The Korean War: An Encyclopedia (Military History of the United States) [Hardcover]

Stanley Sandler (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0824044452 | ISBN-13: 978-0824044459

First major clash with a communist army
The Korean War was America's first ideological conflict and the first large-scale clash between U.S./UN forces and a Communist army. More than any other event, it signaled the beginning of Cold War mobilization for the U.S. and NATO, and even though the specter of international communism had since faded away, the animosities of "The Forgotten War" threaten to flare up even today.
Focuses on military topics
"The Korean War"contains articles of varying lengths on key topics that range from the origins of the conflict, ground, naval and air operations, and tactical planning to the Truman-MacArthur face-off, the POW issue, and armistice negotiations. The bulk of the "Encyclopedia" focuses on such military topics as the use of artillery, the pioneering concept of helicopter evacuation of wounded, new infantry tactics dictated by Communist POW riots, civil affairs, larger military units, and communications. There are also articles on civilian and military leaders, including President Eisenhower, General Ridgeway, Kim Il Sung, Chou En lai, Syngman Rhee, and others.
Special features
*Articles written by experts in the field
*Useful to librarians, scholars, researchers and students alike
*Includes 48 maps and photographs
*Covers an extraordinary range of key topics
*A chronology, extensive bibliography, and a subject index are included

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Called the "forgotten war" by pundits and others who were not there, the Korean War (June 1950-July 1953) was the West's first armed clash against post-World War II communism. The United States and its allies in the United Nations fought the North Koreans and the mainland Chinese to a "limited war" stalemate, which even today has not been concluded by the signing of a peace treaty. Korea has come to be known as the "hot spot" of the Cold War. Edited by a historian with the U.S Army, this Korean War encyclopedia is the collective journeyman effort of 63 contributors writing about 142 subjects, from Aircraft to X Corps. The subject essays are concise and well written. Expected topics include people; places; battles; logistics; naval, air, and ground forces; weapons; and strategy. Most interesting is the coverage of little-known subjects like brainwashing, decision-making, airborne operations, and the peculiar armistice negotiations. This volume is a solid effort for libraries, students, and the general reader.?William D. Bushnell, USMC (ret.), Brunswick, Me.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Military historian Sandler and a corps of 62 experts, mostly from U.S. academic and military institutions, have compiled an encyclopedia of more than 140 signed, objective articles, each of which concludes with a brief bibliography. The volume opens with a chronology extending from about 2,000 B.C. to April 1954, a considerably longer time span than the actual dates of conflict (June 25, 1950^-July 27, 1953), followed by 13 maps of varying legibility. Thirty-five black-and-white photographs appear together before the letter M. Articles in the main body of the work--with numerous cross-references--vary in length from one to several pages. Topics include origins of the conflict; ground, air, and naval operations; the prisoner of war issue; napalm; psychological warfare; the Truman-MacArthur confrontation; helicopter evacuation of the wounded; press and radio coverage of the war; and armistice negotiations. More than 40 of the articles are biographical, concentrating on civilian and military leaders (e.g., Dean Acheson, Eisenhower, Matthew Ridgway, Syngman Rhee, Kim Il Sung, Chou En Lai).

Statistical information is included within the text and/or tables of the appropriate articles. The extensive English-language bibliography is topically arranged (e.g., U.S. military forces, UN forces, communist military forces). In many instances monographic material is in one list followed by another of periodical articles on the same subject. This bibliography--and those appended to articles--include many items from the 1980s and 1990s. The detailed subject index, with numerous cross-references, is useful for bringing together information scattered among a number of entries. For example, the main entry Aircraft is followed by 79 subentries for specific planes.

Reference librarians, historians, and others have used Summers' Korean War Almanac [RBB Ap 1 90] and Matray's Historical Dictionary of the Korean War [RBB N 15 91] to advantage. The Almanac's coverage of military technology and the quality of its illustrations and maps were considered more useful than those in the Historical Dictionary. The latter, however, was more scholarly and more objective in its treatment. Sandler's The Korean War, with its neutral treatment and up-to-date bibliographies, will complement both Summers and Matray. Recommended for public and academic libraries.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 472 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824044452
• ISBN-13: 978-0824044459
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Military
  • #87 in Books > History > Military > Korean War