Korean Short History

Professor Stokesbury has developed a cottage industry in churning out these short histories of all the major wars. I have not read the others but can without reservation, recommend his Short History of the Korean War. Stokesbury presents new analysis in several areas. The early part of the book looks at the situation in Korea in 1945 and how the seeds of war were sown. Korea had been a playground for the great powers of Asia for more than a century when it was partioned in 1945, with the Russians taking the North. Ironically the UN forces were almost driven off the peninsula in the summer of 1950 because the Communists had more armor, especially tanks that the UN could not stop. Next McArthur launched his invasion at Inchon, which Stokesbury describes magically as the general's final great moment, an invasion that he alone could envision and implement. Now the action slows to a halt as various negotiators make no progress for three years until the status quo ante is re-installed and everyone goes home, except the 40,000 UN troops still there 50 years later. Stokesbury brings to life some little remembered pieces of the action, like the prison riots where the US commandant is briefly taken hostage by his own captives; the political stirrings back home where Eisenhower sweeps to power, partially by promising to go to Korea and end this thing; and the confused state of friend vs. foe that is created when the lines change so dramatically in a short time. As in the USSR in 1945, there were a lot of POW's held by the Allies that did not want to go home, either to Stalin in 1945 or to the North in 1953. There is a lot in here for us to chew on in 2007 also, as Korea is the closest analog to what is happening now in Iraq. Both were police actions, blessed by the UN, that became more difficult to win than ever envisioned by those who promoted initial involvement. In both Korea and Iraq, the US had few (external) allies, no attractive democratic leadership or traditions, and an enemy with hidden allies (Soviets in Korea and everyone that hates us, here in Iraq).

When I found this book I did not have much interest in the Korean conflict, but since I enjoyed this author's history of WWII very much, I gave this book a try. I am glad I did. It explained the politics, the negotiations, the battles, some personalities and it was an enjoyable read. After reading this book, I read Henry Kissinger's Diplomacy. (Actually, I'm only about 2/3rds of the way through now. By the way, that is a truly excellent book.) The chapter in that book on the Korean War includes a discussion of the perspectives of the Chinese, Stalin, and N. Korea and the relations between these parties, whereas Stokesbury's book is basically just about the American goals, fears, etc. It is a pity that Stokesbury did not really explore these topics in this book, because it would have added so much more to our understanding of the story. Why did the Chinese get involved?; Could that have been prevented? What role did the Soviet Union play in encouraging the invasion? How did this conflict affect Sino-Soviet relatons? Whose idea was it to invade S. Korea anyway?; etc. Maybe the role of the Korean conflict in the overall containment of communism could also have been explored. Still, a very good book that accomplishes what it sets out to do very well.The Korean conflict seems so contemporary in a way that earlier American wars do not. Think of N. Korea as Saddam's Iraq and you have a very contemporary story of trying to contain a dangerous rogue state, even if American leaders thought of their job more as containing communism.

"A Short History of the Korean War" provides the reader with an excellent overview of the War, without becoming bogged down in details. Stokesbury adequately covers all aspects of the war, including political, military, naval, air and the peace negotiations.The Korean war is portrayed as one into which both sides, essentially, blundered. Numerous American officials had sent the message that Korea lay outside the United States' Asian perimeter of defense. In response to these signals, the Communists took what they thought was an easy pick and were surprised when the U.S. did respond militarily to the invasion.The pre-war situation in South Korea under the Rhee administration is amply covered. One reason that South Korea was so ill-prepared to respond to the invasion was that the U.S. had deliberately limited the Republic of Korea (ROK) forces because of a fear that President Rhee would launch his own invasion of the North if the ROK was strong enough to do so.The initial North Korean invasion lead to a rout of South Korean defenders and, initially, the Americans sent to their aid. Ultimately, the build-up of United Nations' Forces, the bombardment of Communist forces by U.N. air power and the limitations of the North Korean supply system saved the U.N. forces from being driven into the sea. The weakness in the Communist supply system was an inability to maintain the supply of the troops once an offensive was begun. When a Communist offensive exhausted its stored supplies it tended to run out of steam. This was the situation at the time of the Inchon landing which lead to the collapse of the North Korean invasion and the U.N. advance to the Yalu.At this point the U.N. was at a critical juncture. Despite Chinese warnings, the U.N. continued its drive to unite Korea all the way to the Yalu. The unanswered question remains as to whether a more modest advance which occupied some of North Korea, while allowing a remnant North Korea to remain as a buffer between South Korea and China would have permitted the war to have ended much sooner and on terms more satisfactory to the U.N. Restraint was not the rule of the day and the Chinese did enter the war and, again, threatened to drive the U.N. into the sea. Again, it was U.N. determination and air power which stemmed the tide and allowed the war to degenerate into a stalemate which lead to the commencement of peace talks. Unfortunately, the talks were to drag on for two years while men froze, and bled and died over No Name hills.Eventually the peace talks became bogged down over the issue of repatriation of POWs. The problem was that many of the Communist POWs did not want to be repatriated to North Korea or Red China. Many, ultimately, were repatriated to South Korea or Nationalist China.Stokesbury gives the reader an introduction to the role of air and naval power as well as the contributions of other U.N. members. The truth is that about two-thirds of U.N. members contributed to the war

James Stokesbury, A Short History of the Korean War was an excellently written book about the Korean War. He managed to bring in all the aspects of the war from political, military, gobal concerderations, and in-fighting in the military. This is not a typical military history book. It is not an in-dept review of the battles of the war. It is more of a review of how the military fought the war. Stokesbury examines why MacArthur was fired, the fighting between the Air Force and the Army. The role of the Navy is not forgotten. He does give MacArthur the credit for the daring Inchon Landing but doesnot forget to point out that he overlooked the obvious signs that China would not allow the United States to occupy North Korea. This is an ideal book for anyone who just wants to know more about the Korean War. It is a quick and enjoyable read for historians. For those individuals who don't enjoy reading boring history books, this is the one for you.

"The wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy." - General of the Army Omar Bradley This book is a testament to the fact that historical works need not be a long, dry succession of innumerable statistics and facts. This book reads like a well-written novel, having all the literary elements which captivate a reader: character development, climax of events, and finally resolution. Though one may argue, as the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea was established, if there was any resolution at all in the case of the Korean War. "[T]he cease-fire brought not jubilation, triumph, and ease after toil, but rather a mingled sense of relief and frustration, and unhappy awareness that if things were not going to get worse, neither were they going to get much better," Stokesbury writes. A "short history" of a war in which casualties on both sides totaled at least three million does not mean that Stokesbury wrote only of the major events of the Korean War. Significant attention is paid to the period between the end of the Second World War and 1950. The stage is set for the beginning of the Korean War by Stokesbury's description of the "state of the world" at the time: "The basic antagonism of [democracy and capitalism in the West and the totalitarian Communists in the Soviet Union] had been submerged by the common danger of Nazi Germany, and the temporary necessity of alliance to defeat Hitler and hisfollowers in World War II. But once the menace was removed, the old differences surfaced again, and within a tragically short time after 1945, it was obvious that the world had entered on the old and dangerous paths once more." Under these conditions, Stokesbury argues, the war in Korea was unavoidable. The succession of events and the personalities involved made the war inevitable. In trying to answer the question of whether or not the United States should have intervened in Korea, Stokesbury writes that it is more important to consider whether the U.S. could have avoided intervention, and concludes that the answer is probably no. "In the context of the time, and given the perceptions, preconceptions, and predilections of the men who made the decision, intervention probably could not have been avoided, and probably should not have been avoided. However unpalatable they are, and however many residual doubts they leave, some things just have to be done." Like pieces on a chessboard, Stokesbury describes with clarity the movements of divisions, regiments, battalions, and even artillery batteries. Many of the chapters are prefaced with a map of the area to be discussed, allowing the reader to "see" the movements of the armies, to feel the tension as the North Korean Army approaches the Pusan perimeter, the last bastion of free Korea, or the despair as Communist Chinese forces flood over the Yalu River and into the conflict to meet already weary American, South Korea