East of Chosin: Entrapment and Breakout in Korea, 1950 by Roy Edgar Appleman

East of Chosin: Entrapment and Breakout in Korea, 1950 Reviews

• 
  Checkman

  A professional piece of military history that is meticulously researched and highly detailed, but in its own way a (surprising) work of revisionist history.
  
  East of Chosin is written by Roy E. Appleman. He was a Reserve Army officer (World War II and Korea) and served as a staff officer/combat historian during those conflicts. In the civilian world he worked as a historian for the National Park Service retiring in 1970 as the chief of park history studies. Mr. Appleman was not a revisionist historian with a radical agenda.... far from it. The one photo I can find of him shows a stocky, non-nonsense looking man, with a crew-cut and wearing a conservative business suit. He screams Republican, WASP and Rotarian. Not the type of person to try to shake-up the status quo, but with East of Chosin he did just that.
  
  Until this book was published (1987) the average person, with any knowledge whatsoever about the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, knew that the United States Marine 1st Division was attacked by tens of thousands of Chinese troops in late November of 1950. High up in the mountains of North Korea temperatures would drop to -40 degrees at night. There was heavy snowfall in the daytime, ice was everywhere, and weapons would often not work because of the cold. While grossly outnumbered the Marines fought the Chinese to a standstill and then conducted a fighting withdrawal in arctic weather conditions. It's rightfully considered to be one of the Marines finest moments. Though technically a defeat (the Chinese forced the U.N. forces out of North Korea) the Marines handled themselves very well and inflicted thousands of casualties on the Chinese. The Marines have received decades of accolades for their performance at Chosin and rightfully so. They might have been defeated, but they weren't routed.
  
  That was the popular version. Not as many knew that there were approximately 3,000 Army troops at Chosin Reservoir. They were part of an ad-hoc unit officially known as Task Force 31, later referred to as Task Force Faith (for Lt. Col Don Faith the commanding officer) which was on the eastern side of the reservoir. That unit was attacked by approximately 15,000 - 20,000 Chinese troops. During the five days of fighting (27 November - 2 December 1950) Task Force Faith lost an estimated 1,000 - 1,400 killed and 300 captured. The Chinese losses range between 4,300 (Chinese estimates) - 8,000 (American estimate). Though the Chinese suffered horrific casualties they succeeded in annihilating the Army unit; literally overwhelming the formation like something out of a Western. At the end it was every man for himself and many of the Marines saw surviving soldiers walking across the frozen reservoir without their weapons and in a state of shock. Given the natural rivalry between the Army and Marines some Marines would go on to perpetrate the myth that the soldiers had behaved in a cowardly fashion and that the Army had turned tail and ran. Several of those Marines would either write books that described the Army as cowardly or give interviews in which they described the Army troops in less than flattering terms. It was a vicious thing. This myth would also be reinforced by the press who had a very good relationship with the Marines, but not so much with the Army. The only bright note that emerged from the debacle was Lt. Col. Faith's heroic behavior. Though killed in action he would receive the Meal of Honor (posthumously) for his actions during the fight. It wouldn't help that the Army seemed content to shut the door on Task Force Faith leaving the survivors to feel list bastard children.
  
  Roy Appleman changed that state of affairs with this work of traditional, classically written, military history. He spent several years interviewing survivors and conducting correspondence with them. He traveled to archives, compared maps and dove into his own impressive library of primary materials collected by him, over several decades. The result is a detailed battle history documenting the movement and actions of squads, platoons, companies and battalions. Hilltops, ridgelines and a single road play into the account. For those who have no military background the account might be confusing at times, but even the layman will see that Task Force Faith performed as well as could be expected and then some. Outnumbered, understrength, under-supplied and equipped with radios that didn't work (much of the time) the Task Force went above and beyond. It's even possible, if just a couple details had been different, the command might have made it back to the Marines as a coherent force rather than as a group of individuals.
  
  With the publication of East of Chosin in 1987 people began to re-evaluate the performance of Task Force Faith. Surprisingly the Marine Corp looked at what happened and stated that the Army had protected the First Division's right flank successfully. The fact of the matter was that the Chinese regiments, who had destroyed Task Force Faith, were supposed to attack the Marine Division Headquarters at Hagaru-ri. Those Chinese regiments were rendered combat ineffective and never attacked Hagaru-ri. This is significant because the Chinese might have taken out the airfield which was so crucial for the evacuation of the wounded and re-supply. It might have resulted in the encirclement of the First Marine division and it's eventual destruction. The five days and four nights of Hell that the Army units went through might possibly have saved the Marines and the Marines finally acknowledged this. Actually, in all fairness to the Marine Corp, the Army had never really brought this up in defense of Task Force Faith. As I stated earlier the unit was treated like a red-headed stepchild, but that changed in 2001 when the United States Navy (the Marines are part of the Navy) awarded the task force the Navy Presidential Unit Citation. Task Force Faith has now been rehabilitated and the Army is proud to claim the unlucky, but valorous unit as one of it's own.
  
  As stated earlier Mr. Appleman's book is very detailed. There are numerous photos, maps and very detailed end-notes. It's a traditional work of unit battle history ,which some might find difficult to follow, that's worth having on your shelf. If for no other reason than the role that it played in recovering the honor of the men of Task Force Faith.
• 
  Kevin

  A wonderfully written book about a little known chapter of the Korean war. This is the story of the 31st RCT on the east shore of the Chosin reservoir. Chosin you say? I know all about that. Well you most likely kmow about the 1st Marine Divisions battle and subsequent fighting withdrawl on the western side of Chosin. This was an RCT from the 7th Infantry Division placed out on its own to continue the offensive to the Yalu on the eastern bank. Unfortunately they never got to go on the offensive. Starting the night of November 27, 1950, and lasting the next few days they were in a titanic, life or death struggle with CCF soldiers. You haven't heard of this because the RCT was virtually destroyed.
  
  
  This book tells these soldiers story. It is a detailed account, as detailed as it can be, of the death of the 31st RCT on a cold barren stretch of road. Plenty of detail where it is available, lots of anecdotal evidence from survivors, this is a well researched history. Good maps, and good analysis at the end of what was done, and what could have/should have been done, by those at the upper echelons of command. You will see how a few simple movements of troops doomed the RCT. I highly recommend this book!
• 
  Erin Miller

  I don't know if I've ever read such a well-researched military history book that was still accessible to readers who a) weren't already familiar with the topic, and b) didn't serve in the military. There were still many, many times when I was in a little over my head by the terminology, especially the first 1/3 of the book, when the different units are maneuvering and connecting, but even then I was blown away by the research involved. Of the content itself, it's hard to find a Korean War book that doesn't focus on the Marines at the Chosin Reservoir, and while the Chosin is still the battle, it was really interesting to read about a part of it that doesn't often get a lot of attention.
• 
  Liz

  In the preface to this book, the author tells us that he's attempting to document a story he worries will otherwise be lost. He doesn't seem to anticipate an audience beyond fellow veterans or devotees of military history; he also doesn't seem to care too much about whether the book works as storytelling. As a result, these pages are overloaded with jargon and acronyms, making it difficult for me (not a veteran, not a military historian, and not particularly well-informed about the Korean War) to follow. There were also extensive block quotes from firsthand accounts, which got tiresome as a device. Those accounts were not written to educate or entertain a book audience, and they are dry and technical. Though they definitely don't help make this book more readable, their inclusion does fit with the author's real agenda: preserving these men for posterity. In that respect, I hope he's succeeded-- but personally I'd rather read something written with more of a lay audience in mind.
• 
  John

  Excellently researched history of the defeat of US Army forces on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir in 1950.
  
  Using both contemporary documents and interviews with survivors, the author is able to piece together a coherent history of the battle fought by the US Army on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir from November 27th to December 1st. He refrains from editorializing within the main text, but does conclude the book with a chapter on whether or not he thinks that the destruction of Task Force Faith could have been prevented.
  
  The maps are excellent, some of the better ones I've seen in a military history. They make it much easier to follow the narrative of events.
• 
  Wai Zin

  When I was in high school, I read Combat Actions in Korea by Russell Gugeler. A great book and I still have that book after nearly 25 years.
  
  My point is I have some basic ideas of Battle if Chosin Reservoir and Task Force Faith. But this book gives me a lot more understanding of what was happened in East of Chosin.
  
  As a military history enthusiast, I give this book five stars.
• 
  John

  Not an easy read. Very detailed research by Mr. Appleman.
  Reader has to have an understanding of military terminology, order of battle etc.
  A knowledge of the Korean War also helps.
  
• 
  Troy James

  Exhaustive information which makes it a dry read at times, but as a scholarly source, this paints a very complete picture of the Army troops east of the Chosin, and the horrific battle they endured.
• 
  Jeff

  Interesting to get an Army perspective for the East end of the reservoir, even if a bit apologetic, since the main emphasis is always on the Marines on the West end.
• 
  Maria

  31st Regimental Combat Team of the US Army deployed on the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir was the tragedy that highlighted the Marines' triumph on the western side. Appleman dug into survivors accounts and published their story.
  
  Why I started this book: I knew the Marines' story and was interested in the Army's side of the reservoir.
  
  Why I finished it: Appleman concluded that lack of training, lack of communication and death of leadership was the main causes of the tragedy.
• 
  Lee Mandel

  Must reading for all students of the Korean War. The incredible story of the breakout by the First Marine Division is the stuff legends are made of and is well known. The story of the attempted breakout and ultimate destruction of the 31st Regimental Combat Team of the US Army on the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir is a sad story of men placed in an untenable position by various factors, which are all expertly analyzed by the author.
• 
  Chris

  I listened to the audio book and this was the first book about the Korean War I read.
  
  This book is great from an historical perspective and details how we were winning the war until China flooded troops across the North Korean-Chinese border to push back the Americans to Chosin and retreat.
  
  This of course has ramifications if the U.S. were to ever enter into a conventional war with China who would win? I hope this never happens and we never find out.
  
  I recommend this book.
• 
  Stace Lee

  Well written and researched, Appleman does a good job telling the story of the action around the Chosin Reservoir. This is a compelling look at a minor tragedy amidst a much larger tragedrama...the story of Task Force Smith is like watching a train wreck in slow motion, you know the tragedy is coming but you just can't tear yourself away.
  
  Well worth a weekend of reading!
• 
  Mark

  This book is not easy to read and follow unless you are well versed in military jargon. If you are, this is an excellent detailed story about an Army regiment that attempts to break out of ChiCom hold at the Chosin Reservoir. A must read if you want to understand Korean War history.