The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War

734 Pages·2007·16.29 MB·English

by  David Halberstam

The
Coldest
Winter
America and the Korean War
DAVID
HALBERSTAM
new york
For Jean, again
Contents
Glossary of Military Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
List of Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi
Note on Military Map Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
part one : A Warning at Unsan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
part two : Bleak Days: The In Min Gun Drives South . . . . . . 45
part three : Washington Goes to War . . . . . . . . . . . 87
part four : The Politics of Two Continents . . . . . . . . . . 169
part five : The Last Roll of the Dice: The North Koreans Push
to Pusan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
part six : MacArthur Turns the Tide: The Inchon Landing . . . . 291
part seven : Crossing the Parallel and Heading North . . . . . . 321
part eight : The Chinese Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
part nine : Learning to Fight the Chinese: Twin Tunnels, Wonju,
and Chipyongni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
part ten : The General and the President . . . . . . . . . . . 589
part eleven : The Consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
Author’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659
Acknowledgme.nt.s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663
ii
iii contents
Afterword by Russell Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 67
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 71
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 97
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 03
other Books by David Halberstam
Credits
Cover
Copyright
Glossary of Military Terms
Note on Military Units
The size,composition,and leadership ofmilitary units varies with time,place,
and circumstances.In the early fighting in Korea,almost every unit was always
understrength.Therefore,these numbers are approximations.
Army 100,000 soldiers
Comprised of2 or more Corps
Normally commanded by a full General
Corps 30,000 soldiers
Comprised of2 or more Divisions
Normally commanded by Lieutenant General
Division Up to 15,000 soldiers,often only 12,000 in Korea
Comprised of3 Regiments
Commanded by Major General
Regiment Up to 4,500 men,with affiliated units,such as
artillery,armored,and medical units,
included
Comprised of3 Battalions
Commanded by Colonel
Battalion 700 to 850 soldiers
Comprised of4 or more Companies
Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Company 175 to 240 soldiers
Comprised of4 Platoons
Commanded by Captain
iv
v
glossary of military terms
Platoon 45 or more soldiers
Comprised of4 Squads
Commanded by Lieutenant
Squad 10 or more soldiers
Commanded by StaffSargeant
Weapons and Artillery
M-1 Rifle A 9.5-lb.rifle,with an 8-round clip,
.30-caliber the basic American infantry weapon.
Carbine A short-barreled rifle with a 15- or 30-round clip
.30-caliber with less range and accuracy.
Browning Automatic A two-man weapon—one to feed ammunition,
Rifle,or BAR one to fire—that was both semi- and fully
.30-caliber automatic,capable offiring 500 rounds a
minute.
Machine Guns The .30-caliber machine guns were capable of
sustained fire of450 to 500 rounds a minute.
The .50-caliber gun was mounted on trucks,
tanks,and other vehicles.It fired 575 rounds
per minute to a range of2,000 yards.
Rocket Launcher The ineffective 2.36-inch launcher was
or Bazooka replaced by the 3.5-inch in 1950 even as the
2.36-inch and 3.5-inch North Koreans drove south.The new
bazooka was capable ofpenetrating thick
armor plate;it had a range ofup to 75 yards.
Infantry Mortars These front-loaded weapons fired shells at a
.60mm high angle,able to reach into valleys and
.81mm trenches,with a range of1,800 to 4,000 yards.
4.2mm
Howitzers Cannons with a range of2 to 5 miles.
105mm
155mm
8-inch
List of Maps
1. The Korean Peninsula before Hostilities, May 1950 ix
2. First Encounter with Chinese Communist Forces, November 1, 1950 25
3. The Unsan Engagement, November 1–2, 1950 29
4. The North Korean Invasion, June 25–28, 1950 57
5. Task Force Smith, July 5, 1950 146
6. Height of North Korean Advance, Late August 1950 155
7. The Pusan Perimeter, August 4, 1950 165
8. The Naktong Bulge, August 31–September 1, 1950 259
9. The Inchon Landings, September 15, 1950 308
10. The Drive to Seoul, September 16–28, 1950 312
11. UN Breakout and Invasion of North Korea 344
12. Chinese Attack at Chongchon River, on Second Division,
November 25–26, 1950 408
13. Chinese Assault on Love Company, November 25–26, 1950 413
14. The Main Chinese Campaign in the West, November 25–28, 1950 434
15. The Marine Sector, October–November 27, 1950 436
16. The Gauntlet, November 30, 1950 452
17. Breakout from Chosin Reservoir, November 27–December 9, 1950 469
18. High Tide of the Chinese Advance, January 1951 484
19. The Fight for the Central Corridor 509
20. The Twin Tunnels—Chipyongni-Wonju Area,
January–February 1951 521
21. Battle of Twin Tunnels, January 31–February 1, 1951 538
22. Battle of Chipyongni, February 13–14, 1951 562
23. McGee Hill, February 13–15, 1951 564
24. Task Force Crombez, February 14–15, 1951 569
25. The Korean Peninsula after the Cease-fire, July 27, 1953 635
vvi