Armored Corps: Attack by Fire

Take it from someone stationed in Korea. As I read this it took me back to Area 1. If you were ever part of 2ID, reading this is like reading about your day. He mentions places in Korea that anyone in Area 1 has visited. For you civilians out there, Area 1 is the north most area designated by the US Army. Callahan occasionally makes a few remarks or talks about a few things that dont fit - such as the use of Cell phones on the battle field. Anyone who has been to one of the training areas in Korea knows that the KTEL cell network does not extend up there. He has the insider knowledge, and uses it. Few books will ever refer to the 'kettel' when talking about Soju (for example). Callahan also portrays an important military issue - technology. Todate the M1A2 Abrams MBT is a very technological beast. While NKFOR do have a modern fighting force, by the third book we are looking at the war after the decimation of the initial attack on South Korea. Seeing the use of very basic and crude military technique is brilliantly done by the author. If one were to take the book apart and look at it one sees that Callahan is invested in the belief that technology can lose a war, and that for the same reasons we faced tragic losses in the 1950's we could still be lose a war in Korea again. His characters are deeply evolved and through the story line you see them change, adapt and overcome. I could not put this book down. If you love armor, or have ever studied (or been part of) potential modern Korean war issues this is a must read. The story is fast paced. While you dont get the stratigic and theater details of say Tom Clancy, you get the low level unit interaction, and daily life view brilliantly portrayed. His characters lives are run by the conflict and not by some more traditional selective killing off, if your not dis-satisfied by who lives and who dies, you either live in a fantasy world where bullets cant kill, or readin the wrong book. Reading this book, his characters reminded me of people I served with there, and people I serve with today. His book didnt make me imagine the place, it put me there, and his technical account of things gives even the layman enough information to understand some of the complexities of the modern battlefield. I can not stress how good this book is. I could not put it down, infact, after picking it up at the store at 9pm, I didnt stop until 2am when I finished the book. In an off note - Borders tends to only stock the third book of the series (this one), so you will probably have to buy the first two books online.

This third book of the series was an awesome adventure through a never ending hell! You could picture everything going on, and it felt like you were right in the middle of it with them. Reading through this novel, you could almost smell the cordite! This book was so intense, I couldn't put it down. The way the characters progressed and matured through the first two books, into this third was unbelievable. This is an excellent example of a superior writing style, excellent research, and a beautiful finishing touch. A must read!

If you have followed the previous novels, Attack By Fire will leave you an emotional wreck. Just like the real thing, the anxiety, uncertainty, and impending doom hanging over the men of Charlie Company will leave you unable to turn away from the book until you know how it goes down. This is a well-researched work that is as battle-tested as any combat fiction out there. It's not pretty, there are no neat "everything comes out all right" touches, and Miss Manners is no acquaintance to these characters, but this is probably the definitive book on tankers in combat. Read all three Armored Corps books, and hang on.

These "Armored Corps" books are amazingly researched and disturbingly real. Most of us know about North Korea only that we fought a war there over half a century ago and that their leaders are crazily building nukes while disregarding their people. What we don't know is that conventional war between North and South Korea with the U.S. stuck in the middle is still a real possibility. I recommend this book not only to military interest readers but to general readers. It takes the headlines and looks into the cracks where trouble can start. I also don't agree with the first comment. I thought the tone and the writing was really quite good.

Attack By Fire is the third in a outstanding series by Peter Telep that continues to describe in true detail the challenges and triumphs of close-in battle by an armored company team in Korea. The center piece of armored warfare is the tank crew and Telep gets right to the heart of the chemistry and synergy created by a force of four as they "fight" their tank as part of a company team. This book (like the previous two) has it all: the effects of terrain, weather, and enemy forces on the minds and emotions of soldiers and their leaders put to the ultimate test. In the severe terrain of Korea battles are won or lost by junior officers and NCOs such as the platoon leaders and sergeants of Charlie Company. Just as well described in the book is the role that combined arms plays (infantry, mortars, artillery etc.) in the outcome of the battle. A fantastic read for any armor/mech and combined arms fan, I recommend it for all readers, especially for those looking ahead at the still-possible land war in Korea.