East of Chosin

Entrapment and Breakout in Korea, 1950

By: Roy E. Appleman

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Roy Appleman's East of Chosin, first published in 1987, won acclaim from reviewers, readers, and veterans and their families. For the first time, there was one complete and accessible record of what happened to the army troops trapped east of the Chosin Reservoir during the first wintry blast of the Korean War. Based heavily on the author's interviews and correspondence with the survivors, East of Chosin provided some of those men with their first clue to the fate of fellow soldiers.

In November 1950, U.S. forces had pushed deep into North Korea. Unknown to them, Chinese troops well equipped for below-zero temperatures and blizzard conditions were pushing south. With the 1st Marine Division on the west side of the frozen Chosin Reservoir, the army's hastily assembled 31st Regimental Combat Team, 3,000 strong, advanced up the east side of the reservoir. Task Force Faith in the extreme northern position caught the surprise Chinese attack. With rifles and vehicles often immobilized in the cold and snow, the task force struggled to retreat through a tortuous mountain gauntlet of enemy fire. With truckloads of dead and wounded trapped along the road, a few of the 385 survivors trudged across the frozen reservoir to alert the marines to their plight.

©1987 Lt. Col. Roy E. Appleman (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A highly suspenseful account of a military catastrophe and...an inverted object lesson in field command under the worst possible conditions." ( Publishers Weekly)

the truly unbelievable and heartbreaking history.

fascinating history of our American soldiers at the beginning of the Chinese incursion into North Korea. first let me note then while listening to this story is incredible it is truly best a book that should be read. it should be read while having a map of North Korea and a yellow legal pad at hand.. there is just too much listing of various units and participants and locations to keep track of all that is discussed.

what is completely obvious is the ineptitude of the higher command in preparing for and execution of the entire Chosin Reservoir campaign. the blame must begin with general Douglas MacArthur and then filter down to his commanding generals. putting together and ill-equipped and poorly trained division blame can only be placed at the top. then not recognizing and adapting to the situations on the ground. it is sad and heartbreaking to think that so many thousands love Brave and heroic American lives we're lost because of so many command mistakes. this is a book that must be read in order to honor those that died, those that survived with horrific wounds and those that suffered at the Chosin Reservoir. the memory of these Brave Americans should never be forgotten.

a well researched account.

I served many years in the USMC. "The Frozen Chosin" was one of the many parts of Marine history used to inspire and motivate us from the time we first stood on the yellow footprints at MCRD. The story of the USA soldiers who fought in that storied battle were almost never mentioned. Many years later when I became a college student majoring in military history, I found that there were Army units there.
This is an outstanding account of the tragedy that fell upon those brave men and their leaders, especially their sacrifice which I believe enabled the USMC to conduct their fighting withdrawal and deny the Chinese Communist Forces the complete annihilation of US forces in they were seeking.
Superbly researched and well-documented. Conclusions well-supported. No study of this battle is complete, without this book.

tales of heroism during mission failure

Incredible tale of heroism during an incredibly stressful and difficult part of the war that is often downplayed or Friday. It's nice to hear the true story from the people who lived it, rather than the Marine version of the Army's actions east of Chosin.

East of Chosin.

This is the definitive account of U.S. Army units East of the Chosin Reservoir in the last days of November 1950. It reads like a Greek tragedy. Men placed in an exposed position and abandoned or sacrificed, probably both. It also reads as a detective story in trying to find out who in the command structure was responsible for this disaster in American arms. Highly recommended.

Korea, 1950: Army’s 31 RCT’s performance at Chosin

Narration is well done.

The conscientious author lauds the army’s 31 Regimental Combat Team’s (RCT) brave performance when retreating from the Chosin Reservoir: Korea, 1950.

It is high time the army is credited for its magnificent performance, thereby countervailing the Marines’ maligning of the army’s role. Not giving deserved credit; in fact, maligning them instead, is dreadfully uncharitable. This is blatant inter-service bullying, and must be stopped.

BTW, Contrary to Marine propaganda, the army also fought bravely and competently in the Western Pacific New Guinea, Buna, Rabaul, Philippines, Okinawa, etc.) It is myth and disservice to the soldiers to have maligned the army’s contributions.

The Marines fought magnificently during all our conflicts (Tarawa,, Saipan, Wake Island, Saipan, Okinawa, etc.), but that does not entitle them to be lionized at the expense of maligning the army.

Jr. Officer Professional Development - Must Read

As I am aware that I am writing this review for many Junior officers who seek personal professional development... this book is best listen to while following along with the actual hard copy.

There are so many lessons to be learned from this book. For me I think that the lack of communication on the battlefield is telling to the ultimate results. Furthermore, you will find that there are lapses in common sense leadership, but consider the time period wherein communication and decisions made by higher command experienced significant time lag.

It is a shame that this battle is unknown to many Americans. Learn from it! Don't repeat the same mistakes.

The chaos of war

A forgotten story from a forgotten war. The the failures of leadership , of command but also the victory of the human spirit.

pretty good

Butchered the Korean language though. You really need a map in front of you to follow along also.

A true story of amazing bravery and amazing errors

First the small negative - includes extremely technical maneuvers
Now the positives - the authors does a great job of researching the actions of the Army units east of Chosin
- wonderful depth of research
- a moving, factual account
- insightful analysis
- and more

The Best First Hand Account of Chosin

Extremely thorough and factual account of the events prior to and during the battle east of Chosin Reservoir. Having been in the army and stationed in Korea I could empathize with the experiences dealt with in this book.