After many years of research and writing, I have completed a book—not The Paladin Curse, a
novel written with Erika Holzer, which I announced earlier this week—but one which
will not be of interest to most readers in general, nor most of those
who receive this occasional blog.
The book’s title is UNJUST
BLAME? The Korean War, the Chinese Intervention, and Douglas MacArthur.
I am pleased to reproduce
the Table of Contents, and several of the Introduction’s opening
paragraphs:
CONTENTS
Part I: The North
Korean Invasion
1. World War II
2. From the end of one war, to
the eve of another
3. Writing off Korea
4. Stalin, Mao, Kim—and Korea
5. Republic of Korea Army vs.
North Korea People’s Army
6. The North Korean invasion
Part II: The Chinese
Intervention
7. MacArthur’s Rubicon: The 38th Parallel
8. Eighth Army, X Corps, and
the Chinese “First Phase Offensive”
9. The Chinese “Second Phase
Offensive”: Part I
10. The Chinese “Second Phase
Offensive”: Part II
11. Attacking in another direction
12. Assessing the blame
Conclusion Notes INTRODUCTION
This book is about the blame that
for over a three-quarters century has been heaped on General of the Army
Douglas MacArthur for the Chinese Communist intervention in the Korean War
during October-November 1950, resulting in X Corps and Eighth Army being driven
south from the vicinity of the Yalu River to the line of the 38th Parallel.
The argument of
this book is that blaming MacArthur is unjust because
American civilian and military
authorities—organizations—had failed
to: (1) Learn, that from the Chinese
perspective, the Communists had compelling reasons
to intervene; (2) Anticipate, that because of those reasons, and the way the Chinese would have to
fight, their intervention needed to be on a massive scale, and (3) Adapt, American forces’ response to the Chinese strategy and tactics. The result was an
organizationally-caused military misfortune. Disastrous in many respects, yes.
But not the fault of any one man, let alone General of the Army Douglas
MacArthur.
**********
If any of the recipients of
today’s blog are acquainted with a veteran who served in Korea between June
1950 and July 1953, or with some military history buffs, I would
appreciate your sending them this announcement.
The entire book is on my website—www.henrymarkholzer.com—and
this link should take an interested reader to it: click hereThe book is 167 pages, and offered at no charge.
posted by Henry Mark Holzer at 5:46 PM on Sep 21, 2020
"UNJUST BLAME? The Korean War, The Chinese Intervention, and Douglas MacArthur"
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