The War for Korea, 1950-1951: They Came from the North (Modern War Studies) [Hardcover]

Allan R. Millett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2010 | Series: Modern War Studies

In The War for Korea, 1945-1950: A House Burning, one of our most distinguished military historians argued that the conflict on the Korean peninsula in the middle of the twentieth century was first and foremost a war between Koreans that began in 1948. In the second volume of a monumental trilogy, Allan R. Millett now shifts his focus to the twelve-month period from North Korea's invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950, through the end of June 1951--the most active phase of the internationalized "Korean War."

Moving deftly between the battlefield and the halls of power, Millett weaves together military operations and tactics without losing sight of Cold War geopolitics, strategy, and civil-military relations. Filled with new insights on the conflict, his book is the first to give combined arms its due, looking at the contributions and challenges of integrating naval and air power with the ground forces of United Nations Command and showing the importance of Korean support services. He also provides the most complete, and sympathetic, account of the role of South Korea's armed forces, drawing heavily on ROK and Korea Military Advisory Group sources.

Millett integrates non-American perspectives into the narrative--especially those of Mao Zedong, Chinese military commander Peng Dehuai, Josef Stalin, Kim Il-sung, and Syngman Rhee. And he portrays Walton Walker and Matthew Ridgway as the heroes of Korea, both of whom had a more profound understanding of the situation than Douglas MacArthur, whose greatest flaw was not his politics but his strategic and operational incompetence.

Researched in South Korean, Chinese, and Soviet as well as American and UN sources, Millett has exploited previously ignored or neglected oral history collections--including interviews with American and South Korean officers--and has made extensive use of reports based on interrogations of North Korean and Chinese POWs. The end result is masterful work that provides both a gripping narrative and a greater understanding of this key conflict in international and American history.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"An extraordinarily thoughtful, provocative, and detailed narrative of how the conflict on the peninsula evolved from a 'local war' into a major military confrontation between the United States and Communist China, and how it remained a 'limited war.' It further confirms Millett's position as the world's leading scholar of military history in general and the Korean War history in particular."--Chen Jian, author of China's Road to the Korean War

"Millett's gripping story vividly captures the most dynamic period of the war. . . . Essential reading for those who would understand this conflict."--Colonel (Ret.) Donald W. Boose, Jr., author of U.S. Army Forces in the Korean War

About the Author

Allan R. Millett is Ambrose Professor of History and Director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans and is the recipient of the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. His previous books include Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps, A War To Be Won: Fighting the Second World War, For the Common Defense: The Military History of the United States of America, Their War for Korea, and The War for Korea, 1945-1950: A House Burning.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 644 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Kansas (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700617094
• ISBN-13: 978-0700617098
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 2 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #763,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > History > Military > Korean War > Campaigns
  • #96 in Books > History > Asia > Korea > North

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An impressive look at Korea and its wars July 2, 2010

By Dave Schranck TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This book is the second volume of a planned trilogy of the Korean conflict. The first volume deals with the post WWII friction that began after the super powers carved the country up in August 1945. Its about the Communist faction in the south stirring up anarchy and revolt in order to unite the two halves into one Communist state.

In this second volume, after a brief summary of the first volume, the author quickly moves into the first year of war which will turn out to be the busiest military wise. The story begins with Kim Il-sung, with the help of Stalin, mobilizing for war with the south. Stalin didn't expect much of a response from the US and thought the war would be over in weeks but as it turns out this war will escalate more than he or probably anyone else expected. In addition to the battles between the NKPA and the ROK, there will be the war between the US and her Allies and China. And there is the political war between Stalin and Truman, Communism against Democracy.
It will cover the lead up to war in early 1950, the invasion in June and the subsequent battles on and off the battlefield through July 1951 when the first peace conference is attempted at Kaesong. This overview, this worldview will cover both political and military history of the two Koreas and all the key international players that will be involved in the conflict.

In the political arena there are many people discussed, probably a hundred. The list includes Stalin, Mao, MacArthur, Rhee, Kim, Atlee and especially Truman. President Truman and his administration play by far the biggest part in this story. While Stalin and Mao are included their roles are much smaller in this book.... For books with greater coverage of these two antagonists read Alan J Levine's "Stalin's Last War" and Jian Chen's "China's Road to the Korean War".
The military commanders that receive the most attention are MacArthur, Walker, Ridgeway, Almond and Peng Dehuai. The Corps and Divisional commanders have smaller parts. Though key incidents of the British and Turkish forces are discussed, their commanders receive little attention.
Both the military and political spheres are covered well, but from my perspective the political is more comprehensive. It appears that every key political event that is caused by or influences the war with regards to Truman, his administration or Congress is discussed. After reading these two books, you can tell the author has gained an appreciation of Koreans and their history and as such has covered the ROK better than some books. The coverage on the military side seems to me a little uneven but no event is drastically slighted.
On the military side, you'll read about the KPA invasion, the capture of Seoul, the Pusan Perimeter and breakout, the Inchon landings, the recapture of Seoul, the drive to the Yalu River, the Chinese counterattack and its subsequent offensives, the UN retreat to the south, Ridgeway's influence on 8th Army, the expulsion of the Chinese from the south. As an overview which also includes the air and navy engagments, the details of the tactical engagements are not presented.

As an overview for the first year of the war which was the busiest time, this is an excellent read. The author not only describes the many events, both local and international, but also presents the repercussions of these events and an accurate appraisal of the key people's performance in performing their jobs. New and intermediate students of this conflict will be able to get a real understanding of it.
In additions to the narrative, the author provides 20 good maps covering the key offensives. These maps were quite helpful. A small assortment of photos of key people and the battlefield are also included.

The final volume will cover the few remaining battles and the acrimonious negotiations that will last until 1953.
To gain even more knowledge, study the impressive 107 page Notes section, the 33 page Bibliography and the comprehensive 33 page Index. This section is one of the best I've ever seen and will definitely be helpful if further study is desired.
When you consider the whole package, the competent political and military overview plus the tremendous wealth of opportunities in the final section, this book deserves your serious consideration. Read more ›

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's all about context August 2, 2010

By Bryan Gibby VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A subordinate of the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo is supposed to have said of Napoleon that "he moves his cannon with the likeness of a pistol." Allan Millett with similiar agility and deftness maneuvers from the tactics and battlefield engagements of this internationalized Korean War to the strategic and policy debates that raged more or less continuously in Moscow, Beijing, Washington, (and to a lesser extent in coverage) in Seoul and Pyongyang. Dr. Millett has been immersed in the Korean War for over twenty years and it shows with his command of every conceivable source -- memoirs, operational reports, political reports and cables, letters and journals, official studies and books, and a vast secondary literature in Korean, Chinese, Russian, and English. The writing style is crisp, engaging, at times humorous, but always incisive in detail and analysis.

Dr. Millett's greatest contribution perhaps is to lay out the full context of the War. In this second of three volumes, the "what" is always accompanied and explained by the "how" and "why." The focus of this volume is the internationalized war beginning with the North Korean invasion in June 1950 and terminating with the initial tentative feelers for a negotiated settlement a year later. The intervention of foreign powers (North Korean, United Nations/United States, and the People's Republic of China) in the southern civil war is fully assessed with a comprehensive analysis of the military impact and the delicate political maneuvering that all parties had to manage. The deliberations of the Truman administration ought not to occasion much surprise; more notable perhaps is the policy wrangling on the Communist side.... Millett shows clearly how decisions made and not made in the various capitals affected the strategy and conduct of the shooting war. (Students of U.S. Cold War policy and history will be pleased with the detailed narrative of American defense policy and the debates, painstakingly reconstructed from primary sources, surrounding rearmament and military intervention.)

The analysis of campaigns and battles is first rate and thorough. Some aspects that most histories remain obscure on but are clearly illuminated here are: the competence and preparadness of the Korean People's Army (less than presumed), the fighting ability and spirit of the ROK Army (greater than usually acknowledged), the tactical and operational handicaps of the U.S. Eighth Army, the personalities that affected tactical and strategic choices, the difficulties and real accomplishments of the Chinese People's Volunteer Force, Stalin's conundrum and his resolution to fight to the last Chinese.

A cliche in the business is that the Korean War is "the forgotten war." This label is not true as there are dozens of Korean War histories. However, it is true that the war is generally misunderstood -- then and now. Too much effort has traditionally devolved on the American-Chinese confrontation, which has skewed many interpretations of the conflict. Millett brings us back to the reality that this was a Korean conflict (it was their war first). Intervention ensured that a general status quo would prevail. How that status quo would be settled, and whether (and how) it could be maintained is only hinted at in this volume, but will be the central question of volume three, covering the years 1951-1953. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars This War Was Not 'First and Foremost, a War Between Koreans'. February 14, 2013

By drkhimxz

Format:Hardcover

Millet has provided a fine detailed overview of the Korean Conflict as it became, for a time, the centerpiece of struggle between Russia and China, on the one hand, and the United States, with modest help from some other nations, on the other. To Stalin, whose Will was crucial, on the one side, and Truman, who was in a similar position on the other, this was the first shooting war test of the contest between the expansionary drives of the Communist World Revolutionary Movement and the still ill-defined premises of what came to be known as The American Containment Policy. The major contrast between the two leaders, guided only in part by their advisory staffs, was that Stalin did not intend that his troops would bear any part of the burden, fighting was to be done by Koreans, in the first instance, with China being the essential troop back-up when, and if, needed, while the Americans were driven by South Korean ineptitude in leadership and troop organization, to see early in the period covered by this book, that they would be required to put American bodies on the line. Millet allows us to see that whatever differences arose within each coalition, all saw more than Korea, itself, as the stake in the struggle.
Moving ably between diplomacy and combat, strategy and tactics, Millet allows the average reader to see a larger part of the picture than more detailed studies allow. His access to documents in the hands of the Communist nations, gives a clearer picture than is common, of the strengths and weaknesses of civilian and military leadership.... This volume is not a sufficient source for understanding the details of each component of policy: diplomacy and military strategy; but it does provide an admirable framework within which to place the increasing volume of publications which amplify upon the details.
Millet does not refrain from judgments, other scholars will disagree with some or many of them. Nonetheless, his approach is, on the whole, a balanced one, with which to begin further study, if ones interest is piqued. As one reads, I believe, the average reader, will find relevant many aspects of that struggle to current concerns as new peripheral struggles require consideration by the dominant powers not territorial neighbors to the disputants. Certainly, one should never underestimate the strength of the Will to Power as motivating force to drive exponents of World Revolutionary Movements to challenge the stability preferred by the Conservative forces of established Centers of Power. Read more ›