Review by Booklist Review
A superb history of Communist China's intervention in the Korean war, written by the author of A Glorious Way to Die [BKL O 15 81]. Spurr's account of this episode, which resulted in what he characterizes as an "undeclared war" against the U.S., covers a six-month period in 1950-51, when the Chinese achieved their most dramatic victories and suffered their most grievous defeats. Though his point of view is Chinese, his reporting is admirably objective: for instance, he doesn't hesitate to criticize the Chinese government's arrogance and ignorance in committing its ill-equipped troops to fight against the technologically mighty United Nations forces. Nor does he fail to scorn the blundering ~MacArthur, or praise Matthew Ridgeway as an underrated military genius. In addition, his descriptions of the actual fighting are bracingly rendered. Unfortunately, his objectivity occasionally shades into a relativistic outlook that puts the U.S. and China on an equal moral footing. (Which hardly seems appropriate, given recent events in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.) Appendix, bibliography; index. --Steve Weingartner
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Spurr covered the last 14 months of the Korean War for the London Daily Express and later served as chief correspondent for the Far East Economic Review. Here he describes the first six months of the war from the Chinese political, diplomatic and military perspective, balanced against American and British views of events. There's a wealth of new material that will be of interest to students of the so-called Forgotten War, including revelations about Peng Dehuai, commander of Chinese forces and later the most prominent military victim of the Cultural Revolution, the motives behind the Chinese intervention, the Hate America campaign, tactics in the field. Unfortunately, the author provides vague information on sources, and there are no footnotes. This, along with his lavish use of popular-historical ``atmospheric detail'' calls into question the credibility of the text. Illustrations. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
$22.95. hist An expert on China and Korea, Spurr has written an account of the Korean War from the Communist viewpoint. His unique opportunity to use Chinese and North Korean archives and his interviews with many participants, from privates to generals, give the work a reality not found in comparable books. Like the United States, China was a reluctant participant in the Korean War: just recovering from an eight-year war against the Japanese and a brutal civil war, it faced an economy in ruins and an army in need of rest and re-equipping. Spurr offers an invaluable explanation of why China fought in Korea and why it fought as it did. Essential. Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, N.Y. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A ground-breaking reconstruction that offers a wealth of fresh detail on the circumstances of China's involvement in the Korean War through the stalemate that developed in mid-1951. A veteran Far Eastern correspondent, Spurt (A Glorious Way to Die, 1981) was able to call on contacts and colleagues throughout Asia to provide Chinese as well as Western viewpoints on a turning point in the conflict (which he covered for London's Daily Express). The so-called people's Liberation Army first crossed the Yalu River, which separates their country from North Korea, in October of 1950. The PLA's massive intervention, however, was not detected until nearly six week later. Indeed, American field commanders approaching the Chinese border believed they were in the final stage of a home-by Christmas offensive. Instead, the interlopers had utterly routed the UN forces by the start of 1951, forcing them to retreat back down the peninsula toward the sea. Following these initial victories, the Chinese became as unrealistically euphoric as their adversaries had been in the fall. Better-equipped UN troops fell back to defensible positions, then counterattacked. By the end of March, they had recaptured Seoul and pushed the overextended PLA (which suffered appalling casualties) back across the 38th Parallel. There are few heroes in Spurr's gripping narrative, ""which highlights more mistakes than masterstrokes."" He nonetheless had high praise for Gen. Matthew Ridgeway and his principal opponent, Peng Duhuai (later, a victim of the Cultural Revolution). Having interviewed PLA survivors whose ranks range from runners through staff officers, the author is an adept at putting small-unit combat action into human-scale focus as he is at delivering big-picture perspectives. Contrary to contemporary perceptions, for example, Spurr found that the Communist rulers of China, enervated by their own civil strife, were reluctant dragons; even so, they felt obliged to commit outgunned troops to avert the conquest of a friendly buffer state on the Manchurian border. Military history of a very high order. The engrossing text includes 40 photographs and a half-dozen maps (not seen). Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
