U.S. Marines in Korea, Vol. 1 - 1952

In 1952, overriding political objectives forced UN forces to abandon the pursuit of decisive victory in Korea. Lee Ballenger's The Outpost War tells the story of the 1st Marine Division's move to the Jamestown Line in western Korea where these assault-trained troops were ordered to dig in and learn to fight an unusual defensive war. The Marines defended lonely outposts in a no-man's-land and valiantly fought Chinese and North Korean troops in fierce small-unit engagements during which 7,800 Marines became casualties. The book describes the Marines' steep and deadly learning curve and includes reports on major battles of the period, such as Bunker Hill and The Hook. The author's use of official archival sources blended with first-person oral accounts places the reader on the battle line with the Marines. Nearly all of the material in The Outpost War is published here for the first time.