One Bugle No Drums: The Marines at Chosin Reservoir [Hardcover]

William B. Hopkins (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hopkins was a reserve Marine captain who was recalled to active service when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950. He was assigned to Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and his unit was one of those encircled at Chosin when the Chinese entered the war. Hopkins describes the action as the Marines fought their way south in the sub-zero weather. Included are his observations on MacArthur's headquarters, intelligence estimates, and the pluses and minuses of indiscriminate use of air power. There is also a hitherto unpublished classified report on the action by S.L.A. Marshall. Maps and photos not seen. A popular account recommended for appropriate collections. Military Book Club selection. George F. Scheck, Naval War Coll. Lib., Newport,
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 274 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books (September 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912697458
• ISBN-13: 978-0912697451
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,058,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Close observation at Chosin, although not under fire, August 25, 2000

By 

Chiahwong Hwang "mahasam" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Bugle No Drums: The Marines at Chosin Reservoir (Hardcover)

In general, this is about (part of) Chosin operation. The author was the commander of H&R company of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine during Chosin operation. He gave a good account about the hardship the marines endured during the operation. Mind that his battalion was assigned the task of taking Hill 1081 and wrestled the control of Funchilin Pass out from superior Chinese Communist Part (CCP) forces. Unfortunately, he was in such a position that he spent most of his time staying very close to battalion HQ and could not provide more details about the fighting. (Interesting readers should look up S.L.A. Marshall's "Battle at Best". There is a chapter dedicated to the battle of Funchilin Pass.) But, it is still a good book with the first hand account of the Chosin. Of course, nobody who are interesting in Korea War would want to miss the two very valuable reports about CCP troops' attack patterns, written by S.L.A. Marshall himself, attached at the end of the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heroism and The Some, March 27, 2009

By 

Karen Seijas - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Bugle No Drums: The Marines at Chosin Reservoir (Hardcover)

Any student of the Korean War and the epic battel of the Marines at the Chosin Reservoir must read this book. Hopkins tells the story from his Roanoke, Virginia origins through the historic encirclement when the Chinese suddenly entered the war. Since he was the commander of the Headquarters Company of a battalon, his perspective is a step broader than that of the rifle companies in the line. First read "Breakout" by Martin Russ, then this detailed account of one unit of Marines who are at the center of it all. The courage and fighting spirit of these guys is truly inspirational. In the face of the worst weather faced by American troops in history, and outnumbered as badly as The Alamo, they endured and they won. Extraordinary!