Disaster in Korea: The Chinese Confront MacArthur (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series Book 11) by Roy E. Appleman (PDF)

Description

Disaster in Korea tells the story of General MacArthur’s November 1950 attack to the Yalu River, an attack that was repulsed by 200,000 Chinese “volunteer” infantry. “The research is meticulous, the narrative enlightening, and the lessons profound. Appleman knows the war intimately, and he conveys it with authority. . . . balanced, candid, and engrossing.”—Union News Sunday Republican “Appleman’s full, authoritative Disaster thus fills a vital gap in the history of American arms and the Korean War. It is a candid and compelling story, chock full of lessons for battlefield commanders.”—Parameters

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Well researched, well written. I’ve read a ton of Korean war history including Appleman’s East of Chosin. Appleman does an admirable job of mixing the high level with the first-person-action viewpoints. His analysis is solid. I think he does a better job of it than SLA Marshall. I’m nitpicking – but more maps would have been helpful, and putting the maps closer to the related text would have been nice. I want to thank Mr. Appleman for taking the time to write about the 8th Army in Korea. They took a hell of a beating. It takes a ton of work to write a book like this and a casual observer might think, based on the relative number of volumes, that only the 1st Marine Division was fighting the Chinese in late 1950. But Appleman does the topic the justice it, and our beloved veterans, deserve. I highly recommend this book as required reading for any student of the Korean War.

⭐Very detailed account of 2nd Phase of Chinese campaign of Korean War. A balanced account that does not demonise or find heroes only on one side. Probably too detailed except for the most avid War Historian. The general theme was that MacArthur hubris and disregard of China’s concern led him to this terrible situation. The Chinese Army did very well under the circumstances of poor arms, poorly supplied and with no air force (to speak of). Unlike most other accounts, the Chinese Army came across as very disciplined, fiercely aggressive and highly motivated. The Korean issue will never be settled unless South Korea and US recognise China’s concerns about US forces on its border.

⭐“Disaster in Korea” is a detailed operational and tactical history—told mostly from the perspective of the U.S. Army—of 33 eventful days (November 24 – December 26, 1950) in the Korean War. Picking up where the author’s “South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu” (A) left off, “Disaster in Korea” begins with the Eighth Army’s second attempt to advance towards Korea’s border with China and continues through its abrupt reversal of fortune and subsequent pell-mell retreat to the 38th Parallel. It was “one of the worst defeats an American Army has ever suffered,” not to mention the “astonishing military-command failures” that made it possible.Who was responsible for this debacle? General Douglas Arthur MacArthur, the overall commander of UN forces in Korea, must shoulder the lion’s share of the blame. Of course, this is not to minimize the essential role that the intervention of Chinese Communist Forces played with their 2nd Phase Offensive. Nevertheless, it was MacArthur’s decisions and policies that placed U.S. forces, the South Korean army, and our other UN allies into the dragon’s mouth and thus made possible China’s second and perhaps most spectacular victory of the war.“Disaster in Korea” approaches the other vital questions of this campaign with equally consummate skill and often blunt honesty. What happened? UN forces advancing into Korea’s far north were routed by highly proficient Chinese light infantry. How and why did it happen? Even though a previous UN offensive into Korea’s far north had already ended in near-disaster, General MacArthur and his command staff still thought it feasible to repeat the same advance just a few weeks later using the same tactics over the same terrain. The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff were skeptical of this reckless plan, but General MacArthur assured them it would work, and they let themselves be persuaded by his complete confidence in total victory. It’s a riveting story of American blundering at every level of command with consequences the world is still living with today.“Disaster in Korea” also features plenty of well thought out analysis of strategy and tactics that adds substantial value for the demanding reader.In addition, “Disaster in Korea” includes an exceptional scholarly apparatus with 40 pages of 641 endnotes, while the individual notes themselves are models of the form, providing full citations, piquant commentary, or additional details.Like most books, “Disaster in Korea” has its flaws, but these are minor with one exception: the maps. Sixteen maps is an adequate number given the book’s length and scope. However, none of them shows the company- and platoon-level combat actions sometimes recounted in the narrative. Also, about half the places referred to in the text cannot be found on any of the maps.Despite these cartographic shortcomings, “Disaster in Korea” remains an excellent book and a worthy successor to its predecessor, a widely acknowledged classic. Highly recommended for serious students of military and American history.A. (June-November 1950), US Army in the Korean War, ed. Stetson Conn (Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army, 2000).

⭐Has information I need for my research on the Korean War

⭐Most histories of that first brutal winter revolve around Chosin.MacArthur’s charge to the Yalu is often overlooked.But it’s story is just as engaging as Chosin’s.

⭐I was there, in 1950-51: 5th Regimental Combat Team. I’m still hot-under-the-collar regarding the stupid blunders from MacArthur.Our casualty list soared because MacArthur would not accept the fact that the Chinese had entered the war.

⭐I had just read “We were Soldiers Once” and was impressed that a true war story could be so readable. So, I bought this. It may be excellent but I cannot force myself through the density.

⭐It was a very fast paced read. Each chapter dealing with separate battles . An accurate account of the courage shown by Marines during the Korean War.

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