This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History - Fiftieth Anniversary Edition

Additional This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History - Fiftieth Anniversary Edition Information

The 50th anniversary of the Korean War, which began in June 1950, makes this an appropriate time to revisit this monumental study. Successive generations of U.S. military officers have considered this book an indipensable part of their education. To commemortae the anniversary, this special edition has been updated with battlefield maps, vivid photographs, and a foreword by Gen. Gordon Sullivan, USA (Ret.), former U.S. army chief of staff.

T.R. Fehrenbach's narrative brings to life the harrowing and bloody battles that were fought up and down the Korean Peninsula. Partly drawn from official records, operations journals, and histories, it is based largely on the compelling personal narratives of the small-unit commanders and their troops. Unlike any other work on the Korean War, it provides a clear, panoramic view, sharp insight into the successes and failures of U.S. forces, and a riveting account of fierce clashes between UNited Nationa troops and the North Korean and Chinese communist invaders.

The lessons that Colonel Fehrenbach identifies still resonate. Severe peacetime budget cuts after World War II left the U.S. military a shadow of its former self. The terrible lesson of Korea was that to send into action troops trained for nothing but "serving a hitch" in some quiet billet was an almost criminal act. Throwing these ill-trained and poorly equipped troops into the heat of battle resulted in the war's early routs. The United States was simply unprepared for war. As we enter a new century with Americans and North Koreans continuing to face each other across the 38th parallel, we would do well to remember the price we paid during the Korean War.

What Customers Say About This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History - Fiftieth Anniversary Edition:

Any student of history will be interested to see the continuing themes in US involvement in conflict and how we adapt or fail to adapt. Fehrenbach often will follow one unit or pick one out to represent the flavor of what all of the units experienced.Many times in the book Fehrenbach goes into an interesting analysis of the nature of the Korean war and how the United States was have difficultly coming to grips with warfare short of nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union. His comparison of the this conflict to the Roman legions defending the frontier is intriguing and generated some thought for me.This book also gives interesting treatment to several other issues to include US preparation and intelligence that have striking parallels to the US conflicts this century in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a great book for anyone who wants to get an overall view of the Korean war from the political-military to the tactical battles. Fehrenbach also does some interesting profiles of the top and upper-level generals in this conflict. Fehrenbach strikes a good balance of following the overall strategic themes while still giving some details of the unit actions in some of the major fights. This 450-page volume does an outstanding job of summarizing the Korean war from the outbreak in June 1950 to the cease-fire in July 1953. Those looking for in-depth analysis of particular battles would want to go to books written more specifically to the units in those battles or on the battles themselves.

A must read. The lessons learned, and the author's reflection on the issues that shaped the outcome, are invaluable to anyone in a position of military or political leadership today. Someone get this into the hands of the President. This is one of the finest analysis of modern war and the political and social conventions that influence the performance of men in the field. Like Vietnam that followed, and as with war in Iraq and Afghanistan today, "This Kind of War" analyzes the issues and undercurrents that impact politically motivated wars and how they are fought.

Also, I bought any book I could on Korea. What I love the most about this book is how the author mixed a story/novel with actual first-hand accounts from people that were there. During my time I grew to love the country and the people and wanted to learn as much as possible about Korean history.

I could almost feel the shock of what was found when the Americans pushed back out of Pusan; a shock that literally sent chills down my arms and I still get 10 years later when I think about it. This is not like reading a history book on the Korean war which never seemed to grab my attention before. The lessons learned about relaxing military alertness after war (WWII in this case) I hope will prevent this kind of war (not really trying to play on the words but they fit) from ever happening again.

I was stationed in Area IV, Taegu, South Korea from June 1999-June 2000. I can honestly say this book started my true interest in history.A great story is told using letters and notes and journals collected over the years by people that were there. This was more like sitting in a room filled with Korean War Veterans and having each one tell you where they were, what they saw, what was going on, and what they were thinking day-to-day as someone at the front of the room moves a pointer along a timeline on the wall.

I took college courses to learn the language, culture, and history and travelled all around the country. Among the dozens I bought, no book came as close to grabbing my attention as this book.

The North Koreans had nearly pushed the 8th Army into the sea.The author was highly critical of Washington politicians to allow our Armed Services to deteriorate while the Cold War was escalating. Our army was green and poorly trained. Truman and SecDef had penny pinched the army to near collapse. This book was my first encounter with the Korean War and it inspired me to read a dozen other books on the war. His book was a warning for change.This book is very engaging and I would suggest anybody interested in the Korean War to read this book. In many ways the book is a 5 star effort but since its not a complete story of the war like Clay Blair's book, a 4 star rating was given. The author has such an engaging style; it pulled me into the battle with his powerful passages. The author covers only a select number of engagements, some we won, others we lost.With the outbreak of war only 5 years after the end of WWII, I expected our troops would be in peak condition but that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

It is written in short, declarative sentences, not unlike something Hemingway might have written.The author moves seamlessly from the foxholes in Korea to the highest offices of power in Washington. .well, you know the rest. Perhaps the best chapter is "Proud Allegiances" in which Fehrenbach discusses the nation's failures coming after World War II which led to the debacle in Korea.As bad as things were, there were some shining stars, and again, the US Marines come off looking pretty good, but then they never fell prey to societal political correctness that began during World War II and have only gotten worse.Highly recommended for all senior officers headed for senior service schools, preferably before they get there. The chapters are essentially short essays, and can be read as stand-alone pieces. And the rest was exemplified by the Korean War.This classic will never go out of currency, though occasionally it might go out of print. This is written in a completely different style than I am used to coming from Fehrenbach.