Korean War Memoirs

On 25 June, 1950, the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North launched one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last century. The seemingly limitless power of the Chinese-backed North was thrown against the ferocious firepower of the UN-backed South in a war that can be seen today as the stark prelude to Vietnam.

The Korean War was a 20th Century conflict that has never ended. South Korea, a powerhouse economy and dynamic democracy sits uneasily alongside North Korea, the world’s most secretive, belligerent, unpredictable and repressive totalitarian state. Today, tensions simmer and occasionally flare into outright violence on a peninsula dense with arms, munitions and nuclear warheads. Cameron Forbes, acclaimed author of Hellfire, tells the story of the war and Australia’s involvement in it in a riveting narrative.

The Korean War, which began in 1950 and ended in 1953, is not considered one of the major wars of the 20th century. However, in reality, it was profoundly impactful on global history. As an early crisis of the Cold War, it set important precedents for how conflicts would be handled during this era. It has also shaped Korea’s history for more than half a century.

Joe Owen tells it like it was in this evocative story of a marine rifle company in the uncertain, early days of the Korean War. His powerful description of close combat in the snow-covered mountains of the Chosin Reservoir and of the survival spirit of his Marines provide a gritty real-life view of frontline warfare.As a lieutenant who was with them from first muster in California, Owen was in a unique position to see the hastily assembled mix of some 200 regulars and raw reservists harden into a superb Marine rifle company. The action and narrative move fast as the company learns to fight under enemy fire, eat frozen rations, and keep pushing forward when its wounded and dead go down.

North Korea is one of the most troubled societies on earth. The country's 24 million people live under a violent dictatorship led by a single family, which relentlessly pursues the development of nuclear arms, which periodically incites risky military clashes with the larger, richer, liberal South, and which forces each and every person to play a role in the "theater state" even as it pays little more than lip service to the wellbeing of the overwhelming majority.

Fifty years after America's involvement in the Korean War began, Richard E. Mack's memories of his time spent on the front lines are still strong and clear. A career soldier, Mack served in the U.S. Army until 1976, when he retired as a colonel. In Memoir of a Cold War Soldier, he recalls his service in front-line combat infantry units in Korea and Vietnam as a rifle platoon leader, adviser, and battalion commander. His accounts, perceptions, and observations of the military culture are incisive and candid.

Snipers in the guard towers would fire at them. North Korean patrols would shoot at them from across the MDL. The North Koreans would even cross the MDL to assault a patrol. They then hightailed it back across to avoid return fire. The rules of engagement allowed Dennis to return fire inside the DMZ. He had to cease fire once they crossed back over the MDL. There were provisions that did allow engaging combatants across the border. All that was needed was permission from higher up. By the time it took to get permission, it was too late. The North Koreans knew the firing rules that patrols had to follow. They would use them against our forces every opportunity they could.

The focus of the United States during the Cold War was to prevent the spread of communism. The soldiers who served then were the wall that protected the world from that threat. None were in harm's way more than those who patrolled inside the DMZ in Korea. This book covers the history for the years following the "Second Korean War". No longer an official combat zone, it was still one of the most dangerous places in the world. This book documents the history of the DMZ from the perspective of the soldiers who were actually there, facing that threat each day.

For 34 months, while wounded and struggling to survive in Korean War prison camps, Felix Ferranto recited the Lord's Prayer daily and dreamed of being free and with his family. Proper "attitude" and having learned enough of the Chinese language and culture during his time with the American Legation Guard in Peiping, China would be critical for his survival.