The Korean War: The West Confronts Communism [Hardcover]

Michael Hickey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

In time for the 50th anniversary of the so-called "Good War"--the first of the U.N. wars--an authoritative work of history by a man who braved the battles, set in the midst of international power politics and fears of a general conflagration, the Korean War at its height involved rapid, large-scale troop movements over long distances as each side experienced both outstanding success and disaster. This book tells the full story of the first, and critical, test by the Communist bloc of Western military resolve. Instead of concentrating wholly on the dominant American involvement, Michael Hickey also sets in context the contributions--many of them quite out of proportion to the size of their contingents--of the other nations that answered the U.N. call and sent troops in response to the North Koreans' surprise attack.

Drawing on a number of previously unused sources from several countries, including recently declassified documents, regimental archives, diaries, and interviews, Michael Hickey adds extensively to our knowledge of one of the most significant conflicts of modern times.

"...stimulating and perceptive...a thoroughly accomplished piece of work." --The Independent on Sunday

"The main strength of Hickey's excellent account is its ability to combine solid analysis of high politics and strategy with gripping (and often horrifying) eye-witness accounts of life at the sharp end." --The Sunday Telegraph

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Waged half a century ago, the three-year Korean War has been called "America's first Vietnam." It was also the first flash of fire in an otherwise cold war between the forces of capitalism and those of communism. Little was written about the war for many years, as if it were something best forgotten. Recently, books such as Martin Russ's controversial Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950 and Stanley Weintraub's MacArthur's War: Korea and the Undoing of an American Hero have brought renewed attention to the bloody ordeal.

Michael Hickey offers a valuable contribution to the literature with The Korean War, which examines the conflict from the point of view of America's United Nations allies, an international force comprising contingents from Turkey, England, India, Australia, Canada, Belgium, and Norway, among other countries. Hickey, who served as a lieutenant in the British forces (he modestly describes himself as an "insignificant packhorse"), examines the debates surrounding UN involvement and the British government's fear of parting ways with the Truman administration over the best approach to containing North Korean and Chinese ambitions. Hickey acknowledges events that are now much in the news, such as the South Korean military's murder of thousands of civilians thought to be sympathetic to the North. And he ventures the view that China was drawn somewhat unwillingly into the conflict after General Douglas MacArthur led a surprisingly effective counteroffensive deep into North Korean territory, uncomfortably close to the Chinese border. Yet Hickey is no apologist. He observes that the war was "well worth the effort," for with it world communism "was firmly confronted and rebuffed." Well written and carefully documented, his book offers a thoughtful history of a conflict that still haunts our time. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

A former self-described "insignificant packhorse" in Britain's contribution to the Korean War, historian Hickey (Gallipoli, etc.) first set out to compile an account of the final joint military campaign of the old-line Commonwealth nations. But soon after beginning the project, Hickey "became aware of the sheer size of the American involvement and the sacrifice it entailed." Shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature when it was published in the U.K. last year, this Brit's-eye-view of Korea generally supports the American posture during the war. North Korea is presented as an aggressor who employs, among other things, cheap propaganda tactics, such as presenting phony evidence that the U.S. Air Force unleashed bubonic plague and other bio-warfare agents on North Korea and Manchuria. But the work also doles out considerable criticism of the Yanks and their leaders. Hickey takes a particularly strong bead on the "American Caesar," Gen. Douglas MacArthur, portraying MacArthur's famous "old soldiers never die" speech as little more than crafty propaganda from a master manipulator. Not one to hoard his venom, though, Hickey is also highly critical of the two Korean leaders of the day, the North's Kim Il Sung and the South's Syngman Rhee. Extensive photo sections portray rarely seen elements of the South Korean campaign, wherein police rounded up Communist sympathizers for execution. In one haunting image, political prisoners seem to plead to the camera as they await death. Buttressed with maps and fact-filled appendices, this fine, opinionated contribution to Korean War literature is not to be missed. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 397 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; First Edition edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585670359
• ISBN-13: 978-1585670352
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,593,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good international view of the War, June 28, 2000

By 

Tripp Ritter (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Korean War: The West Confronts Communism (Hardcover)

A good introductory text to the Korean War. This book will be especially interesting for American readers (like me,) as he focuses on the experience of the Commonwealth and other non-US/S. Korean forces. He also takes an even-handed look at the American military and government in the late forties/early fifties. The poor decision-making and ideology driven policy is well described. When it comes to the Commonwealth side, he is tends to wear rose colored glasses. To be fair he also praises US elite units as well.

I liked the way he blended international relations, battle description and domestic political action (in many countries) into a cohesive narrative. Some familiarity with Cold War history is helpful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Brits, less so for Yanks, September 7, 2005

By 

James R. Corrigan (Harrisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Korean War: The West Confronts Communism (Paperback)

In this book, Korean War veteran and British scholar Michael Hickey provides an interesting narrative of that conflict. Hickey served in a supply unit, and apparently did not see any combat, but this thoroughly researched narrative has no shortage of action. But be prepared for a decidedly British account of the war. Much of the book describes the exploits of the Commonwealth Division, consisting of units from Britain, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere. Meanwhile, purely American events in the war, such as the critical Inchon landings, are merely glossed over.

Hickey should not be blamed for focusing on the UK perspective of the war. Commonwealth forces made a relatively small but nonetheless important contribution to the UN effort in Korea, and their story deserves to be told. But the title of the book is misleading. "The Korean War: The West Confronts Communism" implies a broad and balanced overview of the conflict, which this book clearly is not. One wonders if the subtitle was concocted by the publisher in order to attract a larger audience.

As is too often the case in military books, there is a dearth of quality maps. The reader struggles to follow the action as it rapidly moves up and down the Korean peninsula. A lesser complaint would be Hickey's fondness for praising the bravery and efficiency of the British soldier, particularly at the expense of the American fighting man. Undoubtedly, many of the comparisons are accurate, especially when speaking of the neglected post-war U.S. Army of 1950, but Hickey indulges in this personal pleasure far too often. He does compliment the U.S. Marines and certain army units repeatedly, sometimes even lavishing them with the ultimate compliment: saying that they could be considered equals of the British troops.

If you've already read quite a bit about the Korean War and are looking for a fresh perspective, then this book is ideal. If you are new to the conflict and want an objective explanation of what happened and why, it might be best to look elsewhere.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When courage and resolve won the day, July 31, 2000

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Korean War: The West Confronts Communism (Hardcover)

Given the tremendous social upheaval that took place as a consequence of the American involvement in Vietnam, the domino theory has fallen into disfavor. While most likely not true in the sixties, at the time of the Korean war it was probably true. Eastern Europe had fallen under the Soviet grip and a civil war was fought in Greece that could have ended in a communist victory. The Marshall plan gave Western Europe new hope , but elsewhere communism appeared to be an attractive alternative to capitalism. The forces of Mao Zedong had just emerged victorious in China and colonialism was on its deathbed.
When it appeared that the United States had no security interests in Korea and a quick armed victory by the forces of North Korea seemed certain, the attack came. Faced with the strength of the attack and the weakness of the South Korean forces, the choices were to accept a fait accompli on the Korean peninsula or commit huge amounts of American men and material. Fortunately for the world, the US and other western leaders chose to fight. However, the ultimate stalemate, which was in fact a victory, could easily have gone the other way. As is explained very well in this book, there were two points of crisis, the months right after the initial attack and the months after the massive Chinese entry into the war.
A US response limited to diplomatic outrage would have emboldened many other moves by the communist forces around the world and other countries would have no doubt fallen into the communist orbit. However, while they were fighting it, the soldiers in Korea generally had no such grandiose thoughts. Their cause was to stay alive and to fight for their units and their pride. While the author does spend some time on the greater geopolitical considerations, most of the book describes the life and struggle of the ground forces. The chronicle of the incredible endurance and tenacity of the men who fought it out is an excellent account of what determined men can do.
The author is a British veteran of the Korean campaign and that is no doubt the reason for the most glaring weakness of the book. While it is true that the British, Australian and other Commonwealth troops fought very well, they are portrayed as being the near saviors of many battles, never wavering in the face of enormous numbers of the enemy. Given that US losses were over 33,000 killed and over 100,000 wounded while the UK suffered slightly over 1,000 killed and nearly 3,000 wounded, it is clear who did the bulk of the fighting and dying.
Some commentators have been presumptuous enough to argue that Ronald Reagan won the cold war as a consequence of his building up the US military. Such statements are absurd and neglect the courage and resolve of the architects of the Marshall Plan and the military forces commited to Korea. For subsequent events have clearly indicated that communism is an ideology that is all or none. It will either dominate the world or essentially cease to exist. Had the North won a resounding victory, it may have gone the other way, a thesis made clear in this generally excellent book.