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flthomc's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.75
A great book on leadership and the lack there of. Gives a good overview of the conflict and also captures the feeling of individuals without getting bogged down.
gwa2012's review against another edition
4.0
This is the most influential military history that I have read to date. It recounts the Korean War from the appropriate level of detail to convey the overall picture while preserving the finer points. The author also provides prescient commentary that has aged gracefully.
This book is just as relevant today as it was in 1963. It preserves many hard-earned lessons that must not be forgotten as we continue into the era of great power competition. Namely, that war is an extension of politics. Gone are the days of crusades that galvanize entire generations. The future lies in limited engagements (shadow/unconventional wars) for political ends. This idea may seem obvious for a modern reader. During the Korean War, however, it was an extreme position that the American people could not stomach. It is also an idea that divides us today (e.g., Iraq and Afghanistan).
The author poses the ultimate question: What is the United States military’s role on a global scale? Righteous crusader or legionnaire?
I look forward to reading more books that address these questions.
Must read for military leaders.
This book is just as relevant today as it was in 1963. It preserves many hard-earned lessons that must not be forgotten as we continue into the era of great power competition. Namely, that war is an extension of politics. Gone are the days of crusades that galvanize entire generations. The future lies in limited engagements (shadow/unconventional wars) for political ends. This idea may seem obvious for a modern reader. During the Korean War, however, it was an extreme position that the American people could not stomach. It is also an idea that divides us today (e.g., Iraq and Afghanistan).
The author poses the ultimate question: What is the United States military’s role on a global scale? Righteous crusader or legionnaire?
I look forward to reading more books that address these questions.
Must read for military leaders.
statman's review
4.0
If you want a good single volume on the Korean war, which is often forgotten or understudied in American history, this is a great choice. Gives a good explanation for how it all started, the context under which America was fighting. After a while some of the detailed battle descriptions get old but all in all a good read.
liac's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
2.5
An interesting portrait of the Korean War, but there’s no citations and lots of bias. Written in an intermittently narrative format, so it’s hard to know what’s the author is imposing versus what comes from legitimate research without citations
sgdan's review against another edition
5.0
It desperately needed a strong editor (at least the edition I read). That said, it was an utterly fantastic balance between the details of the ground war and the grand geopolitical nuances that shaped the war.
timmens59's review against another edition
4.0
Fehrenbach does not pull punches in assigning blame for the state of our military when war broke out, but it becomes repetitive. We get it. His Pusan Perimeter material is excellent.
slferg's review
5.0
A difficult book because of the naivete of the United States and U.N. in dealing with the Communist attack on South Korea. But it was worth going through to the end. Should be required reading to know what happened in Korea and how. It also shows the actions and thought processes of the Communists - China and Russia - China supplied men and some weapons and the Russians supplied weapons and material also. Shows how the Korean War (or Conflict) paved the way for Vietnam. How the Chinese used what they learned to make them more successful in Vietnam.
Quite a revelation on the way Communists think in their efforts to take over everything. Probably should be required reading for anyone having to do with Communist leaders and countries.........
Quite a revelation on the way Communists think in their efforts to take over everything. Probably should be required reading for anyone having to do with Communist leaders and countries.........
eely225's review against another edition
5.0
4.5, rounded up for the potency of its prescience.
I'll start with the negatives. The book was published in the early 1960's, so it doesn't quite read the way a more modern book would. Its citations are mostly implied, and the bibliography and end notes are largely absent.
It is largely an amalgamation of first person accounts, translated to the third person by the author. If you like that style, good, because it's the whole book.
There are also a few sections where the author describes his evaluation of "what the Oriental is really like." That kind of patronizing generalization (not to mention using the word "Oriental") is, thankfully, out of fashion now. It does not dominate the narrative, but it is very much there.
All that being said, the book really is exceptional. I sought it out, initially, because I, like many Americans, felt like Korea was a forgotten war. Interestingly, the author felt the same, even in 1961.
One of the most engaging and memorable parts of the book is his extended reflection on what exactly made Korea so unpalatable to Americans. His analysis of citizens fighting a crusade versus legionnaires fighting a border skirmish remains deeply incisive. This book written over 50 years ago could've been written today as a portrait of why the war in Iraq fell so quickly out of favor. The author provides a system of analysis that is incredibly useful for understanding foreign and military policy.
It's also just fun to read. The author is extremely good at creating narratives out of disparate information. This is incredibly helpful, considering its 660 pages of content. The book does not feel as big as it is.
As a side note, it's interesting to read an analysis of Cold War politics from someone in the middle of it. Korea was rife with tension largely because there was always the risk of it becoming Armageddon.
Overall, if any of the subjects intrigue even a bit, this will be a rewarding read. It's an absolute classic and powerfully predicts the world we now live in.
I'll start with the negatives. The book was published in the early 1960's, so it doesn't quite read the way a more modern book would. Its citations are mostly implied, and the bibliography and end notes are largely absent.
It is largely an amalgamation of first person accounts, translated to the third person by the author. If you like that style, good, because it's the whole book.
There are also a few sections where the author describes his evaluation of "what the Oriental is really like." That kind of patronizing generalization (not to mention using the word "Oriental") is, thankfully, out of fashion now. It does not dominate the narrative, but it is very much there.
All that being said, the book really is exceptional. I sought it out, initially, because I, like many Americans, felt like Korea was a forgotten war. Interestingly, the author felt the same, even in 1961.
One of the most engaging and memorable parts of the book is his extended reflection on what exactly made Korea so unpalatable to Americans. His analysis of citizens fighting a crusade versus legionnaires fighting a border skirmish remains deeply incisive. This book written over 50 years ago could've been written today as a portrait of why the war in Iraq fell so quickly out of favor. The author provides a system of analysis that is incredibly useful for understanding foreign and military policy.
It's also just fun to read. The author is extremely good at creating narratives out of disparate information. This is incredibly helpful, considering its 660 pages of content. The book does not feel as big as it is.
As a side note, it's interesting to read an analysis of Cold War politics from someone in the middle of it. Korea was rife with tension largely because there was always the risk of it becoming Armageddon.
Overall, if any of the subjects intrigue even a bit, this will be a rewarding read. It's an absolute classic and powerfully predicts the world we now live in.
edgecy's review
4.0
A unique book capturing the conduct of the Korean War from a tactical perspective. The historical aspect aside (which you will undoubtedly be able to get from thousands of books out there written about the Korean War), this book reads like one massively-long news article, almost colloquial in its entirety, the like of which I doubt we will see in today's history books.
As for the history aspect, this book spared no criticism on how we blundered our way through the Korean War, from troops' unpreparedness, the leadership's failure to understand our enemy, to us failing to understand the broader Communistic strategic picture. Despite that, the book also did a superb job at documenting our troops' ability and resiliency at overcoming these tremendous odds.
I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in learning more about the Korean War from a soldier's perspective, as well as anyone looking to learn about our "lessons learned" during the three year conflict.
As for the history aspect, this book spared no criticism on how we blundered our way through the Korean War, from troops' unpreparedness, the leadership's failure to understand our enemy, to us failing to understand the broader Communistic strategic picture. Despite that, the book also did a superb job at documenting our troops' ability and resiliency at overcoming these tremendous odds.
I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in learning more about the Korean War from a soldier's perspective, as well as anyone looking to learn about our "lessons learned" during the three year conflict.