The Cold War series has become very popular because it tells the stories of very important events that are still under-told. The familiar format of lavish illustration with rare images is followed again, producing a vivid picture of what is arguably the greatest battle since World War II – Most Highly Recommended.
NAME: Cold War 1945-1991, Inchon Landing, MacArthur's Korean War Masterstroke September 1950 FILE: R2954 AUTHOR: Gerry van Tonder PUBLISHER: Pen and Sword BINDING: soft back PRICE: £14.99 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: Cold War, USSR, CPR, domino theory, United Nations, clash of ideologies, amphibious landing
ISBN: 1-52675-696-X
IMAGE: B2954.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/y5dqgnjj LINKS: DESCRIPTION: The Cold War series has become very popular because it tells the stories of very important events that are still under-told. The familiar format of lavish illustration with rare images is followed again, producing a vivid picture of what is arguably the greatest battle since World War II – Most Highly Recommended. The Cold War story has been under-told for a cocktail of reasons even though it has shaped the modern world and become responsible for conflict continuing beyond its end. One factor in the presentation of this history is that it came after the Second World War and there was a growing flood of books, magazines, films and television drama about WWII. There was not a lot of available space for completely new material beyond WWII. Another factor was that material has remained classified because it has implications to much later activities. Then there is the fact that this was the first United Nations war that involved a complex mix of nations, fighting a bloody war on the other side of the world, where WWII seemed much more clear cut with strong nationalistic factors and the enemy cast as the evil empire. Korea was not only a battle between two groups of Koreans that was sucking in more countries, but it is a war that has never been ended by a Peace Treaty. When the North Koreans swept over the border, their advance was rapid, defence spasmodic and every prospect that it would be a lightning war with the invaders victorious. The US had not prepared well and its troops were flung back into the Great Bug Out which is perhaps a kinder description of what was a rabble, routed. From that very ignominious start, the US bounced back through the masterstroke of controversial US commander MacArthur, in launching a counter attack in the form of an amphibious landing at Inch'on, which was not the most favourable beach to land on. The story has been told well following on from the first two volumes dealing with the North Korean invasion and drive South. The illustration is excellent. Given the island hopping program against Japan and the landings in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy, it is easy to assume the planning for Inch'on was an automatic process but this underestimates the enthusiasm with which politicians started spending the 'peace dividend' in the years following 1945. MacArthur had many, mainly internal and political, challenges to overcome before the first boots landed on the enemy shore.