The Frozen Chosen: The 1st Marine Division and the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir

by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

In November 1950 The US 1st Marine Division was trapped in the Chosin Reservoir following the intervention of Red China in the Korean War. Fought during the worst blizzard in a century, the ensuing battle is considered by the United States Marine Corps to be 'the Corps' Finest Hour.' The soldiers who fought there would later become known as the 'Frozen Chosen'.Published now in paperback, this incredible story is based on first hand interviews from surviving veterans, telling of heroism and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, as a handful of Marines fought desperately against wave after wave of Chinese forces. Sometimes forced into desperate hand to hand combat, the fighting retreat from Chosin marked one of the darkest moments for Western forces in Korea, but would go on to resonate with generations of Marines as a symbol of the Marine Corps' dogged determination, fighting skill, and never-say-die attitude on the battlefield.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, War, Nonfiction, Military History, Book Club, Audiobook

441 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2016

About the author

Most of my non-fiction writing is in the field of aviation, primarily the history of people, units and events, though I am also interested in technological developments and their influence on events.

I first ran across "serious" aviation writing when I was 10 and found William Green's "All The World's Aircraft, 1954" - the first book I read that seriously dealt with aircraft development beyond picture books. Over the years I read many books by Bill (as I came eventually to know him), and 25 years later he was the first editor to professionally publish an article by me about an aviation topic (a feature about people in California who restored, owned and operated antique airplanes). Not only did he publish the article, he used my photograph for the cover of that issue of Air Enthusiast Quarterly! In the years that followed, Bill became a friend through the mail, a source of valuable insight about writing, and an enthusiastic supporter of my efforts. I've had a lot of success that way with fellow authors.

My interest in the field of aviation must be genetic. My mother's favorite tale about me was that my first word, spoken around age 1, was "o-pane!" when we were in a park in Denver, and I pointed up at a P-38 as it flew overhead.

My father was involved in aviation in the 1930s, and knew most of the Major Names of the era, like Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner, and even Ernst Udet. (As an aside, I met General Doolittle myself in 1976. Upon hearing my name, he looked me up and down, then shook his head and said "Nope, too young and too tall." Taken aback for a moment, I realized he was thinking of my father, also a Tom Cleaver. Once I identified myself, he told me a story about my father I had never heard before. I later discovered he had near-perfect recall of names and events.) I grew up looking at my father's photo albums of the old airplanes he had been around, which is probably why I most enjoy airplanes from those years.

In addition to writing about airplanes, I take pictures of them in flight. As a result of both activities, I have flown in everything from a Curtiss Jenny to an Air Force F-4E Phantom (definitely the best rollercoaster ride ever), and have additionally been up in World War II airplanes - the P-51 Mustang, P-40 Warhawk, SBD Dauntless, B-25 Mitchell, and many many many times in a T-6. As a pilot myself, I have about 200 hours in a Stearman biplane trainer as a member of a club back in the 1970s. I am certain my personal knowledge of flying as a pilot has helped me put a reader "in the cockpit" in my writing.

While I have advanced college and university degrees, I consider myself an autodidact, and I see the involvement with airplanes as my key to the world of self-education, as I would ask myself "what was that airplane used for?" which led to such questions as "how did that war happen?" I was also fortunate to grow up in a home with lots of books and a father who enjoyed history; between that and forays to the Denver Public Library (a Saturday spent in the stacks at the Main Library was a day in heaven), my education was very eclectic in subject matter.

My "film school" education came on Saturday afternoons spent at the old Park Theater on South Gaylord Street in Denver, where I went every Saturday from age 7 to age 15 when the theater closed, and watched everything that played on-screen. Somewhere along there, I learned the meaning of "good movie."

Reviews

[Dee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible 15 hours 37 min. Narrated by Norman Dietz (5)

This is an interesting history of the Korean War, from what led up to the conflict just five years after the end of WWII to its conclusion in 1953. Mr. Clever authors an incredible documentary of the battles and retreats of the war. The most recognized is was the one in Nov/Dec of 1950, but the war continued another year and and a half.
Negative: I could have done without the exact numbers of each plane or ship. It made for dry reading. However, it broke my heart to read the high cost in lives, killed, wounded, POW, and MIA, and then imagine the ptsd many broght home.
Positive: The author made a point of recognizing the contributions made by other UN member forces, primarily those of the British Commonwealth countries.

This war was the icing on the cake of many generals who had served with distinction during WWII, but it saw the icing removed from Douglas MacArthur's cake. MacArthur had done an exceptional job of rebuilding Japan, but he did not recognize the potential strength of the Chinese Communists or their determination to extend into the Korean peninsula. MacArthur was at the pinnacle of his career and the most popular general when the Korean War began. Even President Truman did not dare to challenge him publicly, nor did General George Marshall, his "boss." The author is very knowledgeable about MacArthur's relationships with other generals and also with the men who served in the government. MacArthur actually disdained their opinions. They could never possibly understand what was really happening in the Pacific when they were thousands of miles away. The book highlights those tensions and how they led eventually to MacArthur's being relieved of duty. That act saw Truman's approval ratings drop to 20%. [Note: Except in our house, my mother could not abide MacArthur.]

Thomas Clever has written 26 books, and I have discovered another good writer!

[Jonny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm... hard to categorise, really. The actual coverage of the encirclment of UN forces in Northern Korea seems like a bit of an afterthought, rushed through after a wealth of background (the information on the RN and the problems of Fleet Air Arm operations early on pretty much saved the third star) and bookmarked with a fairly pointless attempt at burying MacArthur (as if you needed it) as an endpiece. I much prefered Halberstam's The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War and Salmon's Scorched Earth, Black Snow: Britain and Australia in the Korean War.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tells the story of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir of the Korean War. The chapters that cover the run up to war and catalog the mistakes, arrogance, and racism at all levels of US leadership that created the situation for the defeat at the Chosin Reservoir  were really interesting. It is amazing how little US leadership tried to understand the motivations and capabilities of the Chinese and North Koreans. Sadly, the chapters chronicling the Chosin campaign felt like little more than a recitation of troop movements and statistics. That said, the book does a decent job of explaining the effects of the campaign, both in saving the UN position in Korea and in bolstering the reputation of the USMC, which post WWII was in danger of being eliminated as a result of the reorganization of the military. Overall, I found this informative but often boring.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fighting withdrawal of the vastly outnumbered U.S. Marines from the Chosen Reservoir during the Korean War is discussed from both a political and military perspective. A brief history of Korea itself provides a foreground to aid the reader in understanding the decisions of the United States and United Nations. The effectiveness and training of Marine and Army troops are compared.The Navy is not ignored. Well worth reading by anyone interested in the conflict or politics.

[Dona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book - lots of background on the mindset in Washington, China & Soviet Union in the early 1950's. Also learn about the mindset of General MacArthur and his conies as the Korean War developed & as it progress along with how the Sec. of Defense, Joint Chief's of Staff and President felt. Descriptions of battles was laid out like a chess match - very cut & dry. The author had access to materials from China & USSR military to add what units were involved, how they operated, & why.
Author doesn't not really list his sources so not sure how he came by his facts & how people said what they said. Action reports were not a high priority during these battles so not sure of some comments. Does follow other books on subject I have read with more background material.

[R G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written military history. I could tell the author was passionate about telling this story, which is one of the greatest military stories of all time and really the only one to come out of the Korean conflict. Growing up in a family full of Marines, I already knew about this campaign, but I have a new-found respect for the men that fought and died in the Chosin reservoir all those years ago. I'd highly recommend this book for a better understanding of the Korean War in general and what it means for us today.

[Penecks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeping on a slight authorial streak, I decided to give another work by Thomas Cleaver a try, this time returning to Korea to expose the exploits of the 1st Marines at the Chosin reservoir. "The Frozen Chosen" is a wonderful summary of American involvement during the first fateful years of the war, even if the namesake battle can lack some readability.

As mentioned, the forefront of the book is a summary of the Korean war's beginnings, and while Cleaver doesn't go deeply into ideologies or root causes, his brand of retelling is some of the best, covering nearly half of the length of the book. Summaries can often make the reader feel dumb for being basic fact spews, or like a waste of time if one is familiar with the time period. The Frozen Chosen goes just into enough detail to land on a sweet spot. The actions of leaders like MacArthur are clearly explained in the overall picture, and the movement of troops is paced well. The dilapidation of the post-war army, with its mix of seasoned and foolhardy officers, is touched upon a good amount. Perhaps the book could stand to include a few more maps, with the names of individual hamlets occasionally milling together.

Where Cleaver dives into the actions at the Chosin, deep in the ill-fated advance into the north, the writing mostly maintains it's fluidity. Here we see more of the personal accounts appear, as the situation on the ground becomes increasingly strained. Perhaps due to his main expertise being air combat, some accounts seem a little sanitary and stale, however, and readers may stumble about which nameless hill the current Marines are engaged in. Still, there are colorful characters and tales, such as the fighting retreat of "Battle group Faith". The acts of commanders and the importance of air and artillery expertise become apparent quickly to hold back the superior Chinese numbers, which are realistically described as solid fighters with poor logistics.

Cleaver does wrap things up by speaking about the home front and Truman's relief of MacArthur, putting some politics in to the mix. These are definitely some of the better parts of the book, and aviation nerds will appreciate the efforts to include marine and naval sorties throughout the work. Even commonwealth forces are mentioned often.

Those seeking a general, well-informed book about the initial segments of the Korean War or marine corps involvement, will surely find it here. Others seeking a more transitory overview, or super emotional combat stories, may need to look elsewhere.

[Stephen Branstetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good history of what really happened at the start of the Korean War.How the US forces were in deplorable conditioned,under trained and badly supervised when we first went in. How the leaders like MacArthur under estimated the number and tenacity of the Chinese army.It was a military and political disaster.However its also tells of the bravery and determination of the US Marine corp,who when properly trained and outfitted are the best fighting force in the world.They are the reason half of Korea is free.The other services did well too after the initial shock of defeat wore off.If you like military history this is a good one. Loads of detail but it helps you understand how the battles actually went. By the way they also fought the weather.Chinese did too,part of why they were eventually pushed back.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heard as an audible book, not read
Research and events: Amazing, and well researched, by a military author, so pretty heavy on the jargon, and very dry. Can't downplay the significance of the events though, nor the bravery (and sometimes lack thereof) of the US soldiers. Would have liked more from the Chinese side as well, especially troops on the ground, but there is plenty of referral to Chinese officers and what they were trying to achieve as well. Also plenty of political and command context to put Chosin Reservoir rightly in place in history, a testimony to the men who were there and the stuff-ups that put them there.
Performance: Somewhat monotonous voice, who stumbled over some of the jargon as well, though I'm sure it's challenging dealing with so many new words. Still, don't see why you can't explain what KATUSA is/was (the term is still used), and then just say KATUSA thereafter. More importantly, the audible version has repeated paragraphs, especially around Chapters 10- 11 (although the chapters don't quite match up, weirdly). Some confusion with dates, too; there's a sudden reference to 29-29 December when talking about the Chinese attacks, when clearly November is meant

[Thomas Hemmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Frozen Chosen is well written, although it has some pretty obvious flaws. The problem with The Frozen Chosen comes in what it is advertised as. It advertises itself as a thrilling account of the Battle for the Chosin Reservoir and its surrounding region during the Korean War. It reads, however, more like a dull history class lecture on the protocols and procedure of the Marine Corps and Navy during the early 1950's. You spend most of the novel away from the battle learning things that aren't really what the reader comes to learn about. You get drawn in thinking your going to read an untold story about a hopeless battle during the Korean War but instead you get almost 150 pages of statistics and vague background, in a little over 250 page book, before you even get to read about the actual Marines on the ground. Overall, it's okay if you want something to get information from and reference when talking about the early stages of the Korean War, but if your looking for entertainment, there are better books out there.

[Jim Welke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Frozen Chosen is an excellent read for any veteran, but especially for any US Marine. The author digs deeper into the events of November and December 1950, than any other author I've read on the Korean War. He got a chance to review personal records, released by the Russia and China, of the men on the other side of the battles that cold winter in Korea. He also got to personally interview Marines that survived the battle and are still with us today.

Mr. Thomas Cleaver is a navy veteran from Vietnam and he spent 30 years as a screenwriter in Hollywood, so he knows how to tell a story. You will feel the cold winter wind blow through you as you read about the weather conditions in Korea. The book was published in 2016 and includes pictures taken during the two month period. I highly recommend this book for any student of American history.

[Ajitabh Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed account of the Korean conflict. The fighting withdrawal of US Marines is very detailed. This book also provides insights into what happens when the generals consider the mistake of underestimating the enemy.

[Mattias Persson · Rating 5 out of 5]

when I read it I could feel the cold. when the fighting took place I could almost hear the dramatic music. I did not know much about the battle before I read it, now I know more

[Steven R. Felstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good 10,000 feet view of the Korean War

This book is a generals eye view of the war as opposed to a foxhole view as can be found in other books.

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on my website at https://www.stuartellisgorman.com/blo...

The breakout from Chosin Reservoir is one of those almost-mythical moments in the history of the United States Marine Corps that shows their very best and most impressive qualities against the face of adversity. It was also undoubtedly the result of a colossal fuck up by US high command, an example of disastrous strategic thinking that needlessly endangered the troops on the ground. It’s hard not to be a little triumphalist about the Marine Corps’ (and their allies’) achievements in November and December 1950, but in doing so it is too easy to fall into the trap of making the Korean War about Americans and losing sight of what any of it meant. The Frozen Chosen is a pop history* account of the Chosin Breakout, as well as the war up to that point and up through MacArthur’s firing after, and while I had a reasonably good time reading it I can’t say it blew me away. It has strange priorities in places and the narrative is not as coherent as it should be, but it also does a good job at sharing the blame for the disastrous strategy without falling into overly simplistic narratives.

While the book certainly indulges its emphasis on the Americans first and foremost, it also makes sure to include details of other UN and ROK forces, so it never fully loses sight of the other participants in the battle. The more notable absence, at least until the very end after the battle is over, is the Chinese perspective below Mao and his closest allies. The Chinese soldiers are reduced to a faceless adversary for the Marines to kill, which robs them of their humanity. Often their only role in the story is as part of the frequent estimates of soldiers killed given after every engagement, a rather grisly bit of triumphal narrative that shows how much better the Marines came out in terms of casualties – something that neatly also sidesteps the fact that the Chinese ultimately won this battle in terms of strategic success. It also somewhat undermines the narrative of how deadly and challenging the breakout was for the Marines.

Unfortunately, I found the sections of the book about the actual fighting at Chosin to be the weakest. It gets bogged down in military minutiae, which units are where and how high casualties forced the Marines to frequently reorganize their units, but it fails to provide a particularly coherent narrative. People who read a lot of twentieth century military history may get more out of this, particularly if they really enjoy a detailed order of battle, but I found it hard to keep track of what was happening and where. There are too few maps in the book and some of them are difficult to parse, which further confuses the narrative as you have to remember which numbered unit is at which similarly named North Korean village. Despite these problems, it does successfully convey the insanity of fighting these battles in the freezing cold weather and makes you frequently question how anyone thought invading North Korea in the winter was a good idea.

Other sections of the book are far better, though. In particular, the chapter on the decision by to cross the 38th parallel heading north is a stand out. The author lays out his Truman loyalties in the book’s introduction, but he pulls no punches here and while he places significant blame on MacArthur for the disaster at Yalu he makes it clear that civilian leadership basically paved the way for him to march north, neatly avoiding a classic narrative that blames MacArthur as a rogue agent solely responsible for the failed invasion.

Perhaps the strangest feature of the book is its significant emphasis on aircraft. The author clearly has some professional history with military aircraft and if I were to retitle the book I would emphasize the idea that it’s a history of the role of air support in the first year of the Korean War, especially at Chosin. These details are genuinely interesting, and I learned a lot about the role of aviation in supporting UN operations during the Korean War (although wider bombing campaigns are largely ignored, as are the civilian deaths they caused), but when I think Chosin Reservoir I don’t immediately think detailed information on issues that British planes had landing on aircraft carriers in choppy waters. The early stages of the book that introduce the Korean War and cover up through the Inchon Landing are filled with lengthy asides about the action in the air, action that is almost universally a one-sided affair. These are interesting, but there comes a time when you’re reading about yet another challenge faced by the Navy in mid-1950 and you stop and think “Hey, isn’t this book supposed to be about Marines at Chosin?”

In the end, The Frozen Chosen is a perfectly fine book. Not one I’d probably recommend, but neither would I dissuade someone from reading it. I think the section on Chosin in David Halberstam’s The Coldest Winter was much easier to follow and if I wanted a narrative of the breakout I would choose that first, but it is also buried in a six-hundred page book which might be more than some people are prepared to tackle. I believe the author has also written a book on MiG Alley, and given how he handled the air war in The Frozen Chosen I would expect that to be the more interesting book he’s written on the Korean War. Maybe I’ll pick up a copy sometime in the future.


*Meaning, in this context, that it has no foot/endnotes or other referencing, relying instead on a relatively short bibliography.The Frozen Chosen by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

[David Hymas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Frozen Chosen is one of those rare books that is both too specific and too broad. It is too broad in scope in trying to tell too much of the story about the Korean War. The first almost 1/4 of the book is dedicated to a retelling of the famous early catastrophe: the Pusan perimeter, the Inchon landing, the retaking of Seoul, etc. There are much better options for this history, and this length of the retelling isn’t necessary to set the stage for what the book is ostensibly focused on at the Chosin Reservoir.

And that leads to the second issue: much of the book reads like military logs and reports, with unit designations sprinkled throughout and movements across fronts, leaving the individuals beyond the command personalities to the side. This makes the narrative much drier and cardboard that the topic deserves. Famous moments like Fox Company’s heroic ridgeline defense and the Ridgerunners of Lt. Kurt Chew-Een Lee and their night relief march into the teeth of the bitterest cold are given short shrift despite forming the core of the Chosin story.

If you want a fantastic broader history of the war, read Halberstam’s “The Coldest Winter.” If you want a better history of Chosin, read Hampton Sides’s “On Frozen Ground.” If you want a book just dedicated to the unbelievable fight of Fox Company, read Bob Drury’s “The Last Stand of Fox Company.” Trying to capture the story from all three of these perspectives, this book and the story suffers.

[Aaron Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listen to this as an audiobook. And did not listen as closely as I usually do to audiobooks. It did provide some interesting insights into the Korean War at a more tactical level than the previous readings that I have been doing over the past month. The main takeaways that I took from this book are.

Marines thought valiantly during Korea. This was both due to training and service culture.

Underestimating your enemy is a terrible way to win a war.

Even when America isn't performing well, our ability to be logistically excellent helps us recover against a more skilled adversary.

Military leaders that are concerned with their legacy need to find something else to do with their life. Civilian control is fundamental to the American military, and should be embraced.

Don't fight wars in winter without winter gear. Also integration of air and land provides an asymmetric advantage over adversaries

[Geoff Habiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent accounting of the largest (most significant) battle of the Korean War. The information was accurate but there were few personal connections in the retelling of the events. It felt like the author was just rephrasing the after action reports on the battles. I read a fair amount of military history and I can follow the descriptions of units and the battles, but a personal account, a connection to the individual soldiers can help, and The Frozen Chosen didn't include as many examples of these personal accounts as I have come across in other histories. Still, this was a good account of the battle, and essentially the entire Korean War as the author put everything into context.

[a.t.m. · Rating 5 out of 5]

superb work on this historic epic fight during the Korean War

The author has written a book filled with stories about men in combat, not only marines, but us soldiers and their allies. The fight for survival was real, fighting the Chinese hordes, but, the insane cold weather, as well. The writer has written eloquently and on point, in regard, to the political situation involved the ego maniac, MacArthur, and his cronies, whose decisions cost so many lives. Things have not changed and this is what makes the reading of this book essential. I highly recommend.

[Jason Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only rate this book 3 stars for 2 reasons. 1) I did learn more about the Korean War, which I didn't know much about. 2) My grandfather was present during the push for the the Chosen Reservoir at 17 years old. He wasn't there long as he obtained frostbite as did many in the Korean War.

This book however, is not a great read. I found large parts of it to be very instructional and technical into the marines, their divisions, regiments, equipment, planes and ships. The narrative is not written in the most compelling way.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author provides fresh perspective of the Korean War.

The marines endured hardships as they fought Chinese troops while dealing with harsh weather.

This book does not provide big picture details; however, as a reader, you can picture the struggles.

[Stephanie Cohu · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

The book does have two problems, it need more maps. It is hard to read and imagine the battlefield when you don’t know the villages’ location. Also I was confused with the 5th and 7th he’d mentioned. I found out they are regiments. Overall good book!

[Jordan Neben · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Korean War is too often forgotten and ignored in the United States, despite its huge significance and potential consequences. Not to mention the fact that we are still living in a world with a divided Korea that was a direct result of the war. Then there are the events of the war itself which are fascinating human tales of mistakes, blunders, heroism, tragedy, and loss. The Frozen Chosen recounts the battle of the Chosin Reservoir, obviously focusing on the US 1st Marine Division. In this book the reader will see some of the greatest mistakes US military leaders have made in the nation's history, but they will also see how the people on the ground fought against terrible odds and the terrible conditions they found themselves in. The parts of the book that have stayed with me the most are all the first hand accounts from Marine and Army personnel as to what their lives were like during this period of desperate fighting.