Final Crucible (P) [Paperback]

Lee Ballenger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002

 Chronicles the activities of the U.S. Marine Corps during the little-known last six months of combat in Korea

 Provides the perspective of the fighting men who came face to face with the enemy every day

In 1953, during the last six months of the Korean War and ongoing peace negotiations, combat was anything but quiet for the Marines. While standing by to ensure the safety of peace negotiations, they conducted daily patrols, raids, and ambushes. They also fought the terrible five day "Battle of the Nevada Cities." On July 27th, 1953, the last day of the shooting war, the Marines prevented a major enemy breakthrough at a last stand on the main Line of resistance. An unsuccessful defense might have prolonged the war indefinitely. As with volume one, the book contains previously unpublished original material. The combination of oral accounts with data extracted from Marine Corps archives makes for a vivid account of activity during the so-called stalemate.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In his second volume on marine operations during the Korean War's last years, Ballenger continues to be a military historian equally useful to the scholar and the casual buff. The fighting centered on outposts, as each side sought to obtain the best positions to influence the peace negotiations through numerous small operations, occasional larger ones, and many raids, patrols, and outbursts of harassing fire. Highlighted in this volume are one of the largest raids, of Ungok; the bloody ambush at Gray Rock; the long fight for a complex of outposts named after Nevada cities; and the worst battle of 1953, for Boulder City--the last marine engagement in Korea. Ballenger continues to provide model accounts of small-unit actions, to enlighten readers on the value of tanks in infantry support (a high-velocity tank gun is good backup), and to be none too charitable toward what is described as the army's tendency to leave the marines holding the bag. Like its companion, The Outpost War (2000), this is a nearly indispensable Korean War history. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Ballenger well balances strategic analyses and vivid battle narratives." -- Booklist

"Some of the best descriptive passages of small unit combat . . .a valuable contribution." -- Publishers Weekly

"Very worthwhile reading." -- Leatherneck --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Potomac Books; illustrated edition edition (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574884727
• ISBN-13: 978-1574884722
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,479,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ballenger does it again, December 19, 2001

By 

Lloyd LeBlanc (Mill Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Final Crucible: U.S. Marines in Korea, Volume 2: 1953 (Hardcover)

This second volume of Lee Ballenger's 2-book series on Marines in Korea during the last 2 years of the war can be read as a standalone work, but it is recommended if possible to first read his Volume One -- "The Outpost War". Either way, this book can be enjoyed for the major contribution it makes to the shadowy history of individual combat units (Marines in this case) in the "stalemate" Korean war of 1952-53. Ballenger thoroughly documents with gripping individual stories the often brutal fighting in mid-Korea between UN forces and the Chinese and North Korean armies. Historically accurate, Ballenger's book highlights "unknown" major skirmishes that more than once came down to desperate hand-to-hand combat over a few meters of rocky Korean hills. The author was there himself, and it shows. The 2-volume series produced by this neophyte author is worthy of considerable editorial and public attention. Excellent US military history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ballenger's Crucible, April 14, 2004

By 

Ben Maher (Bucyrus, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Final Crucible: U.S. Marines in Korea, Volume 2: 1953 (Hardcover)

In The Final Crucible by Lee Ballenger, Ballenger centers the attention of the book around the soldiers and their heroic battles throughout the final stages of the Korean War. These battles include numerous small interactions with the enemy in the form of ambushes and raids and also in larger battles. Larger battles consisted of those for Carson, Vegas, and Reno, which were outposts named for Nevada cities, and also Ungok, Gray Rock and of course Boulder City. Boulder City, which is "a place unheard of by most Americans" ended up being the last engagement of U.S. Marines in Korea and also a major turning point in the War. Ballenger describes all of these events through soldier's letters and Command Diaries which offers a first hand view of the action that took place in Korea. The book is a great read and is recommended for all those who want to learn about the hard life of a soldier in Korea during the Korean War!

5.0 out of 5 stars 2nd volume of the Marines Outpost War 1952-53, December 20, 2010

By 

Indiana Lee (Texas/Michigan) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Final Crucible: U.S. Marines in Korea, Volume 2: 1953 (Hardcover)

The author Lee Ballenger served in the 1st Marine's Division 's Recon company and the 1st Tank Battalion during the Korean War. He was there. He also has a gift for writing that put's you on a Marine Outpost along the Jamestown Line in 1952-1953.
'Three Chinese soldiers, in green uniforms, are running in the main trench of Vegas from our left toward the middle of the outpost. They are running for the entrance of a bunker. The tanker sees them. One round hits behind the three soldiers. and then two rounds hit the trench berm directly in their midst. The rocks and bodies arch up above the trench, The bodies rotate slowly through the air and fall on the slope of the trench.' Lieutenant Chenoweth, 3rd Platoon, Fox Company 2/7 during a counterattack to retake Outpost Vegas on 27 Mar 1953.
Buy the book.