Reviews (1)

Lacks information
This book does not provide the reader with much in the way of current information about the NKPA or about it's history.I have found much better information on the web - use the global security web page.If you want to learn more than basic, basic facts this is not the book for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Korea    2. Chosæon Inmin®gun    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Korea (North).    6. Military    7. Military - General    8. Military - Korean War    9. Military - Other    10. Military - Strategy    11. Land forces & warfare    12. Military tactics    13. North Korea   

Reviews (2)

A Wonderful Collection
This was my introduction to James Salter and it was the book that made me interested in his writing.One of the wonderful aspects about Gods is not simply that it contains Salters wonderful writing, but also that the editors have managed to collect the best pasages from a number of his books.After reading Cassada, Burning the Days and the Hunters, I returned to this volume and found that nearly every one of my favorite passages on flying (achieving competence or learning "equitation" as he puts it at one point) from these books appears in Gods.And a bonus are the excerpts from Salter's jounals as a fighter jock driving F-86s in combat in Korea:these sometimes read like poetry leaving an image that has the feel of a Turner watercolor -- a couple of colorful strokes that still give a strong sense of the energy and paradoxically tranquility of moments flying.Originally in Burning:"I will never see it again or, just this way all that is below.Some joys exist in retrospect, but not this, the serenity, the cities shining in detailed splendor."

Sun, stars, water and clouds
James Salter ranks among the finest writers in America, a stylist of extraordinary skill, and this new book about his F-86 flying experiences in Korea demonstrates his remarkable abilities.
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Subjects:  1. Aerial operations    2. Air pilots, Military    3. Anecdotes    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Diaries    8. Korean War, 1950-1953    9. Literary    10. Military    11. Military - Aviation    12. Military - Korean War    13. Salter, James    14. Salter, James - Prose & Criticism    15. United States    16. Biography & Autobiography / Military   

Reviews (1)

Exciting Tales of F-86 MiG Killers in Action!
Warren Thompson can lay claim to being THE historian of the Korean air war. In the last 15 years he has written many fine, well-researched and well-illustrated books on various aspects of that long-ago war for Osprey, Specialty Press, etc. along with articles for 'Airpower,' 'Flight Journal' and other mags.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Military    4. Military - Aviation    5. Military - Korean War    6. Military - United States    7. Air forces & warfare    8. History / Military / Aviation    9. Korea    10. USA    11. c 1945 to c 1960   

Reviews (2)

Good study from a small unit perspective
Hammel's book is focused on the experience of the near defeat at Choosin from the perspective of some of the small units that were involved, with a special emphasis on groups of company to regiment size (100 to 1000) men.It does this in a careful chronology that is supported by adequate anddetailed maps (but I wish a few more had been available). I was impressedby the ability of these small fragmented groups to resist the overwhelmingnumbers they faced, reminding me of the adage that a three to one forceratio is the minimum for sucess. Most inaccurate account so far.
Hammell has quite a large number of inaccuracies, slanted opinions, and has failed to verify facts from his sources. The book has a very negative view of the same US Army, whose sacrifice on the east side of Chosinundoubtedly saved the allies chance for withdrawal from Hagaru-ri and alsoprovided the rear guard action for the evacuating column. Appears to bewritten more for personal glory and profit, than a source of usefulinformation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Campaigns    2. Changjin Reservoir    3. Division, 1st    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. Korea (North)    7. Korean War, 1950-1953    8. Marine Corps.    9. Military - General    10. Military - Korean War    11. Military History - Korea Conflict    12. Regimental histories    13. United States    14. United States.   

Subjects:  1. Great Britain    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Korea (North)    5. Korean War, 1950-1953    6. Military    7. Military - General    8. Military - Korean War    9. Prisoners and prisons    10. Prisoners of war    11. History / Military / Other    12. Penology & punishment    13. Non-Fiction   

Reviews (2)

Exposing US lies
A must read. Published during the war, I.F. Stone exposes US military communiques on the criminal bombing of North Korea which killed 2 million civilians, one-quarter of the population, as well as the use of millions of gallons of napalm on the civilian population.
This is one of the best books about the korean war.
I.f Stone presents a very well documented case much of what most peopleknow about the Korean War is false. A must read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-1953    2. Foreign relations    3. History - Military / War    4. History: American    5. Korean War, 1950-1953    6. Military - General    7. Military - Korean War    8. United States    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    10. North Korea    11. South Korea    12. c 1945 to c 1960   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Military - Korean War    5. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    6. Korea    7. The Americas   

Reviews (3)

A Propaganda with so many mistakes
The book is a total propaganda.It is biased, subjective and arrogant to describe the war, which happened 50 years ago.Objectively I am really surprised to find so many mistakes made by both authors.My understanding about writing history is a hard work, needs patience, requires objective research method and fully delves into the information before you write any sentence for the public.Let me list some mistakes in the book:
Excellent introduction into the Korean War
Unjustly the Korean War is often refered to as the "forgotten war", a war which cost the life of over 54.000 Americans, 59.000 South Korean soldiers and over two million Korean civilians. The cold war turned hot and the repurcussions of this horrible conflict are still felt today and are not limited to the divided peninsular.
A pictoral history of the Korean War
A divergence from some of the other books by Donald Goldstein, this book is a wonderful collection of photographs and stories of the Korean War.Maihafer and Goldstein do their best to retell the "forgottenwar" using some of the best photographs of the war that I have everseen.This book is a pictoral history and as such is not a comprehensivestudy of the war.Nevertheless it accomplishes its objectives well and isa must have for Korean War buffs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Korean War, 1950-1953    5. Military - Korean War    6. Military History - Korea Conflict    7. Photojournalism    8. Pictorial works    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    10. History / Military / Korean War    11. Korea    12. Photographic reportage    13. USA    14. War & defence operations   

Reviews (2)

STRATEGIC SURPRISE!
The war between North and South Korea has been going on for six decades.The armistice has been in effect for over 53 years, despite numerous violations by North Korea.North Korea's economic collapse and its claim to posses both atomic bombs and missiles capable of reaching the United States or any part of South Korea and Japan make understanding the events of 1950 to 1953 relevant today.Gordon Rottman's "Inch'on 1950" is an excellent starting point.
An excellent concise history of an important campaign
Osprey has finally started doing a few titles on the Korean War and Gordon L. Rottman's Inch' on 1950 is a fine addition to the Campaign series. This volume is well-researched and although a bit dry at times, is well-written. This campaign is intriguing as one of the few occasions in post-WW2 history where US military power was able to achieve decisive operational results in a conventional battle. Inch' on 1950 is an excellent concise history of an important campaign that shaped the Cold War.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Military - Korean War    5. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    6. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    7. Battles & campaigns    8. History / Military / Korean War    9. Korea    10. The Americas   

Reviews (2)

The Origins of the Cold War Revisited
In this first person account of the final stages of the Korean War, General Mark W. Clark, Commander of United Nations Forces in Korea, narrates the difficulty of negotiating with the Communists at Panmunjom while simultaneously dealing with Washington and South Korean President Syngman Rhee.In doing so, he paints a prophetic picture of cold war political relations that would last for the next forty years. General Mark Wayne Clark
This book should be listed more correctly under Mark Clark, Mark Wayne Clark, General Mark Clark or General Mark Wayne Clark. NOT Mark General Clark. In the forties and early fifties, Mark Clark was as famous asGeneral as H. Norman Schwartzkof. Mark Clark was the best friend of Ike andwas one of the great egos like Marine Generals Holland Smith and AAVandergrift who are forgotten today because no movie like Patton orMcArthur or Chesty were made for them. Clark was in charge of Africa andItaly and became the Governor General of Austria during the occupation.Although Ridgway replaced McArthur in Korea, it was the more senior Clarkwho was called on for the armistice. He never received a fifth star. Mostprobably because he was blamed for the heavy casualties he took at Anzio. Iam too young to know. This is an excellent book. He also wrote"Calculated Risk." He was at Ike's bedside during the last daystalking of the old days at West Point. He died in 1984 a couple miles frommy home in Northwestern Michigan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History - Military / War    2. History: World    3. Korean War, 1950-1953    4. Military - General    5. Military - Korean War    6. Post World War II History   

Reviews (4)

Good read but maps would be helpful
The first impression this book made upon me was consistent with'forgotten war' nature of this bitter conflict: the book has yet to be checked out of my university library, despite 4 years onthe shelves.Rishell was a white Lieutenant assigned to the BlackPlatoon of AbleCompany, 24th IP. Like many Korean War bookswritten by soldiers on theground, it covers the year from thebeginning of the conflict to May 1951,when the stalemate beganto emerge. A Comrade in Arms
I was shipped to Korea as a rifleman and assigned to the 24th Infantry Regiment's 2nd Battalion, G-Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad. where I was to serve from Dec.4 1950 until Sept. 1st, 1951. The regiment originally knownas the BuffaloSoldiers, and can truely state that it was one of the mostoutstanding combat units in the Korean War. War from an infratryman's point of view.
This is a no-nonsense, non-embellished account of one platoon leader'sexperience with the oft-maligned 24th Infantry Regiment in Korea.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1927-    2. African American soldiers    3. History - Military / War    4. History: American    5. Korea    6. Korean War, 1950-1953    7. Military - Korean War    8. Military Combat Units    9. Military History - Korea Conflict    10. Personal narratives, American    11. Rishell, Lyle,    12. Rishell, Lyle   

Reviews (2)

Some unforgettable memories of a 'forgotten' war
If Napoleonic warfare shattered concepts deeply rooted in the past century, this fact does not inavlidate reasons for studying The decency that lurks in all of us--even in war
If Napoleonic warfare shattered concepts deeply rooted in the past century, this fact does not inavlidate reasons for studying warfare as waged in that earlier era, Col. Thomas E. Griess, of US Military Academy, wrote in July 1969.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. History - Military & Wars    4. History - Military / War    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Korean War, 1950-1953    7. Military - Korean War    8. Personal narratives, American    9. Personal narratives, Canadian    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / Military & Wars   

Reviews (1)

Perhaps the Finest American Memoir of the First World War
Hervey Allen's memoir is certainly one of the finest personal narratives of World War One, and perhaps the best American memoir of that war.In my opinion, it is a neglected classic.The narrative covers his unit's march from the area around Chateau Thierry in July 1918 to the Fismes/Fismette area in August.The book begins with Allen's unit on an almost bucolic road march through unspoiled French countryside, and ends with its virtual decimation in Fismette.As the title suggests, the closer Allen and his comrades get to Fismette, the more intense the action, until they are literally facing the fire of a German flamenwerfer attack.The story ends abruptly; in a preface to the second edition, Allen compares the ending to a filmstrip burning out suddenly.
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Subjects:  1. 1889-1949    2. Allen, Hervey,    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Campaigns    5. History    6. Military    7. Military - Korean War    8. Military - World War I    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Personal narratives, American    11. Western Front    12. World War, 1914-1918    13. Allen, Hervey    14. American history: First World War    15. First World War, 1914-1918    16. Regiments    17. USA   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. History    3. History: World    4. Military    5. Military - Aviation    6. Military - Korean War    7. Military - United States   

Reviews (4)

A Holocaust Survivor's Story - A Child Separated From his Parents
There is something very special and moving in the telling of author Benjamin Hirsch's life story that is much deeper than just his own memoirs; it is like he is here to remind all of us about events that happened long ago. In his well written and inspirational book, "Hearing A Different Drummer: A Holocaust Survivor's Search For Identity", he becomes another voice for the victims of the Nazi extermination camps. It is clear that his voice is needed in today's world that tries to forget, hide or worse yet--to deny the holocaust ever happened.
A wonderful read
Fascinating story of a man with a quest.Not only is it interesting to try to understand the mindset of a holocaust survivor, but also paints a very real picture of what it was like to be in the US Army in the 1950's.

A well written contribution to Judaic & Holocaust studies.
In Hearing A Different Drummer: A Holocaust Survivor's Search For Identity, Benjamin Hirsch offers a riveting memoir that related how as a nine year old refugee he first arrived in 1941 at New York Harbor. He,along with his two older sisters and two older brothers, had been sent awayfrom Frankfurt am Main, Germany, by his mother to avoid the holocaust thatwas descending on the Jewish communities throughout Nazi occupied Europe.During the years of the Korean War Hirsch was an American solider stationedin Germany, where he discovered the horrific fate of his parents andyounger siblings. Hirsch writes with candor and vivid description, in introducing us to the life of his uncle Philipp Auerbach, who recordedGerman atrocities that are still denied today -- that soup was made fromsome of the bodies of the murdered Jews. Hearing A Different Drummer is animportant, exceptionally well written contribution to 20th Century Judaicand Holocaust studies. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlanta    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Georgia    5. Hirsch, Benjamin    6. Historical - Holocaust    7. History    8. History: World    9. Holocaust    10. Jewish Holocaust Personal Narratives    11. Jewish soldiers    12. Jews, German    13. Military - Korean War    14. Military History - Korea Conflict    15. Refugees, Jewish    16. United States   

Editorial Review

An airplane flies over enemy territory, dropping a shiny cylindrical object near a town. When the townspeople go to investigate, they find flies, spiders, and feathers scattered among bomb fragments in the snow. Biological testing reveals that all the items are contaminated with the anthrax bacillus. The Iran-Iraq war?International terrorism? Or the United States in northeastern China, 1952?Read more

Reviews (8)

Only Goebbels could write a book like this!!
What someone can say!!! As it is known,in 1998, 12 newlySoviet documents was released, which prove the fabrication of the biological warefare (see: Bulletin Bulletin 11 - Cold War Flashpoints, CWIHP by Milton Leitenberg ). Endicott could simply ask for forgivness from Korean war veterans. But no, he insists and accuses the community of historians that the documents are a fabrication of Beria against his rivals inside the CPSU!!!!!
Like the Kennedy Assasination and Roswell...
My first thought in reading this book was that it was the product of a critical socialist mind.Korean Conflict should be known as "Resist America, Aid Korea War" and the glorious peoples army of China were right. Detailed proof of US war crimes in Korea
This fascinating and deeply researched book examines whether the USA used biological weapons when it attacked Korea. It shows that the US Government, in collaboration with the British and Canadian Governments, spent $500,000,000 between 1951 and 1953 developing such weapons, based on those used by the Japanese Army in its attack on China.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biological warfare    2. Chemical And Biological Warfare    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Korean War, 1950-1953    6. Military    7. Military - Biological & Chemical Warfare    8. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    9. Military - Korean War    10. Military - United States    11. Military History - Korea Conflict    12. United States    13. United States - 20th Century    14. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    16. Chemical & biological weapons    17. China    18. International relations    19. Japan    20. Korea    21. USA   

Reviews (5)

Ridgeway has his say on Korea
One of the finest books written on The Korean Conflict by a man who ought to know as much as anyone about combat and Korea.As a personal hero of mine in WWII he took over an army totally unfit to fight and win against the new enemy, the Chinese.How he turned this sorry situation around is spelled out in many other books.The General simply tells his story about how he helpedto make the 8th Army combat effective again.As far as I'm concerned South Korea is the nation it is today partially because of him. This book pullsfew punches and the truth rings clear to anyone who has worn our nation's uniform in battle.

Ridgway and Limited War
Matthew Ridgway is a fairly unknown general in US military history.This is unfortunate because he was incredibly insightful and capable.In fact, he was probably the United States' best general of the Cold War. Excellent book for a military perspective of the Korean War
General Matthew Ridgway commanded the U.S. Eight Army in Korea from December 1950 until April 1951 when he succeeded General Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander of the United Nations forces in Korea and SupremeCommander of the U.S. Far East Command.The Korean War is his personalaccount of the military and political aspects of the conflict and his viewof the implications the Korean conflict would have on future U.S. foreignpolicy. Ridgway does a fine job of explaining the impetus for U.S.involvement in a war on the Korean peninsula, a war in which America wasincredible unprepared and downright disinterested.Ridgway's analysis ofthe U.S. failure to anticipate the invasion is insightful. The U.S.believed the next war would be another global conflict similar to World WarII in which Korea would play very little importance.Ridgway states thatthe U.S. was not concerned with Korea mainly because it was beyond thetraditional U.S. defensive perimeter that would be protected against thenext global conflagration.Furthermore, Ridgway points out that the U.S.had faith in the United Nations to forestall any serious aggression and, inthe event of a failure, the U.S. felt confident in the power of its nucleardeterrence.Ridgway claims confidence in these factors left Americabelieving in a psychological Maginot line in Korea. Little fault can befound with Ridgway's analysis of the North Korea's invasion of South Koreaand subsequent unprepared U.S. entry into the Korean War.Ridgway states"diplomacy is only as strong as the military muscle willing to be putforth."The amount of military muscle put forth is driven by the resolveof the American populace and with Korea there was little.Had the U.S.demonstrated or even indicated a resolve to protect the South Korea, theinvasion probably could have been averted.Ridgway dedicates much time tothe civil-military dispute between General MacArthur and President Trumanduring which MacArthur was eventually relieved and replaced by Ridgway. Ridgway claims that the outcome of this dispute settled once and for allthe debate over military versus civilian supremacy when determining thecourse of U.S. policy. From the beginning of the Korean War, MacArthur hadhis sights set on a victory that was not the limited to South Koreanliberation but included to global destruction of Communism. PresidentTruman on the other hand was mindful of the politics at home and abroad anddid not support MacArthur's calls for the isolation and destruction ofChina and all of Communism.Truman knew what MacArthur refused torecognize -- that America would not rise to fight World War III as it didto fight World War II.Additionally, Truman was very aware that the newdynamics of the Cold War and of nuclear proliferation were changing theface of warfare and bringing to light a new concept of conflict, limitedwar.Ridgway does a superb job of analyzing the conflict between MacArthurand Truman as only someone who was intimately involved at that level could. MacArthur was a military officer trained to fight the wars of the nation,and he was perhaps unmatched in his prowess; however, Ridgway argues, in ademocracy the politics of war should be left to the civilians.MacArthurbelieved that with the right resolve the U.S. could defeat China, butAmerica did not posses the necessary resolve.Ridgway blames MacArthur formuch of the confrontation and paints MacArthur as narcissistic.While thismay be true, MacArthur's personal failings cannot be the sole cause for theabrupt end to his career.More importantly it may be the failings of thecivilian leadership that did.MacArthur had to be relieved to protect thetenets of American democracy, but had the civilian leadership intervenedearlier, as it is empowered to do so, perhaps MacArthur could have departedwith the dignity he earned and deserved. One area where Ridgway does missthe mark is in his evaluation of the Korean War's final outcome.Ridgwaysees the armistice in Korea as a U.S. victory, not a total victory, but asthe first resounding defeat for Communism, and the "battle that began toturn back the tide."Korea may have been a military victory againstCommunism, but it was foreign policy failure.The U.S. created the KoreanWar by neglecting Korea as a nation and its strategic importance. Moreover, the U.S. failed to anticipate North Korean and Chinese intentionseven with substantial intelligence, and it failed to convey to thesecountries U.S. resolve in the region.Written in 1967 near the height ofthe Vietnam War, Ridgway's book takes lessons learned from a superbhistorical account of the war and uses them as a basis for criticalevaluation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.In modern warfare, Ridgway seesno room for open-ended warfare.He states U.S. objectives of world policyshould be defined with care, should lie within the range of (U.S.) vitalnational interests and that their accomplishment should be within (U.S.)capabilities.He believes U.S. objectives in Vietnam at the time were "notset within this frame."History eventually proved him correct.Mostimportantly Ridgway addresses the impact that nuclear weapons had on theKorean conflict and what they will have on future warfare. The U.S. hadonly two choices in Korea - truce or broadened war, which could have led tothe use of nuclear weapons.Nuclear weapons could have brought the U.S.victory, but that would have forced America to cede the moral high ground. Ridgway questions this cost and uses this as the basis for accepting theconcept of limited war and the fact that traditional victory may be a thingof the past.He states, "we had final come to realize that militaryvictory was not what it had been in the past.It might even elude usforever if the means we used to achieve it brought wholesale devastation tothe world or led us down the road of international immorality past thepoint of no return." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History - General History    2. History: World    3. Korean War, 1950-1953    4. Military - Korean War    5. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    6. Korea    7. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (1)

Both doctrine and practice covered--with the "official" omissions included
This Osprey Fortress-series book covers both doctrine and practice.It is often said that the infantryman uses his E-tool more often than his rifle.Illustrator Ian Palmer depicted company and battalion defensive positions, as well as details on individual positions for riflemen and heavy weapons.Some of these illustrations are the same ones used in US Army field manuals (both War Department and the modern Department of Defense).Tables and sidebars give such important information as unit frontages, amount of materials required for protection, equipment allocated for infantry units constructing field fortifications, and weapon ranges.One item often left out of the official field manuals is the weapons' transverse and elevation limits-so I cannot fault Gordon L. Rottman for not including these tables in US World War II and Korean War Field Fortifications 1941-53.During my 24 years in uniform, I ran into company and battalion leaders with infantry experience who still didn't know that the T&E for the M60 was only plus or minus 400 mils (covering 800 meters at 1000 meters distance); this was important because they treated weapon positions as if each one had 360-degree fields of fire with full elevation to cover every inch of ground.Rottman's text and Palmer's images show the battlefield obstacles used to deny enemy access to these weapon dead-spaces (places where weapon fires couldn't reach)-though land mines (classified as "obstacles" by American doctrine) are not detailed in this thin volume.That is a flaw shared by the official DoD US Army Field Manuals covering field fortifications-land mines and demolitions are covered in another FM.Besides, there might be some official displeasure at providing "terrorist bomb manuals" to the general public by publishing literature on mine warfare.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Military  &n