The Korean War - 1950-1953 Paperback – 25 Sept. 2001

If you are interested in military history you will like this book

This was the first major war after the end of the World War 11; it came just 5 years later in 1950!Korea was split in half after the war, having been under Japanese rule previously. It had been simmering with violence ever since.Essentially the Korean war was a cold war confrontation. The communists of North Korea invaded the South. America,mindful of communist expansionism entered the fray with the United Nations. They only just got there in time, but quickly drove back the North Koreans. They even looked like they might have defeated the communists and taken the North. However, Russia and China were not going to allow that happen. Enter China with Russia as sleeping partners. This then became a very different war. China's army was huge and manpower was no problem. Backed by Russian weapons they became a formidable foe. America had a decision to make, a full scale war against China and North Korea would almost certainly bring in Russia as allies to China. That would constitute World 111?The war dragged on for 3years with the three major powers too nervous to push the issue to an all-out war or push for total victory. In the end America were content to hold the South and keep the Communists out. China was content to save the North, which would keep America from residing on their border!This was a real war in every sense. It cost the US, UN, Korea & China dearly in terms of life and cost to economy.Total troops for the UN & America totalled 1 million. The Communists totalled 1.6 million. Losses were very, very high, on both sides, in terms of those killed, wounded, missing & POW's. Civilians were also very badly hit with losses estimated at some 2.5 million.On top of that the usual war crimes, atrocities and massacres occurred. All in all this was a very bloody war indeed.This book gives reasonable overview, though some of the photographs are perhaps not as good in quality as some of the others books in the series. Some of the latter issues are not covered in much detail but this is still a great series for those that like their history and a quick way to get an update..

A really interesting read

This is an excellent account of the events of the Korean War. Whilst it doesn't offer much in the way of insights into life in Korea at the period, it provides a clear, step by step account of the actual events of the war. It details all of the major turning points in the conflict as well as giving the reasons behind the actions taken with regard to the political situation at the time. It is easy to read and I thouroughly reccomend it to anyone with an interest in military or Cold War history.

While there are literally thousands of books, and probably millions of bits of media on World War 2; the Korean war is under represented. However, I wanted to know more about this war in which thousands of British and American troops served in, and so having searched for a while for an easy to read, lucid account on the Korean War, I settled on the Osprey Essential Histories Version.For some one like me, who has very little knowledge of this essential conflict, the book is an excellent guide. Unlike some other military history books, it is not extremely dry, and the pictures of soldiers fighting or maps of the overarching offensives are very well placed and really break the book up into manageable chunks.The writer obviously knows what he is talking about, and provides references and citations throughout. He clearly explains the context of the war, and why and how certain offensives or even commanders did not work well.An excellent book, well worth reading for a quick but thought provoking and factual account of the Korean war, perhaps one of the most important wars of the 20th century.

Having served in Korea second winter. I expected more to have been written about the actual fighting.

All good

Very good book, This series of books is rather thin, but gives the reader a comprehensive overview of the war. If more in depth reading is desired, then the reader can branch off to other authors. The pages have lots of maps and pictures, and the page thickness is heavy so it can withstand being passed on for other readers to enjoy. It stands well as a mini reference book on the subject. Think of it like adult Coles Notes.

Un buen libro para los que quieran conocer de manera rápida y clara lo que fue "la guerra olvidada". Uno de esos libros que a algunos lectores les dejará con ganas de saber más y buscarán otras obras que profundicen más, pero que para otros no tan interesados traza una aceptable crónica del conflicto

This summary covers all the bases of the Korean conflict: political, tactical, strategic, cultural and does it well within an Osprey format. It was a war fought on two levels. The lower level was fought between the two Korean countries wanting to unify their whole country under their political control. On the larger scale, it was a war fought among the three super powers for ideology, prestige and the expansion of world dominance.North Korea was under the influence of Stalin and the Soviet Union was training and equipping the NKPA to invade the south while the US was marginally helping the South Koreans. Its been said that the speech Dean Acheson gave on 1/12/1950 that implied the US was letting go of South Korea, excluding it from the US sphere was the prime motivator for the invasion.The introduction presents a brief history of Korea going back to 1905 when Japan took it over and mistreated the Koreans until the end of WWII when the Soviet Union liberated the northern half and the US the southern half. The narrative continues to describe the friction between the US and Communist China after the world war as well as the alliance formed between Stalin and Mao. The author talks about the political atmosphere of the day and how these countries are linked together. Its all basic information but if you're new to the Korean War, its invaluable to understand how the war started, why the PRC got involved and why the UN forces stayed the course. There were critical implications that could effect the world if a third world war or a nuclear war had ignited. It was the first time in the Cold War that the Superpowers were indirectly fighting each other.Mr Malkasian includes a good chronology that spans the entire war that will be helpful as a guide to follow the battle action and political events.The invasion of the south began on June 25th, 1950 when columns of T34 tanks spearhead the assault along the border. For the next two and half months the ROK and meager US forces had a very tough time being pushed back to the Pusan Perimeter until enough reinforcements were brought in to stop the NKPA at the Naktong River. MacArthur devised the Inchon landings in mid September which turned everything around, causing the NKPA to flee to the north. UN Forces followed past the 38th parallel inciting Mao to counterattack, dramatically escalating the war.The key engagements are covered and each has its own color map. There are 12 maps which greatly help to understand the dialog. The maps show the dispositions of all the key players: US, ROK, PRC, NKPA and UN. The maps include the initial invasion, the Pusan Perimeter, the major PRC offensives, the Chosin Resivoir battle, Mig Alley. In addition to the tactiacal coverage on the ground, off the coast as well as the air war, the author explains the civilian migration and hardship, the Communist insurgency in the south, the quarrelous "peace" negotiations, POW issue, prison riots and much more. There are mini profiles of MacArthur, Ridgeway, Clark. The story ends with describing the human and economic costs of the war and how the different countries survived and responded from the bitterness of the war.There are also many fine photos to study. A Bibliography and Index round out the book.This is an excellent primer and a good starting place before you read the full length books. Its highly recommended. Also, a good companion book to this one would be "US Army Forces in the Korean War 1950-53" by Donald Boose. Its one of Osprey's Battle Orders series and it expands on the organizational aspects.

Une bonne compréhension du conflit majeur de la guerre froide. Un modèle du genre comme savent le faire les Anglo-saxons. La guerre est vue à toutes les échelles et cela se lit très facilement avec beaucoup d'intérêt.