Quote:
Originally Posted by krashkart
Recently got a hankering for some history on the Korean War, so picked up a copy of The Korean War 1950-1953 by Brian Catchpole (ISBN 978-1-84901-547-9). I don't really intend to review the book at great length, but since I had never before had an interest in the war I will say that Catchpole's extensive summary filled me in on what I had ignored for so long, and left me hungering dearly for more. I was stunned time and time again by the sheer volume of losses suffered by both sides; particularly during the tenuous UN defence of (and eventual breakout from) Pusan in the early weeks of the conflict, and also during the hellish fighting that took place along what eventually became the present-day border between the two Koreas. Additionally, Catchpole endeavors to explain in his book some of the mechanisms behind public opinion at the time, which helped me understand why the Korean War is so often called the "Forgotten War". (Not so much a forgotten war as it was a war that took place when the world was still winding down from WWII. )
As a newcomer to this chapter of military history I feel that this book really opened my eyes to a war that had always been something of a mystery to me. Overall it left me in a sort of profound and thoughtful state of shock with even more questions in mind than answers. A well-executed book that will probably never leave my collection; I highly recommend it. 
Are there any other Korean War books you guys would recommend? I think I might start a small personal library on the subject. |
There's a picture of my dad in this book: in the first group of photos he is the NAAFI truck driver Roy Williams. I have Dad's original book, which contains a letter from Brian Catchpole thanking him for the use of the photo (I've posted it probably more than once elsewhere on the forum in the past).
The ISBN no. seems to have changed; my copy was printed in 2000 by Constable, and the number in it is ISBN 0-09-480230-0