The Forgotten War: America in Korea, 1950-1953

by Clay Blair Jr.

"The Forgotten War captures the intensity of the conflict through the eyes of senior officers, explaining defeats and victories from the perspective of the U.S. battalion, regiment, and division commanders responsible for the war's progress. As a collective portrait of the American officer corps at war, the book is uniquely valuable." Highly critical of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's leadership during the period, Blair also takes President Truman to task for his misjudgments and occasionally faults the conduct of corps and division commanders while offering unstinting praise for Gen. Matthew Ridgway's turnaround of a demoralized field army. This day-by-day, unit-by-unit account of what went on provides details unmatched in other books on the subject.

Genres: History, Military History, War, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Asia, American History

1152 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1987

About the author

Clay Blair, Jr. was an American historian, best known for his books on military history. Born in Lexington, Virginia, he served on the fleet submarine Guardfish (SS-217) in World War II and later wrote for Time and Life magazines before becoming editor-in-chief of The Saturday Evening Post. He assisted General Omar Bradley in the writing of his autobiography, A General's Life (1983), published after the general's death. Blair wrote two dozen history books and hundreds of magazine articles that reached a popular audience. His last book was Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted, 1942–1945 (1998), which followed Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters, 1939–1942 (1996).

Blair's history of the Korean War The Forgotten War: America in Korea, 1950–1953 (1987) is considered one of the definitive historical works on the war. His work was notable for his criticism of senior American political and military leaders. Blair criticizes President Harry S. Truman and his Secretary of Defense, Louis A. Johnson, for failing to maintain the military's readiness in the years immediately following World War II. His history, while comprehensive, primarily employs a top-down perspective, with less emphasis on individual soldiers than on larger operational issues and the perspectives of general and field-grade officers. He has also been criticized by some historians for not making sufficient use of Communist sources.

Blair also wrote extensively on the submarine war of World War II, notably in the bestselling Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan (1975), considered the definitive work on the Pacific submarine war.

Blair was married for many years to Joan Blair, who co-wrote some of his books. Prior to that marriage he was married to Agnes Kemp Devereux Blair, with whom he had seven children: Marie Louise, Clay III, Sibyl, Joseph (deceased), Kemp, Robert and Christopher.
- Wikipedia

Reviews

[Vanessa M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a right way, a wrong way, and a Ridgway.

--source unknown, attributed to General Matthew B. Ridgway, by his men

I found it interesting to read in the acknowledgement section of this book that this is part two of a "battlefield biography" about General Matt Ridgway (part one would be considered Blair's book Ridgeway's Paratroopers: the American Airborne in World War II.)

This 1987 publication concerns itself mostly with the U.S. Army infantry and its involvement with the Korean War from June 1950-June 25ish 1951. Mr. Blair lays out the political events challenging the Truman administration and of the geopolitical landscape after World War II leading up to the invasion of South Korea by the Soviet-backed North Korean People's Army (NKPA). From there Blair illustrates the other important parts of warfare in that year, such as the expulsion of the North Korean forces from South Korea, the United Nations (UN) invasion of North Korea, the Chinese Communist Forces' (CCF) involvement and invasion upon South Korea, the expulsion of the CCF from South Korea and the stalemate at the 38th Parallel.

Much examination is given to individual commanders' age, military education (West Point notably), and other biographical information. I admit I started to gloss over the footnotes about the average age of commanders in thus-and-so group. Suffice to say, they were middle-aged.

Blair also expounds superbly upon the Army's treatment of Black soldiers and of the discrimination (and some awesome successes) they faced during segregation and integration.

I recommend this to anyone looking for an in-depth portrayal into the beginnings of the war.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forgotten War: America in Korea is an exhaustive study of command level combat in Korea. While the title claims to cover the war for 1950 thru its conclusion in 1953, in reality only perhaps 25 pages cover the last two years of the war.

Blair states in his introduction that he was especially interested in command level decisions, and the influence of West Pointers in specific. There is very little detail of 'soldier's stories' or any popular or oral history. To some degree, this renders the book a bit sterile although the combat descriptions, especially quite early in the conflict during the retreat to the Pusan perimeter, are thrilling. Further, every time a new commander is introduced, Blair gives a short biographical sketch. I found these redundant and annoying later on in the book. Further, Blair is not shy about criticizing political decisions behind the policy decisions. In particular, his treatment of Truman, many of Truman's political appointees, and MacArthur is scathing. To be fair, while Blair shows eventual Eighth Army commander and MacArthur's replacement, General Ridgeway, as a true hero, to the author's credit he does not refrain from criticizing Ridgeway for dangerously obstructionist behavior during the eventual peace talks. True or not, a lot of this criticism would be more effective had some attempt been made to give a 'man in the trench' perspective. Blair gives a lot of detail of Medal of Honor recipients, but not much besides that.

The basic criticism of the book is that Korea was not a vital part of America's strategic design, and that the decision to intervene was done without thought to preparedness or ramifications. According the Blair, Truman resented, mistrusted and then gutted the military... and then sent them to Korea with little thought as to 'why.' Its an interesting thought, and reading the book I couldn't stop thinking of the parallels to the present. MacArthur is treated as just being publicity hungry, irresponsible and past his prime. It doesn't sound serious until you consider the number of corpses left behind. The book never touches the interesting question of was, given 20-20 hindsight, the war a success? The U.S. didn't win per se, but South Korea is certainly a success story. I suppose each person is left to himself to reach his own conclusion as to whether it was worth it. In any case, despite the massive size, and lack of 'personal' perspectives to the war, The Forgotten War is well worth the trouble. I don't think I ever fully understood the war until after I read this book.


- The author seems overly concerned with the background of individual officers, especially whether they were West Point or ROTC, their ages, when they were commissioned, who their service "friends" were, etc. I started skimming these paragraphs about halfway through because most of them did not meaningfully contribute to understanding the subsequent events.
- The maps are not particularly enlightening and the way they are printed makes them extremely difficult to read. More "mini maps" illustrating particular operations or engagements would have been helpful.
- The author has a very annoying habit of massively over-using the phrase "Inasmuch as," often several times on a single page.
- Criticism of defecient commanders and praise of good officers both seem a bit heavy-handed at times. Apparently every officer in Korea was either a Genius Hero or an Incompetent Fool.
- Little detail or analysis of decisions or conditions on the North/Communist side.

[Sangria · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book.

The family started reading this with the current events of Korea happening. My children’s grandfather is a Vet. He suggested it. Actually, he suggested The Choisin Resevoir, Which started it all. He came home from that a few toes short.

It’s a very long book, with amazing maps. It worked well with a computer for extra research, google earth, and looking up pictures and other articles. I’m loathe to rail on teachers, but I’m seriously dissatisfied with the history curriculum at my kids schools, I need events like this to be covered and they are not. They don’t even get a week. I did, so I’m not sure why lots of things have been glossed over now. It’s disappointing, but I’m up for the task.

Most importantly it brought up discussion with my own Father, who has never really discussed it. It was just something he did. Something he survived. It’s brought us all a lot closer. I’m very lucky to still have him around.

We owe these men and women much, and they should never be forgotten. If you know nothing about the Korean War, this is a good one to pick up.

Recommend.

[Carol Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgotten War. Yo-Yo War. Accordion War. Seoul changed sides five times during the first year of the war.

This was one of the most difficult books I've read, for personal reasons. It was incredibly detailed and encyclopedic, but I took advantage of that to closely follow the beleaguered 2nd division, (9th infantry regiment) which was where my husband's uncle served until he lost his life, at age 20, on February 14, 1951. RIP Elroy Harm Bakker.

I will need some time to gather my thoughts and put them into sentences.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, this is the best single volume history of the Korean war I've read. It's rich in geo-political detail, though it does not go as close to the line of batte. This book is a really good look at the interaction between mkilitary and political decision making. A must read.

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phew! I won't be 'forgetting' Korea any time soon! Had to put the pedal to the metal on this one and managed all of nearly 1,000 pages in a little over a week. The Korean War--I read T.R. Fehrenbach's classic 'This Kind of War' many years ago and thought it could never be topped in a one-volume history of that now long ago conflict. And I don't know that this one did or did not surpass his. Fehrenbach was far more 'readable' as I recall but it was a first-time reading on the history and the amazing first year will not fail to astound anyone (or even in subsequent readings). The surprise invasion, the unpreparedness of the U.S. (and ROK) armies, the near debacle at Pusan, the Inchon landings, the drive to the Yalu River, the incredible intelligence failure and CCF intervention and near destruction of 8th Army, the death of Walker and ascent of Ridgway and near resurrection of the 8th Army, the drama of the termination of MacArthur, the repeated massive CCF offensives and UN counter-offensives in conditions ranging from sub-arctic cold to monsoon rainfall, the background threat of WW3 erupting. Some of the highest drama in U.S. military history.

Blair's narrative is focused on the operational and tactical history of the war from the viewpoint of the U.S. Army (and Marines). There is little useful information on the ROK (Republic of Korea) troops other than their frequent 'bug-outs' that bedeviled the campaign. Other nationalities that contributed--British, Australian, French, Turkish, Greek, Dutch, Filipino get brief but often shining cameo roles. But this is a book on the U.S. Army of 1950-53 more than any other thing--it's performance, culture, organization, personalities, methodologies, racial problems and more. The bulk of American fighting in the first year of Korea was done by six U.S. infantry divisions: 24th, 25th, 2nd, 3rd, 1st Cav,and 1st Marines. That is 18 regiments and 54 battalions of infantry and nearly every one is discussed at some point in terms of combat, leadership and performance. In addition to dozens of attached and subordinate units (artillery, armor, specialized units). Perhaps trivial by WW2 standards but man were they busy! The key theme is on the importance of battlefield leadership--from the Commander-in-chief to the generals down to at least battalion level commanders. Hundreds (at least) of names are trotted out with very brief bios (especially whether and when they were at West Point and if and where they had combat experience). A glossary of names/units would have been a godsend. It seemed that almost every officer from battalion on up had WW2 experience either in the ETO or Pacific and higher ranks saw action in WW1, including nearly all the top generals and the President (Truman). This pool of experienced officers to draw on was obviously incredibly valuable and makes you wonder if Korea happened 10 or 15 years later when to pool would have been empty, would the outcome have been different?

He also provides extensive detail on the high-level geopolitical machinations in Washington and Tokyo (the seat of the US Far East Command, under the unforgettable Douglas MacArthur). What is missing is much on the thinking of the North Koreans, Chinese or even Soviet Union. Perhaps much of that information was simply not available at the time (mid-1980s) or too difficult to access. I assume most of the NKPA and CCF arms came from the Soviets but that is never discussed. The subtitle of the Forgotten War is 'The United States in Korea: 1950-53' and it is apt. However the entire last two years of static warfare and peace negotiations take up maybe 20 pages. The maps were mediocre at best but the numerous photographs were wonderful. It was a time to remember, though I daresay few Americans do. 4-stars.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book, but it was also….a LOT. So I’m going to preface by saying that this is worth the read if you’re a serious history student, especially of military history or biographies, and otherwise….you probably want to pass this one by.

That is not to say that this isn’t a fantastic book, because it is. I learned an incredible amount, and it is meticulously detailed. I knew relatively little about the Korean War (forgotten, indeed), and discovered that the majority of that was wrong, so….that was a fun revelation.

The sections of the book that focused on people, both those in command and lower down the chain, were the best. The stories of institutionalized stupidity set off by amazing personal heroism and sacrifice were in turn infuriating and awe-inspiring. The battle descriptions could be a little harder to follow, not because they were too general, but because they were so incredibly detailed. Before every major battle, the reader is given a list of what divisions were on the front line, with which commanders, and in what order, down to the regimental level. Commanders are introduced in detail when they first arrive on the scene, then may disappear when the book moves on to someone else, only to reappear a hundred pages later, with no re-introduction. Since some of the command posts resembled musical chairs rather than organizational charts, having names pop up and then disappear felt a bit like playing Whack-a-Mole.

I started reading this months ago, and have finished it during the Russian attack on the Ukraine. Although the players are different, the overview and structure of the wars is similar enough to cause chills. All I can hope that when and if we do ‘draw a line’ in the Ukraine, we can do so having learned the lessons of some of our more disastrous ‘police actions’ around the world, and that the outcome will be different. But reading about Korea through the lens of the almost seventy years since then, all I can is that we didn’t just fail to learn from this part of history…we forgot it completely.

As a side note, I will now be searching for and buying all of the biographies of Matt Ridgeway I can find, and I recommend all my other history readers do the same.

[Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy.

Absolutely terrific from an operational and tactical level concerning US forces in Korea. The detail and research here is exhaustive - at times even almost unnecessarily so, such as the brief but substantial backgrounds on nearly every officer we encounter. These are the strengths of this work. An absolutely crucial read to understand the situation on the ground and in US military leadership.

But be aware that Blair does not even begin to touch on the impact on civilians or their country, he does not examine the ROK military in any real way, nor does he touch on their politics. The same goes for the opposing side. This is not a wholesome history of the war from all perspectives. It is a history of the US military's operations in Korea.

[Shiloh Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was highly recommended to me by several Korean War Veterans as I had previously not read anything on this particular conflict.

I found it to be dry at times due mainly to writer's style but overall I read this book for informative reasons not pleasure and it accomplished that mission hands down and better than a few other of this subject.

As you can tell by the page count this book goes into great detail on each engagement with soldier interviews to set the mood and substantiate the history contained and told. Do not let the size scare you! I would advise anyone seriously looking to learn about the Korean conflict to consider starting here if time permits

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still a very detailed, very good read on the Korean War. It weaves skillfully from Washington to GHQ in Tokyo, to army & corps HQs in Korea, to battalion and company actions.

Blair's particular foci are leadership from battalion level up, and the performance and treatment of African-American soldiers.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best one volume summary I've found on what I consider to be America's most interesting war. Well researched and well written, although in some place it's tough to follow all the major characters.

[Steve Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 984 page history of the Korean War - 1950 - 1953, released in 1987. Including notes, index, etc. the book runs to well over 1,100 pages. Emphasis is on the first year when the majority of the fighting took place. Thoroughly researched and well footnoted, the book suffers from a shortage of maps. There is no list of maps in the contents, the maps that do exist are difficult to read and do not provide a scale to give perspective. Blair is rightly critical of all the major players from Truman to MacArthur to Army leadership and to a lesser degree the many intelligence failures of the war. He is also guilty of adding personal opinion to what is intended to be a serious study, constantly referring to Truman's Republican opponents as "right wing". Yes, this was the McCarthy Era but not every Republican supporter of Nationalist China or opponent of Truman was reactionary or right wing. Blair is a good writer and the prose is easy to read though he refers to nearly every forced retreat, especially disorganized ones as a "bug out". The phrase is trite and overused.

[Henry Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt this is the pinnacle of books on the Korean War. Clay Blair meticulously chronicles every single aspect of the war from its political beginnings to its political ends. Most books, movies described the Korean War as starting at Inchon and ending in humiliating defeat for America. This is simply not the case. The US started completely undermanned and ill equipped with a local army of ROKS ill trained and scared of their own shadows. They not only wiped out 90% of the North Korean army and occupied, for a time the entire peninsula until half a million Chinese soldiers invaded but held their own ever outnumbered 10-1. Today South Korea is a vibrant and economically strong nation and the only reason why is the US stood their ground and stopped the Chinese at the 38th parallel by inflicting hundreds of thousands of casualties on them. I loved this book

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wrapped this up last night. A mighty tome indeed. The book covers all aspects of the Korean war from start to finish. It is quite the story. From Truman's postwar scourging of the military to the on again off again peace talks Mr. Blair covers it all. The maps were very good, I would have liked to have seen some more detailed maps for some areas of military action, but the were very good overall. Good detail in all aspects of the war, political and militarily. I was not left disappointed. I feel in know a good deal about a subject I had read little on, and knew only from passing remarks in other books. I am glad I found this in the thrift store and took it on. Entirely worth the time and effort. Mr. Blair's writing makes a book like this a joy to read.

[Matt Gallant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather encyclopedic regarding unit dispersion but it is very good overall

[Mrjohngilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roughly a 1000 pages of truly intensive coverage of the first part of the war, when the lines so dramatically moved back and forth. The US forces at the beginning had terrible leadership and were tossed about in small formations that were usually overrun. Very tragic. The coverage of the war once the stalemate set in is cursory.

Ultimately, adequate forces are brought in, and better leadership too. But alarmingly, some cold war hawks argued for terrible ideas like using nukes and whatnot. The Pentagon is not a place to put blind faith into!

This book is packed with detailed accounts of many heroic stands, and mind boggling accounts of bungling (and genius) in the hallowed halls of the upper command echelons. Truly an unbiased and objective look at a war too many people have ignored. (Nobody gets excited about a 'tie' game as it were). Very readable.

[Diocletian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an extremely in depth look at the first year of the Korean War. The events leading to Korean War are also lightly covered in the first couple chapters of the book, while the war's end is described in only a few pages. It does an amazing job at covering the first year of the war however, with nearly every American political decision, hypothetical military situation, and actual military action no matter the scale being covered with the utmost detail. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in Korean, American, Cold War, or military history.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the best of the books I had to read on the failure of the US to realize the possibility for war in Korea in 1950.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Q: When the Chinese and Koreans negotiate, how many people die? A: Hundreds of thousands.