The Korean War: An Oral History

Even though Donald Knox died before completion of this volume, Alfred Coppel did an excellent job in ever way of finishing it. In spite of the fact that the war became fairly static by the spring of 1951, it remains as compelling as the first 6 months of the conflict. If you read Vol.I you will want to read Vol.II.

This book, as its name implies, continues the groundpounding saga of the Korean War that started a year earlier. Many of the original cast of characters are back...Norman Allen's caustic letters to his mom, old soldiers from the Inchon landings and Pusan Perimeter in new terrain and with new regiments or companies...and the story line remains the same, too: climb hills, get killed, get pushed off, get killed, get hills back. Unique Features of this book include: .... the chapter on Korean War flying aces, and the air war in general. One can still feel the chill that must have gone down the spines of officials in Washington when Soviet MiGs first appeared in the skies over Korea; but it doesn't seem to have bothered John Bolt, the War's only Marine Ace, very much. .... the chapter on Korean War vets who returned home to their hometowns; some to a hero's welcome, others to a country that had begun to change. I once heard a Korean War vet tell me he left to ragtime and came home to rock and roll. In any case, sometimes the publicity was a mixed blessing for the men, who just wanted to get back to their private and family lives.