examine the politics ins and outs of the given situation, but Sloan is a master of telling the story of the men who were actually doing the shooting and dying. As with some of his other works, the author of course probably pays closer attention to the Marines than the other services, but there again, there are many fine books out there that do the Army, Navy and Air Force justice.

The author is able to vividly describe the horror these men faced on a daily basis and does a wonderful job in giving individual praise to the hundreds of very brave personal deeds made by many of these soldiers and marines. At the same time, he, the author, does nothing to glorify war in any way...quite the contrary. His descriptions of various actions are rather realistically brutal at times.

All in all, this is an excellent read which sheds a lot of light on what for many may be a little known portion of our history.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

The Korean War definitely saved the Marine Corps from the peacetime budgets given to them by Truman and his administration, who were thoroughly convinced that the Corps be cut down to it's original function as the Navy's "police troops", not being more than a regiment-sized group of lightly-armed troops. When the invasion of South Korea happened on June 25, 1950, the spirited men of the Corps were called to be of service, and this book describes those actions of the Marine "Fire Brigade" and the men who served in those ranks as they fought off swarms of North Korean troops, often without Army support in their defense of the shrunken Pusan Perimeter along the Naktong River. The Marines suffered high casualties, and that was before they were to participate in the landing of troops further north at the port of Inchon.
Fighting through Inchon and all the way in fierce door-to-door fighting through Seoul, the Marines seemed to gain little credit for their part in liberating the city, which the high brass wanted to be done on the 3rd month of the invasion--September 25th. When the city was declared "liberated" two days later by General MacArthur and his brass, the city was actually still undergoing fierce fighting, and little of the shattered capital could actually be declared "secure." This is the stories of those men, starting from their call-up to reality from the States, their first days of bloody fighting in the burning summer heat of July, and all the way up to the Chinese intervention that November. Can every Marine be called a hero? Was the Korean War in fact LOST in their opinion? You'll find out in this book!!!

This is my first Korean War book. I've read all of Bill Sloan's WWII books and really enjoyed them. They stand alone from a lot of military history books because of the way Mr. Sloan slices out a story from or about a group of men or unit or action and tells a story. It's not dry history, but storytelling, and by that I do not mean made-up or embellished either. It's telling a story but not so deep you can't enjoy the read. ( Some military history books require great effort ).

I'm almost done reading this book and will edit ( update ) when finished, but can already remark on how satisfying this book is to read. Since this is my first Korean War book, I am only judging this book and how it satisfies my desire to learn about the premise of the book and so far, Sloan sets it up nicely and then is clearly and richly, filling in on the premise. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

It's quite clear to me that this was an awful time to be in the armed services and the veterans of this war deserve great honor and our support. The Korean War is still forgotten by too many. This book, with others, is a great way to learn more..

UPDATE: 4/29/10: Finished book a few weeks ago. It is excellent throughout and I recommend it. Well done and satisfying.

Mr Sloan has done something unique, held my attention on a subject that I have read much on. His account of the three critical months that saved South Korea and the US Marines as an organiazed fighting unit. Interesting accounts of the brutal fights and the brave army and Marines that stemmed the tide of the North koreans. It is packed with facts, amazing characters that did the impposible and faced a ruthless foe bent on victory at any cost.
I would rank this among Mr Sloan's best works and I have read several of his other books. I recommend this title for anyone wanting to learn more about our brave military members then and now and to discover the horrific conditions they had to back in 1950 - the year I was born. Tough guys and glad we had men like these when we needed them. Real American heroes and Sloan does justice to the other UN forces that stepped up to the plate in dire times as these.

Fantastic read on the beginning of the Korean War!!! The only good thing to come out of the war was that it saved the Marine Corps from being put "out to sea" by President truman and the powers that be in D.C.. It also shows that General Douglas MacAuthur had lost his mind in handling the battlefield decisions during this war. Countless lives would not have been lost if he wasn't so greedy and full of himself.
This will be one of those books that you won't be able to put away, once you begin to read it....