Customer Reviews

Firing and Flying for the Field Artillery in Korea

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As a infantry company commander and regimental intelligence officer (S-2) in Korea during the War, I foudn that the friendly field artillery support provided to my unit decimated the enemy, thus minimizing friendly casualties.

This book is a tribute to the professional expertise of the field artillery support as described with the personal experience of Lt. Col. Kincheon H. Bailey in his book "Firing and Flying for the Field Artillery in Korea". It's frank and goes to the base line of the way things were.

I highly recommend this excellent depiction of the professionalism and techniques used in supporting infantry combat units by the 64th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer) during the Korean War.

Firing and Flying for the Field Artillery in Korea by Lt. Colonel Kincheon H Bailey is an instructive description of the work of the author's artillery battalion during the Korean War, which has surprising relevance to today's world.

Firing and Flying for the Field Artillery in Korea is a very fascinating book. It is a collection of facts, a patchwork of articles from magazines, photos, maps, statistics, and diagrams which provides the reader a very educational and authentic experience. The major theme of the book is a diary complimented by captivating author's notes. It is an exhaustive report of the actions and engagements of the 64th Field Artillery Battalion. This book is like a written documentary, which will catch the attention of any reader fond of military history, as well as anyone having a connection to the military world. But Firing and flying for the field artillery in Korea requires specific attention. The reader needs to have a little experience. He must have an idea what it is all about and needs to be familiar with the terms because the author uses abbreviations and acronyms, part of a military jargon. It is not accessible to everybody even though it is very well explained and very rich in sources materials. However, the book is likely to raise anybody's curiosity.

These days, for many of us, wars are reduced to their most visually enticing elements to be presented on silver platters with dinner every night. The stories are reduced to casualty statistics, and then all of these things are subsequently interpreted and judged for us as a number of `experts' weigh in on a war they've never seen with their own eyes.

Bailey's book Firing and Flying for the Field Artillery in Korea is the antidote to the mediated wars of our time. Bailey offers little interpretation and does nothing to spice up his work. What you will find in this book is nothing but the raw facts, the movements, the individuals involved and exactly what they went through. It's not, by any means, a simple read. It's technical, meticulous, and well-informed. Inside you will not find the political strife of interested parties or the drama of broken families. You will find the real movements and real actions of the real men fighting in a real war.

Bailey uses this real recount to give us the suspense of the war from the eyes of the soldiers who fought in it. And suspense there is, as the soldiers were caught in the crossfire of one of the largest wars of the century. In knowing the truth and all the facts, we can have a better understanding of what was lost and what was gained in this war, as well as having an insight into what is at stake in every war.

If you have a sincere interest in the military actions of your own government, if you want to know the non-fictional non-colored version of what war is like, or if you enjoy the study of real military strategy and tactics, this is the book for you.

TB Koskie
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