White Tigers PB [Paperback]

Ben S. Malcom (Author), Ron Martz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

In February 1952, Army 1st Lt. Ben Malcom embarked on one of the most fascinating and untold stories of the Korean War - the special operations of the United Nations Partisan Infantry Korea (UNPIK). Operating form a clandestine camp on the island of Paengnyong, Malcom coordinated the intelligence activities of eleven partisan battalions, including one known as the White Tigers. While Ben Malcom's experiences are the focus, White Tigers examines all aspects of guerrilla activities in Korea. This story of small-unit operations involving Korean troops led by Americans fills an important gap in the history of special operations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is the untold story of the U.S. Army's role in unconventional warfare in the Korean War. An army first lieutenant, Malcom was handpicked to go behind enemy lines to recruit, train and lead North Korean partisans in their war against Chinese and North Korean forces. He recounts how he won the guerrillas' trust and, with a minimum of support from Far East Command, mounted a series of operations that combined sabotage with intelligence-gathering. (His 4th Partisan Infantry Battalion provided the framework for establishing the Army's Special Forces in 1952.) His account of the raids behind enemy lines makes for exciting reading, and he pays moving tribute to the Koreans' extraordinary stamina, seeming indifference to pain and chivalric code of conduct. But the most eloquent passages revolve around his complaint that the institutional knowledge he acquired during the war was ignored in Vietnam, where U.S. military advisers had to learn the hard lessons of guerrilla warfare on their own. Malcom served as a battalion commander in Vietnam; Martz coauthored Solitary Survivor.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Exciting reading. -- Publishers Weekly, 1996

The gallant service of the North Korean guerrillas has long been one of the untold sagas of the Korean War, but Malcom's in-depth history, White Tigers, tells their story definitively and fills a significant historical gap. -- Military History, June 1997

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's Inc (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574881981
• ISBN-13: 978-1574881981
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,406,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book -- 40+Years in Coming, June 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: White Tigers PB (Paperback)

(Note: Part of the details furnished here are based on my discussions with the author shortly after White Tigers was originally released)

First, I'll have to say I'm a bit prejudiced toward Ben Malcom. COL Ben Malcom was the post commander at Fort McPherson, Georgia in the late 70's and I commanded his military police company. In fact, Ben was instrumental in my career -- first he allowed me to command a company as a first lieutenant, something his predecessor would not do. Second, he literally pushed my application for a regular army commission through and made sure it was approved. Ben is a true gentleman and was a fine Army officer.

On to the book. White Tigers recounts Ben's story, from ROTC to the Infantry, and shortly after his commission, to Korea. Ben was scheduled to be a rifle platoon leader in Korea, but was somewhat randomly selected to train North Korean partisans --- behind enemy lines. What was so remarkable about Ben's selection is that he is over 6', has no oriental features, and did not speak Korean.

Ben found himself behind enemy lines where he trained a battalion-size North Korean force, and managed to get to the mainland on more than one occasion to recruit and do combat -- where he was awarded the Silver Star.

My favorite portion of the book is Ben recounting how he left Korea after a year wearing the Silver Star, but no combat patch (his unit did not have patch) and no combat infantryman's badge (his unit was not recognized as a line infantry unit that qualified for the CIB). When Ben reported in to his next unit, his superiors asked how it was that he was wearing a silver star, but no combat patch or CIB. Ben's answer: "I'm sorry, I can't disclose that because it's classified."

And Ben's operations were classified -- in fact, for more than 40 years. Ben had started a book in the mid-50s, but terminated his efforts because of the classification of the operations in which he was involved. Once the operations were declassified in the early 90s, Ben dusted off his 40-year old manuscript, which served as the basis for White Tigers.

I will have to say that White Tigers is not an accomplished thriller -- however, what it is is a fine personal account of Ben's exploits in a very unusual operation. Many of the activities that Ben was involved in -- and many that he directed ad lib due to the lack of training and doctrine --have become the basis of some special operations today.

Ben deserves a huge well done for an outstanding effort in documenting a very unusual experience. I would highly recommend his work.

Charles D. Childers Colonel, US Army

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cloak and dagger in the Korean conflict, October 15, 1997

By 

Gerald Musselman "muzz" (Hurst, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: White Tigers: My Secret War in North Korea (Ausa Institute of Land Warfare) (Hardcover)

This is an interesting addition to the military history collection. The book is an account of indigent intelligence gathering and sabotage operations behind the lines in North Korea. A few U.S. Army Officers and Enlisted men were tabbed as advisors to assist North Korean nationals in the disruption of the Communist forces north of the DMZ. For the most part well written, the narrative is most worthy by demonstrating the reluctance, if not downright obstructionism shown by senior Army members toward unconventional warfare in this period. The young officers selected for the mission generally had little if any training or background for the job and were given minimal support. A good accounting of the initiative and ingenuity of our young college grads when thrown in a difficult position.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage and Unequaled Valor, August 5, 2008

By 

Arthur L. Boyd "Retired Lieutenant Colonel" (Tennessee Valley, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: White Tigers PB (Paperback)

When I received my May, 2002 VFW magazine I was overwhelmed by the story of guerrilla operations that were successfully carried out in North Korea during the Korean War. When I had finished reading Colonel Ben S. Malcom's "White Tigers" I knew that I had read a story that would touch the minds and hearts of all who had been placed in harm's way. I was able to sense his frustration, his anger, his fear, his disappointments, his elation at success, but more important, his love for his country. He dared to expose his depth of compassion and deep commitment to the partisan force placed under his charge. By relating his personal experience, he brought to light the danger for having a short sighted reluctance within the upper echelon of the army in finding merit in unconventional warfare. I am extremely grateful for his leadership and an intimate knowledge of the brave service and sacrifice made by him and members of the White Tiger donkey units. As his story continued to unfold, I was drawn to recall my own expreience that took place but a scant few miles from where Ben's White Tiger operations were being carried out. I had been a member of Operation Broken Reed, an intelligence mission that took place during January, 1952. I was rescued along with two other surviving team members following the mission. I recalled the bitter cold, the fear of being captured and what that would mean, the extreme fatigue resulting from a thirty-mile forced march to the Yellow Sea, the deteriorating physical and mental condition of my two comrades, the difficult terrain and the rescue. As I read Ben's book I realized that the point of our rescue from a ledge overlooking the Yellow Sea was but a few miles from Wollae and Paengnyong Islands, the White Tiger base of operation. When I wrote the colonel in June, 2002 I received a warm immediate reply. He stated that there was no doubt in his mind that "Operation Broken Reed" was a CIA operation. Colonel Malcom's encouragement was instrumental in my publishing the story of Broken Reed that has been published by Da Capo Press. In my estimation, Colonel Malcom's silver star is inadequate to acknowledge the level of his bravery and service. I highly recommend the reading of White Tigers.

Arthur L. Boyd, Lt. Col, US Army, Retired.