Rating: 
Summary: exceptionally revealing
Review: I read this book and was completely amazed. After living in South Korea for 5 years as an English Teacher this book really opened my eyes. This book is highly recommended. It is the best thing to a time machine for anyone that wants to learn about the "police action". For those that are big McArthur fans as I once was this book prvides insights that needs to be studied further. Afterall maybe Truman was not wrong in replacing him. What surprised me the most were the diary accounts concerning the army's performance. Again something worth looking into more for those that are history lovers.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book about the Korean War
Review: "Breakout The Chosin Reservoir Campaign Korea 1950" is one of the best books about war that I've read. I think that the Marines fought well and with amazingly high morale under the circumstances. It is amazing what 13,000 of them did to 60,000 Chinese troops. A must read for any history buff!
Rating:
Summary: An unforgetable tale of war.
Review: While Mr. Russ' account of the Chosin Reservoir campaign has been attacked by those that back the account of the U.S.Army, what is truly at the heart of this history, is how ANYONE came out of there alive. This is truly the very best account of what it is like to fight for survival against both the weather and a very large foe. As hard as it is to believe, the weather actually allowed many American soldiers to live. This is a wonderful/horrible account of what happened in the winter of 1950 in North Korea. This campaign may actually have prevented WWIII. Prior to this campaign, the Communist Chinese felt that the U.S. was a force that could be beaten. The learned otherwise due to the sacrifice of many of our neighbors in this battle.
Rating: 
Summary: Review From One Who Was There!
Review: This was a very good book about the Chosin campaign. I fought in this battle and also have written a book (1963), long out of print: "Rendezvous With Hell." The Chosin Reservoir campaign was one rough campaign. The severe cold was terrible (worst in 100 years). Yes, I agree with the author of this book: the US Army fools in high places caused this fiasco and should have been held accountable. This was a very good book!
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Summary: A thrilling tale of the courage of US Marines
Review: This book was particularly interesting to me as I served for 2 years in the 1st Marine Division in the late '50's and was privilged to serve under several of the officers mentioned in the book. It is hard to explain to non Marines what it means to be a U.S. Marine. If I was attempting to that, I would ask the person to read this book. The author contrasts the training, morale, and leadership of the Marines and U.S. Army units they served with under the worst battle conditions one can imagine. While I believe the author was biased because he is a former Marine, I have read other accounts written by former Army officers of this campaign which substantiate much of his account. In a day when commitment to an ideal means so little, this book takes us back to a time when men gave their lives for what they belived and they belived in each other.
Rating: 
Summary: What an agonizing time.
Review: Between the tactics of the North Koreans which lost thousands of their troops, and the mistakes of the Americans, this is a disaster which should be taught at military college. What a mess. The author has done heroic research, and the book is a good one, but overwelmed by the event. It could use more maps. This book is great if you either know about the war, or have patience, but not if you don't have either. The best thing about the book is that it immortalizes the memory, at least for a generation or two, of brave and wasted men on both sides.
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Summary: Best combat yarn I've ever read
Review: Martin Russ was a marine rifleman in a later year of the Korean War, and his combat journal "The Last Parallel" is a magnificent portrayal of the stalemate at the 38th parallel. Now he's gone back to celebrate the marines who fought at "frozen Chosin in the freezin' season" of 1950. The result is the finest piece of military history I've ever read. Many times my eyes teared up at the bravery, tenacity, and humanity of those men. (I particularly liked the guy who had to be marched onto the troopship between two SPs, having been released from the brig to fight in Korea, and whose life eventually ended in a shootout with the police. But meanwhile he fought at Chosin, and he was magnificent.)The campaign began on Thanksgiving Day, when the Chinese appeared in force at Chosin, and ended about two weeks later when the marines walked into Hungnam, where ships were waiting to evacuate them. The distance was 78 miles. In that narrow space, 10,000 marines fought their way through an estimated 120,000 Chinese soldiers, losing about half their number to capture, death, wounds, and frostbite. Temperatures were routinely below zero, even without accounting for wind chill. Men were bayoneted or beaten to death in their sleeping bags, because the zippers had frozen and rifles wouldn't fire. More than once, a squad of Chinese and a squad of marines passed each other without admitting the others' presence, too beaten to fight. Other times, the Chinese swamped marine positions in what became known as "human wave" attacks. It was a magnificent moment in marine history, and this is a stunning book.
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Summary: Heroism from the "Forgotten War"
Review: The Korean Conflict is truly America's "Forgotten War", but with the 50th anniversary of its beginning now upon us, the books are beginning to arrive on the shelves telling its story. This particular book concentrates on the Chosin Reservoir campaign, and the story of the Marine "breakout". It is a tale of ineptitude on the part of the high command, and almost unbelieveable bravery on the part of the average fighting man. Any reader will be profoundly moved by the stories in this work, and amazed that these men survived what was considered, at the time, an encirclement that would only result in their surrender. At times inartfully written, and occasionally confusing (better maps might have helped), this book is a stirring tribute to the unconquerable spirit of the American fighting man at the middle of the 20th century.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the read.
Review: Excellent book for post Korean War generations to understand how militarily difficult the Korean War "really" was. The limitations of leadership on both the American and the Chinese sides was excaerbated by the severe weather and terrain during the climax of the UN drive to the north. In light of the common experiences between the Chinese and Americans during WWII, it is still hard to understand why the two peoples ended up fighting each other in frozen Korea. And from a western perspective, it is equally hard to comprehend the slaughter of the Chinese troops by its government and leadership. One area that became a nuisance was the constant rehash of how great the Marine Corps fighting powers were in comparison to other UN military units. A good book and must read for the military history person.
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Summary: Not the whole story
Review: the author has skillfully brought together most of the Reservoir campaign which makes for very interesting reading. Unfortunately, his sophomoric remarks about the Army makes a reader question his ability to view this subject objectively. There was a hint of this in his first book, but it has become more acid over the years. I would still recommend this book, but suggest that for those readers confused as to the Army's role at the Reservoir, check out Appendix A of Appleman's East of Chosin.
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