Chosin: Heroic Ordeal of the Korean War - Softcover

Told from the point of view of the men in the foxholes and tanks, outposts and command posts, this is the definitive account of the epic retreat under fire of the 1st Marine Division from the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. The author first sketches in the errors and miscalculations on the part of the American high command that caused the Marines to be strung out at the end of a narrow road scores of miles from the sea. He then plunges right into the action: the massing of Chinese forces in about ten-to-one strength; the Marines' command problems due to the climate and terrain and high-level over confidence; and the onset of the overwhelming Chinese assault. With a wealth of tactical detail and small-unit action, Eric Hammel's masterful account of Chosin offers invaluable perspective on war at the gut level.

Eric Hammel's passion for writing military history books began when he was twelve years old. He established a formidable reputation as an author and journalist, with forty books and nearly seventy magazine articles to his name. A particular specialty is the U.S. Marine Corps at war, and he has appeared in numerous television documentaries on Marine Corps operations in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Beirut.