Marines in the Korean War Commemorative Series: Frozen Chosin - U.S. Marines at the Changjin Reservoir

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Korean War, Military
Cover of the book Marines in the Korean War Commemorative Series: Frozen Chosin - U.S. Marines at the Changjin Reservoir by Progressive Management, Progressive Management
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Progressive Management ISBN: 9781301132751
Publisher: Progressive Management Publication: January 5, 2013
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Progressive Management
ISBN: 9781301132751
Publisher: Progressive Management
Publication: January 5, 2013
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

The race to the Yalu was on. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's strategic triumph at Inchon and the subsequent breakout of the U.S. Eighth Army from the Pusan Perimeter and the recapture of Seoul had changed the direction of the war. Only the finishing touches needed to be done to complete the destruction of the North Korean People's Army. Moving up the east coast was the independent X Corps, commanded by Major General Edward M. Almond, USA. The 1st Marine Division, under Major General Oliver P. Smith, was part of X Corps and had been so since the 15 September 1950 landing at Inchon.

After Seoul the 1st Marine Division had reloaded into its amphibious ships and had swung around the Korean peninsula to land at Wonsan on the east coast. The landing on 26 October 1950 met no opposition; the port had been taken from the land side by the resurgent South Korean army. The date was General Smith's 57th birthday, but he let it pass unnoticed. Two days later he ordered Colonel Homer L. Litzenberg, Jr., 47, to move his 7th Marine Regimental Combat Team north from Wonsan to Hamhung. Smith was then to prepare for an advance to the Manchurian border, 135 miles distant. And so began one of the Marine Corps' greatest battles—or, as the Corps would call it, the "Chosin Reservoir Campaign." The Marines called it the "Chosin" Reservoir because that is what their Japanese-based maps called it. The South Koreans, nationalistic sensibilities disturbed, preferred—and, indeed, would come to insist—that it be called the "Changjin" Reservoir.

General Smith, commander of the Marines—a quiet man and inveterate pipe-smoker (his favorite brand of tobacco was Sir Walter Raleigh)—was not the sort of personality to attract a nickname. His contemporaries sometimes referred to him as "the Professor" but, for the most part, to distinguish him from two more senior and better known General Smiths in the World War II Marine Corps— Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith of famous temper and mild-mannered Julian C. Smith of Tarawa— he was known by his initials "O. P."
Across the Taebaek (Nangnim) Mountains, the Eighth Army, under Lieutenant General Walton H. Walker, was advancing up the west coast of the Korean peninsula. Walker, a short, stubby man, was "Johnnie" to his friends, "Bulldog" to the press. In World War II he had commanded XX Corps in General George S. Patton's Third Army and had been a Patton favorite. But these credentials held little weight with General Douglas MacArthur. He had come close to relieving Walker in August during the worst of the situation in the Pusan Perimeter. Relations between Almond and Walker were cool at best.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The race to the Yalu was on. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's strategic triumph at Inchon and the subsequent breakout of the U.S. Eighth Army from the Pusan Perimeter and the recapture of Seoul had changed the direction of the war. Only the finishing touches needed to be done to complete the destruction of the North Korean People's Army. Moving up the east coast was the independent X Corps, commanded by Major General Edward M. Almond, USA. The 1st Marine Division, under Major General Oliver P. Smith, was part of X Corps and had been so since the 15 September 1950 landing at Inchon.

After Seoul the 1st Marine Division had reloaded into its amphibious ships and had swung around the Korean peninsula to land at Wonsan on the east coast. The landing on 26 October 1950 met no opposition; the port had been taken from the land side by the resurgent South Korean army. The date was General Smith's 57th birthday, but he let it pass unnoticed. Two days later he ordered Colonel Homer L. Litzenberg, Jr., 47, to move his 7th Marine Regimental Combat Team north from Wonsan to Hamhung. Smith was then to prepare for an advance to the Manchurian border, 135 miles distant. And so began one of the Marine Corps' greatest battles—or, as the Corps would call it, the "Chosin Reservoir Campaign." The Marines called it the "Chosin" Reservoir because that is what their Japanese-based maps called it. The South Koreans, nationalistic sensibilities disturbed, preferred—and, indeed, would come to insist—that it be called the "Changjin" Reservoir.

General Smith, commander of the Marines—a quiet man and inveterate pipe-smoker (his favorite brand of tobacco was Sir Walter Raleigh)—was not the sort of personality to attract a nickname. His contemporaries sometimes referred to him as "the Professor" but, for the most part, to distinguish him from two more senior and better known General Smiths in the World War II Marine Corps— Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith of famous temper and mild-mannered Julian C. Smith of Tarawa— he was known by his initials "O. P."
Across the Taebaek (Nangnim) Mountains, the Eighth Army, under Lieutenant General Walton H. Walker, was advancing up the west coast of the Korean peninsula. Walker, a short, stubby man, was "Johnnie" to his friends, "Bulldog" to the press. In World War II he had commanded XX Corps in General George S. Patton's Third Army and had been a Patton favorite. But these credentials held little weight with General Douglas MacArthur. He had come close to relieving Walker in August during the worst of the situation in the Pusan Perimeter. Relations between Almond and Walker were cool at best.

More books from Progressive Management

Cover of the book 21st Century U.S. Military Manuals: U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Rifle Marksmanship Marine Corps Reference Publication (MCRP) 3-01A by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Ebola Guide: Infection Control for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) in the African Health Care Setting (including Lassa Fever, Rift Valley Fever, Ebola, Marburg, Yellow Fever) - Isolation Precautions by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Red Is Good: Transformational Changes for U.S. Air Force Aircraft Maintenance - Culture Change and Transformation, Metrics, Goal Setting, Toyota Production System, Enterprise Level by Progressive Management
Cover of the book The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa'ida: Afghan Insurgents, Taliban, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Mullah Omar, Waziristan, U.S.-Pakistan Relations by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century Complete Guide to the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST), U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - Commercial, Seabed Ocean Mining, Maritime Rights, and Military Implications by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Deception, Disinformation, and Strategic Communications: How One Interagency Group Made a Major Difference - Cold War, COINTELPRO, CHAOS, Reagan, Soviet Active Measures, KGB, Gorbachev by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Locating Air Force Base Sites: History's Legacy - Comprehensive Updated Reference on Air Force Basing History and Issues, Site Selection, BRAC Commissions, From the Army Air Corps to the War on Terror by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century Guide to Carbon Sequestration: Capture and Storage to Fight Global Warming and Control Greenhouse Gases, Carbon Dioxide, Coal Power, Technology Roadmap and Program Plan by Progressive Management
Cover of the book A Contemporary History of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps: Vietnam War Aftermath, Gender and Minority Issues, Humanitarian Relief, Refugee Operations, Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm, Somalia, Yugoslavia by Progressive Management
Cover of the book FBI Hate Crime Data Collection Guidelines and Training Manual: Criteria and Definitions, Scenarios of Bias Motivation, Race, Religion, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Disability, Gender by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative - President George H. W. Bush, Quayle, Truly, NASA's 90-Day Study, Washington Space Policy Power Struggle over the Moon - Mars Program by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Commander's Guide to Support Operations Among Weaponized Displaced Persons, Refugees, and Evacuees, Purposeful Introduction of Biologically Infected Persons or CBRNE Casualties, WMD Threat at Camps by Progressive Management
Cover of the book History of the U.S. Army Engineer Nuclear Cratering Group: Project Plowshare, Nuclear Canal Excavation, Nuclear Construction, Quarrying, Ejecta Dam, Harbor Excavation, Atlantic-Pacific Canal Study by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Challenging the United States Symmetrically and Asymmetrically: Can America be Defeated? Technology, Myth of Blitzkrieg, Terrorism by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Cyberspace Command and Control Model: The Nature of Cyberspace, Computer Networks, Information Environment, Internet, Data Manipulation, Legal Authorities, Cyber Attack, Cybernetics, Systems Theory by Progressive Management
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy