Book Reviews

THE KOREAN WAR 1950-53

BY CARTER MALKASIAN OSPREY ESSENTIAL HISTORIES 2022 ISBN 978 1 4728 5317 2

It was meant to be a “limited war” of “containment”, a “police-action” – but the US government was compelled to contemplate using atomic weapons. The Korean War also pitted Communist and Western superpowers in direct combat. Following the US Inchon landing, the Soviet-backed North Korean Army was pushed back towards the Chinese border; the Chinese CPV volunteer army came to the aid of North Korea in a three-year campaign and five offensive waves. The early war of movement changed to positional “meat grinder” battles along front lines and outposts, US forces withdrawing from Chinese massed attacks then using firepower advantage to inflict maximum casualties. The CPV pursued a similar attrition strategy of repeated “see-saw” battles, particularly during the “negotiating while fighting” ceasefire talks. There were many notable battles: the US marines and infantry at the Chosin Reservoir; the Chinese Second Wave Offensive that forced US and UN forces into a lengthy retreat; the British brigade with Centurion tanks and Commonwealth brigade at the Imjin River; the Kumsong Bulge battles. US jets fought MiG-15s and US bombers attacked North Korean cities, infrastructure, and industry. Crippled economies from protracted war forced communist leaders to negotiation. Besides the fighting, the author examines the impact of the war on civilian populations in the protagonists’ home countries, and atrocities including the US cavalry at No Gun Ri. Korean War strategies would influence future Cold War conflicts, strengthening of NATO and the Cold War arms race. A balanced pocketformat account complementing a similar named 1986 Osprey history.

Recommended.