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on August 26, 2017
Needs better pictures of the major events such as the treadway bridge installation and the railroad trestle removal etc.
on August 18, 2017
Extremely well written. Puts one right there. The Korean War is not covered well in our "taught" history. My father did not speak much of his time in Korea during the war, so I've been reading up on that conflict. A must read for anyone that wants to know more about that time in history.
on August 3, 2017
Arrived on time and as expected
on August 1, 2017
This is an excellent history of the terrible Chosin Reservoir experience suffered by ground forces of the United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. Two things, first, I am glad that I was unaware of the sorry performance exhibited by the U.S. Army and its leadership when I enlisted in the army in 1956, and second, I am ashamed of the way the U.S. Army failed to pull their weight in the Chosin Reservoir campaign. Does anyone know if they are better trained and more courageous now (1965 - 2017)? Anyway, this is a great book, with a well documented story of brave men who suffered much more than they should have had to. A story of brave men (U.S.M.C.), well trained (U.S.M.C.), well led (U.S.M.C.), and good men who loved and cared for one another (U.S.M.C.), a story that should never be forgotten.
on May 12, 2017
Riveting account of one of the Korean wars dark moments. Most of the 54,000 soldiers killed occurred in the 1st year and a half. The Marines showed their good leadership and training. The Army were left to MacArthur, who had to do something to reverse the poor showing of his 8th Army, who had grown soft and had little training.
I'm glad Mr. Ross included the 31st RCT/7th ID. They were virtually wiped out by the Chinese, but it gave the Marines 4 days to get organized to attack south.
I served in Korea in 1968-69, found a friend that had died, got dosed with Agent Orange. But other than the ruthlessness of the NKPA and the weather, it wasn't as bad as these men had it. Their war was 3 years long and over 100,000 soldiers from 16 countries. It has never ended. It gave the DOD to set in place a rotation system=14 months and go home. It also saw the birth of the VA hospital system.
I'm glad Mr. Ross included the 31st RCT/7th ID. They were virtually wiped out by the Chinese, but it gave the Marines 4 days to get organized to attack south.
I served in Korea in 1968-69, found a friend that had died, got dosed with Agent Orange. But other than the ruthlessness of the NKPA and the weather, it wasn't as bad as these men had it. Their war was 3 years long and over 100,000 soldiers from 16 countries. It has never ended. It gave the DOD to set in place a rotation system=14 months and go home. It also saw the birth of the VA hospital system.
on April 20, 2017
Good description of the Korea Marines action...
on February 1, 2017
Service and product both excellent. Delivery time was unbelievable for time of year.
on January 19, 2017
First of all, I will review the edition. Like any Penguin Classic it is sturdy and holds up well, despite being a paperback. My first order came with a badly bent cover but Amazon replaced it free of charge.
Mr. Russ's story reads like an epic, except an epic where every occurrence is hard historical fact. Most non-fiction books are an incredibly difficult read, listing endless troop numbers and regiment labels until the most incredible events of human history are mind-numbingly dull. Mr. Russ manages to avoid most of this by telling the story through the eyes of the men who lived it. After first explaining the battle officially, he switches to an interview of a soldier describing what his experience was in the line of duty. It is one thing to read that several thousand Chinese soldiers attacked the Marine entrenchments, it is quite another to read a Marine tell his harrowing experience of having a seemingly endless enemy charge at him in the middle of the night.
I was not very familiar with the Korean War before reading this book, and it does not cover the entire war either. However, it does provide enough information to understand the larger situation, so you may realize how hopeless the Chosin campaign seemed to the world at the time. It is definitely an excellent source about the campaign, and the author sources several more academic histories if you are interested in learning more. My only complaint was that Mr. Russ had a very obvious bias against the US Army. Although their performance was poor, and the Marines despised them, there are several times throughout the book when you may notice a very strong dislike from the author. That being said, these moments are few, and overall I consider this to be an excellent book both for its storytelling and its history.
Mr. Russ's story reads like an epic, except an epic where every occurrence is hard historical fact. Most non-fiction books are an incredibly difficult read, listing endless troop numbers and regiment labels until the most incredible events of human history are mind-numbingly dull. Mr. Russ manages to avoid most of this by telling the story through the eyes of the men who lived it. After first explaining the battle officially, he switches to an interview of a soldier describing what his experience was in the line of duty. It is one thing to read that several thousand Chinese soldiers attacked the Marine entrenchments, it is quite another to read a Marine tell his harrowing experience of having a seemingly endless enemy charge at him in the middle of the night.
I was not very familiar with the Korean War before reading this book, and it does not cover the entire war either. However, it does provide enough information to understand the larger situation, so you may realize how hopeless the Chosin campaign seemed to the world at the time. It is definitely an excellent source about the campaign, and the author sources several more academic histories if you are interested in learning more. My only complaint was that Mr. Russ had a very obvious bias against the US Army. Although their performance was poor, and the Marines despised them, there are several times throughout the book when you may notice a very strong dislike from the author. That being said, these moments are few, and overall I consider this to be an excellent book both for its storytelling and its history.
on January 10, 2017
Bought this after a friend referred it to me for my dad to read. He said it was a little gory, but very authentic and loved reading it. He said it's from a reporters point of view.
