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On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle by Hampton Sides
natalie12345's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, and Death
mhuntone's review against another edition
4.0
Really good story of a battle in a war I knew very little about. Unreal what these Marines and soldiers went through bc MacArthur and Almond’s egos were too big to listen to readily available intelligence. Sides tells a really well rounded story covering a lot of ground pretty swiftly as he always does so well.
mightync's review against another edition
4.0
Really good book on a topic I knew nothing about, especially once the battle began. Not as good as In The Kingdom of Ice, but well worth the read. Hampton Sides knows how to write an engaging history book.
socraticgadfly's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent overview of the battle of Chosin Reservoir. Possibly the best. "The Last Stand of Fox Company" might be better in some ways, but, it's so focused at times that it omits some of the larger picture of Chosin.
Sides offers just enough background, starting with Inchon, to set the table in 1 Marine Division, Gen. O.P. Smith, X Corps, Gen. Ned Almond, and Dugout Doug MacArthur for the reader to be ready to dive in to the battle.
I did like the touch about Lee Bae-Suk, and Jesse Brown. Neither is mentioned by Fox Company. On the other hand, even with its tighter focus, that book has a lot more detail about the Army's problems east of Chosin than Sides does.
I personally recommend reading both for the most complete detail. Also, Bruce Cumings, "The Korean War: A History." As Sides notes, it's revisionist history at its best.
"Frozen Chosen" is an OK but not great additional book, too. And Russ's book. All are in the bibliography here.
The one other thing I learned that I hadn't seen in other books is that both Smith and Almond expected Mac to remain in Hungham itself. And why not? After the river bridge was blown, the east side of the city was readily defensible. And, if the troops needed backup, aircraft carrier Navy air/Marine Air, plus the cannons of the battlewagons, were just offshore. Pulling out, IMO, rather than staying there as a thorn in the Chinese side, was the last of many Korean War stupidities by MacArthur.
Sides offers just enough background, starting with Inchon, to set the table in 1 Marine Division, Gen. O.P. Smith, X Corps, Gen. Ned Almond, and Dugout Doug MacArthur for the reader to be ready to dive in to the battle.
I did like the touch about Lee Bae-Suk, and Jesse Brown. Neither is mentioned by Fox Company. On the other hand, even with its tighter focus, that book has a lot more detail about the Army's problems east of Chosin than Sides does.
I personally recommend reading both for the most complete detail. Also, Bruce Cumings, "The Korean War: A History." As Sides notes, it's revisionist history at its best.
"Frozen Chosen" is an OK but not great additional book, too. And Russ's book. All are in the bibliography here.
The one other thing I learned that I hadn't seen in other books is that both Smith and Almond expected Mac to remain in Hungham itself. And why not? After the river bridge was blown, the east side of the city was readily defensible. And, if the troops needed backup, aircraft carrier Navy air/Marine Air, plus the cannons of the battlewagons, were just offshore. Pulling out, IMO, rather than staying there as a thorn in the Chinese side, was the last of many Korean War stupidities by MacArthur.
whitneyborup's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible story, but also incredible creative nonfiction. I thought I didn’t care at all about military history, but I will now read everything this guy has written.
tinkygirl's review against another edition
5.0
Apparently Hampton Sides can make anything interesting to me. I have never enjoyed any accounts of war, but I found this book fascinating. The book details the battle at the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War and the events leading up to it. Unlike some history authors who just supply a book's worth of facts, Sides provides a moving narrative of the men involved in the battle... while still supplying all the facts. Can I give this book six stars?
abbierca's review against another edition
5.0
I knew nothing of the Korean war when I started this book. In my opinion, Sides does an excellent job managing countless "characters" and multiple settings while writing an interesting narrative that reads a lot like a work of fiction. Primarily a fiction reader myself, I'm finding creative non-fiction authors like Sides and Erik Larson an excellent way to broaden my knowledge and still maintain that much needed escape that reading fiction provides.