Book Review of
The U.S. Marine Corps in the Korean War
Rare Photos from Wartime Archives
Author: Michael Green
Pen & Sword Books
Images of War Series
Images of War Series
ISBN: 9781526785376
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $24.95
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $24.95
HISTORY:
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean Army invaded South Korea. Among the U.S. forces sent to South Korea was the 1st Marine Division. In September 1950, the Division audaciously landed deep behind enemy lines at Inchon port, throwing the North Korean Army into disarray.
In November 1950, the Chinese Army invaded North Korea with 8 divisions tasked with the destruction of the 1st Marine Division at the Chosin Reservoir. The Marines made a 78 mile fighting withdrawal in arctic conditions before being evacuated by the U.S. Navy.
In February 1951, the 1st Marine Division returned to combat-assisting the Eighth U.S. Army to repulse the Chinese Army offensives over four months. By November 1951, the large scale back and forth offensive operations by the opposing sides had ended, replaced by a stalemate which lasted until the 27th of July 1953 armistice.
The bitter three-year conflict accounted for the death of 4,267 Marines, with another 23,744 wounded.
In Classic Images of War style, expert author Michael Green describes the Marine Corp’s outstanding contribution , organization, tactics, fighting doctrine and weapons.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 824 pages in 7 ½” x 9 ¾” page format.
Including the covers, there are 205 black and white photos.
Inside the book there are 15 maps, 6 illustrations and 20 pages that say NOTES at the top and are otherwise blank, for readers to write in.
Photos of tanks include:
Three of a Soviet T-34/85, a Soviet SU-76M, a U.S. M-8, a U.S. M-24 eight-track, two of a U.S. M-4 “Sherman”, 10 of a U.S. M-26 “Pershing” medium tank, 2 of a U.S. M4A3, a M32A1B3 armored recovery vehicle, a Soviet ZIS-3 model 1943, a U.S. M4A3 “Sherman”, 4 of a U.S. LVT(A)-4, a U.S. LVT-5, a U.S. LVT-3, a U.S. LVT-3C, a U.S. M-4 with flame-thrower, a U.S. M16A1 A.A. half-track, a U.S. M-40 S.P. gun tank, a U.S. M4A2, a U.S. M4A1 medium tank, a U.S. M4A3(76), 2 of a U.S. M-46 “Patton”, a Soviet T-34-85,a U.S. M-18m a U.S. tractor, 2 of a U.S. stake-sided truck – one is next to 3 dead bodies, a U.S. bulldozer and a Soviet BA-64 armored car.
People shown are:
N. Korean Premier Kim-IL-Sung, 4 photo of S. Korean soldiers (one shown dead), U.S. President Harry Truman, 4 photos of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, 9 of U.S. Marine officers, a U.S. Marine’s mortar team, 2 photos of captured N. Korean soldiers, dead S. Korean civilians, 2 of a U.S. Navy sailor with depth-charges, N. Korean soldiers (one dead one), 3 photos of U.S. medics, captured N. Korean soldiers, photo of U.S. Marine in ditch fighting with rifle, a S. Korean M.P., men sitting at the Peace table, 2 of a U.S. Marine pilot, a U.S. Marine holding a large captured photo of Stalin, U.S. Marines helping a wounded man, U.S. Marines climbing down a net off of a ship and 68 photos of U.S.Marines, U.S. pilots and U.S. Seals in a rubber raft.
Weapons shown are:
Two of a M1/M1A1 2.35in rocket launcher, 2 of a M1O1A1 105mm howitzer, a M-1 57mm anti-tank gun, 2 of a M-20 3.5in rocket launcher, a 105mm howitzer, a 155mm howitzer, a Soviet 45mm model 1942 anti-tank gun, a flame-thrower, a Soviet 85mm model 1943 anti-aircraft gun, a Soviet M-37 82mm mortar, 2 of a bazooka, a N. Korean 12.3mm machine gun, a N. Korean ZIS-3 model 1942 76mm gun, a N. Korean model 1927 gun, a Soviet PPSH 1941 sub-machine gun, a N. Korean 122mm M1931/37 (A-19) howitzer, a N. Korean 152mm howitzer (D-1), U.S. 30 caliber and 50 caliber machine guns, 2 of a U.S. T66 rocket launcher and a U.S. 90mm howitzer.
Photos of aircraft are:
A “Skymaster” transport, 11 of a F4U-4B “Corsair”, a F4F-3N “Tigercat”, 4 of a HO35-1 helicopter, an OY-2 “Sentinel”, a Soviet IL-2 “Stormovik”, an “Avenger”, a F9F “Panther” jet fighter, a HRS-1 helicopter, a HO3-5 helicopter, a F7F “Tigercat”, a RSD2 transport and a F2H-2P.
Ships shown are:
The U.S.S. Badoeng Aircraft carrier, 2 of a U.S. assault-cargo ship, the U.S.S. Rochester cruiser, 3 of landing barges, a U.S. Navy mine-sweeper, a U.S. destroyer, ships at Hungnam.
Other odd black and white photos are of:
An aerial photo of the bombing of Inchon, the city of Wonsan on fire, 2 of explosions (one is an illustration), a building at the Port of Hungnam, the Panmunjom Peace-talk Village, a map and a U.S. AN/MPO-14 ground-directing radar.
Inserted into the book is a post card to use to get more information about Pen & Sword books from them.
This book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books for this review sample.
All Pen and Sword book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean Army invaded South Korea. Among the U.S. forces sent to South Korea was the 1st Marine Division. In September 1950, the Division audaciously landed deep behind enemy lines at Inchon port, throwing the North Korean Army into disarray.
In November 1950, the Chinese Army invaded North Korea with 8 divisions tasked with the destruction of the 1st Marine Division at the Chosin Reservoir. The Marines made a 78 mile fighting withdrawal in arctic conditions before being evacuated by the U.S. Navy.
In February 1951, the 1st Marine Division returned to combat-assisting the Eighth U.S. Army to repulse the Chinese Army offensives over four months. By November 1951, the large scale back and forth offensive operations by the opposing sides had ended, replaced by a stalemate which lasted until the 27th of July 1953 armistice.
The bitter three-year conflict accounted for the death of 4,267 Marines, with another 23,744 wounded.
In Classic Images of War style, expert author Michael Green describes the Marine Corp’s outstanding contribution , organization, tactics, fighting doctrine and weapons.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 824 pages in 7 ½” x 9 ¾” page format.
Including the covers, there are 205 black and white photos.
Inside the book there are 15 maps, 6 illustrations and 20 pages that say NOTES at the top and are otherwise blank, for readers to write in.
Photos of tanks include:
Three of a Soviet T-34/85, a Soviet SU-76M, a U.S. M-8, a U.S. M-24 eight-track, two of a U.S. M-4 “Sherman”, 10 of a U.S. M-26 “Pershing” medium tank, 2 of a U.S. M4A3, a M32A1B3 armored recovery vehicle, a Soviet ZIS-3 model 1943, a U.S. M4A3 “Sherman”, 4 of a U.S. LVT(A)-4, a U.S. LVT-5, a U.S. LVT-3, a U.S. LVT-3C, a U.S. M-4 with flame-thrower, a U.S. M16A1 A.A. half-track, a U.S. M-40 S.P. gun tank, a U.S. M4A2, a U.S. M4A1 medium tank, a U.S. M4A3(76), 2 of a U.S. M-46 “Patton”, a Soviet T-34-85,a U.S. M-18m a U.S. tractor, 2 of a U.S. stake-sided truck – one is next to 3 dead bodies, a U.S. bulldozer and a Soviet BA-64 armored car.
People shown are:
N. Korean Premier Kim-IL-Sung, 4 photo of S. Korean soldiers (one shown dead), U.S. President Harry Truman, 4 photos of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, 9 of U.S. Marine officers, a U.S. Marine’s mortar team, 2 photos of captured N. Korean soldiers, dead S. Korean civilians, 2 of a U.S. Navy sailor with depth-charges, N. Korean soldiers (one dead one), 3 photos of U.S. medics, captured N. Korean soldiers, photo of U.S. Marine in ditch fighting with rifle, a S. Korean M.P., men sitting at the Peace table, 2 of a U.S. Marine pilot, a U.S. Marine holding a large captured photo of Stalin, U.S. Marines helping a wounded man, U.S. Marines climbing down a net off of a ship and 68 photos of U.S.Marines, U.S. pilots and U.S. Seals in a rubber raft.
Weapons shown are:
Two of a M1/M1A1 2.35in rocket launcher, 2 of a M1O1A1 105mm howitzer, a M-1 57mm anti-tank gun, 2 of a M-20 3.5in rocket launcher, a 105mm howitzer, a 155mm howitzer, a Soviet 45mm model 1942 anti-tank gun, a flame-thrower, a Soviet 85mm model 1943 anti-aircraft gun, a Soviet M-37 82mm mortar, 2 of a bazooka, a N. Korean 12.3mm machine gun, a N. Korean ZIS-3 model 1942 76mm gun, a N. Korean model 1927 gun, a Soviet PPSH 1941 sub-machine gun, a N. Korean 122mm M1931/37 (A-19) howitzer, a N. Korean 152mm howitzer (D-1), U.S. 30 caliber and 50 caliber machine guns, 2 of a U.S. T66 rocket launcher and a U.S. 90mm howitzer.
Photos of aircraft are:
A “Skymaster” transport, 11 of a F4U-4B “Corsair”, a F4F-3N “Tigercat”, 4 of a HO35-1 helicopter, an OY-2 “Sentinel”, a Soviet IL-2 “Stormovik”, an “Avenger”, a F9F “Panther” jet fighter, a HRS-1 helicopter, a HO3-5 helicopter, a F7F “Tigercat”, a RSD2 transport and a F2H-2P.
Ships shown are:
The U.S.S. Badoeng Aircraft carrier, 2 of a U.S. assault-cargo ship, the U.S.S. Rochester cruiser, 3 of landing barges, a U.S. Navy mine-sweeper, a U.S. destroyer, ships at Hungnam.
Other odd black and white photos are of:
An aerial photo of the bombing of Inchon, the city of Wonsan on fire, 2 of explosions (one is an illustration), a building at the Port of Hungnam, the Panmunjom Peace-talk Village, a map and a U.S. AN/MPO-14 ground-directing radar.
Inserted into the book is a post card to use to get more information about Pen & Sword books from them.
This book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books for this review sample.
All Pen and Sword book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
Highly recommended.