Customer Reviews

White Tigers: My Secret War in North Korea (Ausa Institute of Land Warfare)

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(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

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.

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.

In the world of foreign military advisors, Ben Malcom's name is not a household word in comparison to Joe Stilwell, John Glubb, Edward Lansdale, and, of course, T E Lawrence. His short memoir of life with North Korean guerrillas during the Korean War deserves to be read along with those of his more famous colleages.

Ben Malcom was trained as a traditional military officer, but was thrust into a highly unusual role as an advisor to a small group of North Korean guerrillas fighting against the North Korean government. Until the 1990s, the missions the so-called White Tigers undertook were still classified. While their contribution to the overall war effort can be disputed, Malcom's lessons cannot be ignored for what they teach us about the US Army and its abiding discomfort with non-traditional warfare.

Malcom demonstrates convincingly that the US Army forgot many of the lessons derived from working with partisan forces from Burma to Greece to France during the Second World War. Those lessons would have proved invaluable to young Lieutenant Malcom as he took on a role he was not trained for, but for which he demonstrated great aptitude. His book takes us from his ROTC days, to instructor at Fort Knox, through his time in Korea, and finally to Vietnam, where he experienced a nasty case of de ja vue. His memoir is short, but exciting and written with great verve.

Much has been written about the current conflict in Iraq and how the the US military is adapting to re-learn the lessons it forgot after Vietnam about insurgency, counter-insurgency, and partisan warfare. Many authors have applauded the adaptability of the US military; Malcom's book is a cautionary tale that shows we have been down this path before and failed to institutionalize the lessons of previous conflict. For that alone, his memoir is worth the price.

Excellent read for Korean vet's. Without these Korean partisans the peace agreement would have taken a lot longer and more Americans would have died.

I was there at about the same time period but on the East Coast. It reflects my own views about the U.S. Army operations and attitudes.

I bought this book after hearing my grandfather had worked with some of the White Tigers. I love history and this made it even more interesting. Though I haven't read much yet, because as soon as my grandfather heard about it he had to see it. He was soo excited and glad to see a book about something that had been secret for so long.

Revealing documentary of super secret ops in North Korea during the "conflict".Well written and easy to follow,but I'm in doubt that all "Gooks" were as dumb as the writer makes some of them out to be.

The General who sent the tanks after the radio crew, was one smart person to detect the false papers presented by the ROK'S,and the overshadowing heroics of those ROK volunteers was beyond comprehension. We owe them so much for their sacrifice during the Ops because if they were ever captured, they were dead men.No trial,just instant death.

COL Malcom's book tells the story of Fifth Column operations behind enemy lines during the Korean War. He is one of several

U.S. Army officers who salvaged "special operations" lessons from WWII and applied them with a minimum of high-level support

from the orthodox allied military commands. It is really a tale of a two-front war, facing the North Koreans on one side and

the establishment military bureaucracy on the other. He often worked with Korean partisans, alone, a hundred miles inside North

Korea when capture was certain death and he had no place to hide and no support. The courage, audacity, and intelligence

displayed in these operations were extraordinary even among soldiers for whom courage was a given. He earned the credit for

being one of the "Fathers of modern Special Operations" a hundred times over.

His legacy gave us the modern Special Forces (Green Berets) with their ability to "reach out and touch" Al Queda and other

terrorist threats to western civilization. "White Tigers" is readable, engaging, and informative and a story that will be

admired by anyone who roots for freedom.

This was a very exiting book about the adventures of Lt.Ben Malcom operating behind enemy lines during the Korean War. It is very eye-opening to see that some of our greatest heros were unsung heros at the time these events actually happened. It is good to see now after so many years the sacrifices that they made.