The Final Crucible: U.S. Marines in Korea 1953 [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Who were these young men in faded green dungarees and camouflaged helmet covers?..." (more)
Key Phrases: flame platoon, neutral corridor, outpost war, Fox Company, Boulder City, East Berlin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In his second volume on marine operations during the Korean War's last years, Ballenger continues to be a military historian equally useful to the scholar and the casual buff. The fighting centered on outposts, as each side sought to obtain the best positions to influence the peace negotiations through numerous small operations, occasional larger ones, and many raids, patrols, and outbursts of harassing fire. Highlighted in this volume are one of the largest raids, of Ungok; the bloody ambush at Gray Rock; the long fight for a complex of outposts named after Nevada cities; and the worst battle of 1953, for Boulder City--the last marine engagement in Korea. Ballenger continues to provide model accounts of small-unit actions, to enlighten readers on the value of tanks in infantry support (a high-velocity tank gun is good backup), and to be none too charitable toward what is described as the army's tendency to leave the marines holding the bag. Like its companion, The Outpost War (2000), this is a nearly indispensable Korean War history. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Ballenger well balances strategic analyses and vivid battle narratives." -- Booklist

"Some of the best descriptive passages of small unit combat . . .a valuable contribution." -- Publishers Weekly

"Very worthwhile reading." -- Leatherneck --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Potomac Books; illustrated edition edition (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574884727
• ISBN-13: 978-1574884722
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,391,425 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ballenger does it again, December 19, 2001

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

This review is from: The Final Crucible: U.S. Marines in Korea, Volume 2: 1953 (Hardcover)

This second volume of Lee Ballenger's 2-book series on Marines in Korea during the last 2 years of the war can be read as a standalone work, but it is recommended if possible to first read his Volume One -- "The Outpost War". Either way, this book can be enjoyed for the major contribution it makes to the shadowy history of individual combat units (Marines in this case) in the "stalemate" Korean war of 1952-53. Ballenger thoroughly documents with gripping individual stories the often brutal fighting in mid-Korea between UN forces and the Chinese and North Korean armies. Historically accurate, Ballenger's book highlights "unknown" major skirmishes that more than once came down to desperate hand-to-hand combat over a few meters of rocky Korean hills. The author was there himself, and it shows. The 2-volume series produced by this neophyte author is worthy of considerable editorial and public attention. Excellent US military history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ballenger's Crucible, April 14, 2004

By	Ben Maher (Bucyrus, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Final Crucible: U.S. Marines in Korea, Volume 2: 1953 (Hardcover)

In The Final Crucible by Lee Ballenger, Ballenger centers the attention of the book around the soldiers and their heroic battles throughout the final stages of the Korean War. These battles include numerous small interactions with the enemy in the form of ambushes and raids and also in larger battles. Larger battles consisted of those for Carson, Vegas, and Reno, which were outposts named for Nevada cities, and also Ungok, Gray Rock and of course Boulder City. Boulder City, which is "a place unheard of by most Americans" ended up being the last engagement of U.S. Marines in Korea and also a major turning point in the War. Ballenger describes all of these events through soldier's letters and Command Diaries which offers a first hand view of the action that took place in Korea. The book is a great read and is recommended for all those who want to learn about the hard life of a soldier in Korea during the Korean War!

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Bloody Months, April 24, 2009

By	William T. Cole Jr. "wcole67" (Naples, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Final Crucible: U.S. Marines in Korea, Volume 2: 1953 (Hardcover)

(This reviewer was with the Marines in Korea from September 1952 till August 1953) The two volumes by Lee Ballenger are absolute fact.

Lee Ballenger has written a follow up book (Volume II 1953) to his wonderful historical account of the the US Marines in Korea (Volume I 1952). This completes his story of the terrible, bloody war in Korea which is now essentially forgotten. Buy the two volumes from Amazon...You will find it hard to believe how the the last few years of the war were called a "stalemate". Yes it's true, very little territory was gained or lost (all political), but thousands of Marines, (many drafted) were killed and maimed in battles over useless bits of territory stuck in the middle of "No Man's Land". These two books will REALLy tell you how it was...(Forget the M*A*S*H nonsense)