The Outpost War: U.S. Marines in Korea, Vol. 1: 1952 [Hardcover]

Lee Ballenger (Author), Allan R. Millett (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2000

In 1952, overriding American political objectives dictated that the tactics of UN forces in Korea shift from those of maneuver to those of holding on to territory recently gained at great human cost. In western Korea, along “main lines of resistance,” men of the 1st Marine Division patrolled from lonely outposts. Thus began “the outpost war,” a forgotten period of the “forgotten war”—but one during which 7800 Marines lost became casualties.

Lee Ballenger’s THE OUTPOST WAR tells the story of the division’s move to the Jamestown Line in western Korea where the assault-trained-and-equipped troops must dig in and learn to fight an unusual defensive war. It describes their steep, deadly learning curve and reports on major battles of the period, including Bunker Hill and The Hook, while including the trials and tribulations of individuals who were there. The author’s use of official archival sources blended with oral accounts places the reader on the battle line with the Marines. Nearly all of the material in THE OUTPOST WAR has never been published before.

LEE BALLENGER served in U.S. Marine Corps reconnaissance and tank units during the Korean War. He is currently at work on a sequel to cover Marine Corps operations in 1953. This is his first book. He lives in California.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Marine-focused works about the Korean War tend to concentrate on earlier events of that conflict: the Pusan Perimeter, Inchon or the Chosin Reservoir. Yet the war's second half cost almost as many marine casualties. A marine veteran of Korea, Ballenger highlights the First Marine Division's specific difficulties adjusting to static war on the DMZ. His reconstruction of the outpost war, whereby a main line of defense was screened by outpost positions, relies heavily on first-person accounts, mostly from retired officers who were platoon leaders during this period. It describes how the outposts, constructed as buffers, became troublesome centers of the action, but it does not contextualize the fighting. Ballenger stresses, for example, the youth of the enlisted marines, most of whom were 19 or younger, in contrast to the men of the war's earlier years. Did the age of the new replacements have any effect on marine operational performance or fighting power? This and similar questions are not raised. Despite such lapses, Ballenger has taken more pains to cross-check stories than is usual in this genre, and his narrators are painfully, almost brutally, honest in discussing their own behaviors, motives and emotions. The result is some of the best descriptive narratives of small-unit combat to come out of the Korean War, making the book a valuable contribution despite its shortcomings. Illus. not seen by PW. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In his first book, Ballenger succeeds in presenting a lucid account of the 1st Marine Division in western Korea in 1952, a period of the war (June 1950-July 1953) he describes as a "stalemate" while also pointing out that 40 percent of all Marine casualties occurred after April 1952. Ballenger argues that this period is ignored by historians. This book is actually the first of a two-part set whose second volume will cover 1953 and the final bloody months of the war. The author uses the personal experiences and insights he gained while serving in the 1st Division Reconnaissance Company and the 1st Tank Battalion as well as his battalion command diaries and other sources to write a concise, readable study of what he calls the "Unknown War." The tactics and strategies used by the Marines, Chinese, and Korean (North and South) are described and analyzed. The appendixes provide a detailed list of the many hills, outposts, and military sites relevant to the 1st Division's story. The book is not meant to be a detailed historical study, but it is an intelligent look at one phase of the Korean War. Recommended for public and academic libraries, this will be of special interest to veterans and military history buffs.
David Alperstein, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 282 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574882414
• ISBN-13: 978-1574882414
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,572,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A long overdue history., October 31, 2000

By 

T. E. Vaughn (Chattanooga, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Outpost War: U.S. Marines in Korea, Vol. 1: 1952 (Hardcover)

A Marine Korean War combat veteran, Lee Ballenger has gone far toward filling a major gap in the history of the "forgotten war." Almost all Korean War books dealing with the Marine Corps are about the epic fighting withdrawal from the Chosin. It would almost seem that the stalemate that followed was not worth mentioning. In fact, when the 1st Marine Division was assigned responsibility for western Korea in an extended front known as the Jamestown Line, there was almost constant sharp fighting. The difference was that the conflict was rarely on a grand scale, but rather sharp, short, and vicious fights, often hand to hand. This book is the first of two volumes to chronicle the Marines and their new kind of war. Trained to assault and aggressively attack, the Marines found themselves in static positions, frequently patrolling, but most often in defensive battles for outposts.

This is a very good book and long overdue. Most of the information in it is seeing print for the first time and the personal accounts of the fighting are well presented. One of the better recollections is LT William Watson's account of the fighting on Bunker Hill and the Hook. Also of interest was the use of armor in the fighting and patrolling.

Like my war, Vietnam, Korea saw a lot of responsibility placed on the shoulders of young sergeants and lieutenants and the very young grunts. Even the upper level mismanagement (I won't dignify it by calling it leadership) was reminiscent of Vietnam. This book is a valuable recounting of a neglected part of our military heritage, a time when the property fought for was not as important as the killing done to hold or retake it. Any Marine-- indeed, any American -- should be proud what was done in the Outpost War. Semper Fi, Mr. Ballenger. I look forward to Volume Two.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Provides Many Missing Pieces of Korean War History, August 14, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: The Outpost War: U.S. Marines in Korea, Vol. 1: 1952 (Hardcover)

Lee Ballenger has written an important work in this first book, and his decision to produce another as a sequel covering the final stages of the Korean War is admirable. For a first-time author, this initial book is a major achievement. It is rich in coverage and attention to chronological and geographical detail. No other comparable written work is available to the researcher on the "forgotten part of the forgotten war" -- Korea 1952-1953. Ballenger gives the Marines earned respect with his recognition of the tactical role played by the First Division of the Corps in defending the Imjin River line in the last 2 years of the war. As an amateur military historian and former Marine, I salute Lee Ballenger and his efforts. His book will have a prominent place in my personal library. It belongs in many others.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ........ "THE OTHER KOREAN WAR" ........, August 1, 2002

By 

Christopher E. Sarno (Boston, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Outpost War (P) (U.S. Marines in Korea) (Paperback)

....This Marine author has zeroed in on the final two [2] years of the Korean WAR Victory, why Victory??...it was just that, ask any combat Marine who fought and survived that WAR. Most all Americans thought the WAR was over after the 1st Marine Division's heroic/fighting withdrawl from the Chosin Reservoir sector, far from it...the WAR raged on for almost two [2] years later; in fact, Marine casualties far exceeded what happenned up on the Reservoir, our Marine blood flowed/gushed just as red, I kid you naught...this is the beauty of Sgt Lee Ballenger's two [2] revealing volumes, which Ballenger shines light on 1952 and 1953 on what the hell was going on the Western Front 40-50 miles north of Seoul until an uneasy truce was signed on 27Jul53...this is indeed a tome to fill in the gaps for eternal miltary history...the author researched every one of his chapters through the US Marine Command Diaries so diligently collated; in addition, the writer brings you into each combat situation as if you were a recent replacement...his penchant for this attribute is unique compared to alot of historical books on Korea, men of the pen, who were not directly involved; conversely, Lee was a Marine combat tanker with much Recon stealth and ability. Another attraction is his military acumen to cover Marine Tank Bn sorties which took place every single day or nite, if so required...it's a wonderful read of bad and good times in mortal/close combat or in the mischievious Reserve Areas when Asiatic Marine types act up due to the stressors of too much combat...I love this book as if it was mine...thank you, Sgt Ballenger for shedding more light on this other Korean WAR, it was Harry-[S]-Truman's WAR which he was totally incapable of stopping...it's rarified air being a survivor to Bon Voyage out of Korea..who am I??...I invite you to read Chapter 3..[thank you]......Sgt Lee Ballenger-USMC..."Well Done, Marine"......SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF