Rating: 
Summary: HEARTBREAKING . . . AND DISTURBING
Review: This is an excellent starting point for a study of the Korean War (but certainly not a "sole source.") I grew up during the Viet Nam era and remember questioning how our government and military could have been so incompetent -- how so many lives could have been wasted for no apparent gain.I purchased Max Hastings' book after realizing that I knew very little about the Korean Was (except what I had read in William Manchester's "American Caesar" or in the biograpies of Harry S Truman by David McCullough and Alonzo Hamby). After reading this work, I now find it difficult to understand how the US government could NOT have looked back on this first attempt at a "limited war" and their total misunderstanding of Asian cultures and avoided Viet Nam altogether. Why did I find this book heartbreaking? The descriptions of the humiliating collapse and retreats of the US Army -- only five years after victory in WWII. Why disturbing? Why has this war been "forgotten"? How could the lessons learned here not be applied to Viet Nam? Why has it taken so long for veterans of this conflict to receive (belated) recognition? And just how close did the US come to using nuclear weapons?
Rating:
Summary: An interesting look at the war
Review: This is the only book I have read on the Korean War. Another reviewer has suggested that this book is best viewed as a supplement to other, larger works. However, from the point of view of a novice, I found this book to be illuminating and interesting in its own right. To me, this was an even-handed account of the war, trying to give at least some rationale to the actions of all the countries involved , including the Chinese (I was naturally disappointed, being Canadian, about the lack of information on our troops, but it was a relatively small complement). All in all, I would call this an interesting analysis on this "forgotten" war. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting look at the war
Review: This is the only book I have read on the Korean War. Another reviewer has suggested that this book is best viewed as a supplement to other, larger works. However, from the point of view of a novice, I found this book to be illuminating and interesting in its own right. To me, this was an even-handed account of the war, trying to give at least some rationale to the actions of all the countries involved , including the Chinese (I was naturally disappointed, being Canadian, about the lack of information on our troops, but it was a relatively small complement). All in all, I would call this an interesting analysis on this "forgotten" war. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Historical perspective from a coalition partner
Review: Thoroughly enjoyed reading a British version of the political and military events leading to the UN mission in Korea. Understandably long on detail regarding the British brigade and the Commonwealth division, this twenty-year-old history provides useful insights into the motivations and concerns of a "junior partner" in coalition warfare (a la Operation Iraqi Freedom). Organized chronologically, this history explores general themes in each chapter (command structure, readiness, prisoners of war, etc.). This tends to make it an occasionally repetitious but still worthwhile read.
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