The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War

  “What a damned travesty”: Russ, Martin, Breakout, pp. 196–197; Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, pp. 462–464.

  “an arrogant, blind march to disaster”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 464.

  easy prey for the Chinese: Heefner, Wilson, Patton’s Bulldog, p. 295.

  CHAPTER 31

  “were running in all directions”: Paul Freeman oral history, U.S. Army War College Library.

  was blocked by the Chinese: Ibid.; Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 478.

  might well have seen Chinese: Marshall, S. L. A., The River and the Gauntlet, p. 264.

  “or just barrel through”: author interview with Alan Jones.

  He had never heard of it before: author interview with Malcolm MacDonald; MacDonald family memoir.

  “Well, come out my way”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 477.

  always bad, became even worse: author interview with Larry Farnum.

  “we lost because of it”: author interview with Harold G. Moore.

  and with disabled vehicles: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, pp. 478–81.

  “so I guess I can run another one”: author interview with Jim Hinton.

  Lucky Charley, he had thought: author interviews with Sam Mace and Charley Heath.

  to die on that road trying: author interview with Alan Jones.

  “on the road to Sunchon, would you?”: Ibid., author interview with Bill Wood.

  CHAPTER 32

  “I’ve lost my whole battalion”: author interview with Malcolm MacDonald.

  “Can’t any of you do anything?” Marshall, S. L. A., The River and the Gauntlet, p. 319.

  an epitaph for the day: Ibid., p. 320.

  “in this godawful country”: Spurr, Russell, Enter the Dragon, p. 193.

  “More fucking Chinese!”: author interview with Paul O’Dowd.

  CHAPTER 33

  “some kind of officer’s club”: author interview with Gino Piazza.

  they were stuck with all that: Ibid.

  “commitment to his men made things harder”: Ibid., author interviews with Larry Farnum and Alarich Zacherle.

  bore him no animus: author interview with Alarich Zacherle.

  “very few of them made it back”: author interview with Bob Nehrling.

  just how close the Chinese were: author interview with Hank Emerson.

  a kind of death for him as well: author interview with Charley Heath.

  CHAPTER 34

  Had their communications been more modern: Alpha Bowser oral history, U.S. Marine Corps History Division.

  “non-battle injuries, mostly frostbite”: Hoffman, Jon T., Chesty, p. 410.

  “preferably one with yellow skin”: Russ, Martin, Breakout, p. 6.

  “simply attacking in another direction”: Alpha Bowser oral history, U.S. Marine Corps History Division.

  “overly cautious executing any order”: Simmons, Edwin H., Frozen Chosin, p. 35.

  “I was never more satisfied”: D. Clayton James interview with Oliver P. Smith, MacArthur Memorial Library.

  “You tell General Walker to”: Marshall, S. L. A., Bringing Up the Rear, pp. 181–183.

  “Never serve under Tenth Corps”: Hoffman, Jon T., Chesty, p. 417.

  CHAPTER 35

  in the previous six weeks: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 468.

  “as if the madness were in the room”: author interview with Matthew B. Ridgway.

  “he could not bear to end his career in checkmate”: Manchester, William, American Caesar, p. 617.

  “omissions of the more unpalatable facts”: Hastings, Max, The Korean War, p. 178.

  prematurely triggered the Chinese attack: James, D. Clayton, Refighting the Last War, p. 45.

  and thus redeem himself: Bradley, Omar, with Blair, Clay, A General’s Life, p. 626.

  victories of his adversaries not really victories: author interview with Matthew B. Ridgway.

  “Whom the gods destroy”: Acheson, Dean, Present at the Creation, p. 518.

  “Someone is crazy”: author interview with Joe Fromm.

  “It was disgraceful”: Bradley, Omar, with Blair, Clay, A General’s Life, p. 603.

  why couldn’t we?: Ibid.

  “thereby to unite the forces of Eighth Army and Tenth Corps”: Ibid.

  “one promising front in the war to liberate”: Herzstein, Robert, Henry Luce and the American Crusade in Asia, p. 139.

  “Luce wants the Big War”: Ibid., p. 147.

  “to Manhattan’s Upper West Side”: Ibid., p. 136.

  “so often been right when everyone else”: Ridgway, Matthew B., The Korean War, p. 61.

  “I never afterward had occasion to discuss this”: Ibid.; author interview with Matthew B. Ridgway.

  “the British at Singapore in 1942”: Hastings, Max, The Korean War, p. 170.

  “ill-armed and on their feet”: Ibid., p. 167.

  “complete disgrace and of shame”: author interview with Sam Mace.

  CHAPTER 36

  “a lot sooner in the game”: author interview with Jack Murphy.

  “the last great battle between East and West”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 69.

  “we risk disaster”: Ibid.

  “was the same as that on it”: author interview with Ken Hamburger; Blair, Clay, Ridgway’s Paratroopers, pp. 138–141.

  “not before the Japanese people”: Matthew B. Ridgway interview, Toland papers, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.

  “very little in the way of blood”: Ridgway, Matthew B., The Korean War, p. 110.

  greatest American soldier: Ridgway, Matthew B., The Korean War, dedication.

  “stuck to the bone”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 569.

  “Do what you think best”: Ridgway, Matthew B., The Korean War, p. 83.

  “the most underrated”: Allen, George, None So Blind, p. 96.

  “like no other general’s in our”: Bradley, Omar, with Blair, Clay, A General’s Life, p. 608.

  “seldom took advantage of it”: Ridgway, Matthew B., The Korean War, pp. 88–89.

  “not in retreat, but in flight”: Harold Johnson oral history, U.S. Army War College Library.

  “You must be ruthless”: Toland, John, In Mortal Combat, p. 378.

  “Fight them! Finish them!”: Ibid.

  CHAPTER 37

  “He wanted to go to war with China”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, pp. 566–567.

  “We are fighting the second team”: Hastings, Max, The Korean War, p. 186.

  “of what many might call ‘appeasement’”: Ibid., p. 569.

  “under which we were fighting”: Bradley, Omar with Blair, Clay, A General’s Life, p. 646.

  “Even with his penis he was defiant”: Blair, Clay, Ridgway’s Paratroopers, p. 111.

  wings were going to be partially clipped: Coleman, J. D., Wonju, p. 59.

  no longer going to play games: author interview with Bill McCaffrey.

  Jeter was gone, and word: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 574.

  the smallest details right: author interview with George Allen.

  the beginning of the turnaround: interview with Mike Michaelis, Clay Blair papers, U.S. Army War College Library.

  CHAPTER 38

  might prove a crisis in itself: Xiaobing Li, et al., Mao’s Generals Remember Korea, p. 11.

  becoming drunk with success: Spurr, Russell, Enter the Dragon, p. 252.

  “if they weren’t ours”: author interview with Walter Killilae, Killilae private memoir.

  always treated them: Spurr, Russell, Enter the Dragon, pp. 41–42.

  he intended to savor it: Ibid., p. 167.

  “will be a battle of supply,” Ibid., pp. 80–81.

  “who see the conduct of war in dogmatic”: Ibid.

  “and one bite [of] snow”: Xiaobing Li, et al., Mao’s Generals Remember Korea, p. 54.

  met only a quarter of the army’s: Ibid., p. 18.

  weaker than the Chinese Nationalist: Ibid.

 
“goals defined by Mao tended to go beyond”: Ibid.

  “had thrown their rifles and pistols away”: Ridgway, Matthew B., The Korean War, pp. 93–94.

  CHAPTER 39

  “most of us hated them”: author interview with John Carley.

  more bravado than he felt: Spurr, Russell, Enter the Dragon, p. 285.

  everyone hit the ground: Paul Freeman oral history, U.S. Army War College Library; Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, pp. 92–93.

  “and a basin of water”: Paul Freeman oral history, U.S. Army War College Library.

  CHAPTER 40

  five hundred meters each surrounded it: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, p. 98.

  and been lucky as well: author interview with Maurice Fenderson.

  of little value for much of the morning: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, pp. 99–100.

  “This is our only chance”: Ibid., p. 100; Appleman, Roy, Ridgway Duels for Korea, pp. 202–203; Gugeler, Russell, Combat Operations in Korea, pp. 85–87; author interviews with survivors, including Laron Wilson and Richard Fockler.

  made him feel he had a lot: author interview with Laron Wilson.

  an American captain in a jeep spotted him: author interview with Richard Fockler.

  it was Private William Stratton: Gugeler, Russell, Combat Operations in Korea, pp. 87–90.

  for the fourth time and died: author interview with Laron Wilson; Gugeler, Russell, Combat Operations in Korea, pp. 80–90.

  “will be with you shortly”: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, p. 103.

  “small-unit actions in the Korean”: Freeman, Paul, Wonju to Chipyongni, U.S. Army War College Library.

  CHAPTER 41

  “to demonstrate his superiority”: Coleman, J. D., Wonju, p. 91.

  was not trusted by his superior: Ibid., p. 58.

  “who often commanded by instilling fear”: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, pp. 89–90.

  “murder my regiment”: Stewart, George, private memoir.

  the wisdom of the ages: Knox, Donald, The Korean War, Vol. II, p. 25.

  “enemy is close enough to kill”: Martin, Harold, Saturday Evening Post, May 19, 1951.

  then returned to Freeman’s headquarters: Stewart, George, private memoir.

  pointless rounds into the air: author interview with Kenneth Hamburger, who had interviewed George Stewart at length.

  Then, still in a rage, he drove off in his jeep: author interview with Sherman Pratt; Pratt, Sherman, Decisive Battles of the Korean War, p. 154.

  “at the tunnels is doubtful”: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, p. 111.

  and soon the French fires: Paul Freeman oral history, U.S. Army War College Library.

  “Let’s kill as many Chinese”: Stewart, George, private memoir.

  “bit the stems off three pipes”: Ibid.

  “Like a Hollywood battle”: Freeman, Paul, Wonju to Chipyongni, U.S. Army War College Library.

  CHAPTER 42

  as they preferred to do: author interview with Sherman Pratt.

  “By order of Scotch”: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, p. 154.

  “we are going to stay and fight it out”: Ibid., p. 176.

  “relay answer to me as soon as possible”: Appleman, Roy, Ridgway Duels for Korea, p. 258.

  “we can fight well where we are now”: author interview with Sherman Pratt.

  CHAPTER 43

  “evoking memories of Almond’s operations”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 685.

  separate black units: Coleman, J. D., Wonju, pp. 93–94.

  Walker relieved of his company command: Ibid., p. 94.

  like a betrayal by a member of his family: author interview with Bill McCaffrey.

  “His racism tainted”: author interview with J. D. Coleman.

  to absorb the heaviest punishment: Paik, Sun Yup, From Pusan to Panmunjon, pp. 125–26.

  “and drawn them up himself”: Coleman, J. D., Wonju, p. 95.

  who was only a captain would know so much: Ibid., pp. 103–104.

  “had created a gauntlet”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 689.

  “NICE GOING HARRY”: Ibid., p. 740.

  “you have to risk the lives of your men”: author interview with Kenneth Hamburger.

  “BUT THE DECISION IS YOURS”: Stewart, George, private memoir.

  “until the gun barrels melt”: Ibid.

  CHAPTER 44

  the most vulnerable part of Paul Freeman’s regimental defense: author interview with Paul McGee.

  “you should have stayed back home”: Ibid.

  they were going to pull Freeman: author interview with Dr. Robert Hall.

  “stay out of my way”: Paul Freeman oral history, U.S. Army War College Library.

  CHAPTER 45

  “and I know you’ll do it”: Blumenson, Martin, Army Magazine, August 2002; author interview with Martin Blumenson.

  “in any event, reach us”: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, p. 205.

  “trains or no trains”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 700.

  hell for leather to Chipyongni: author interview with Martin Blumenson.

  were not lined up properly: author interview with Tom Mellen.

  “the last strong company gone to hell”: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, p. 200.

  “I refuse the order too!”: Ibid., pp. 200–201.

  when it was all over: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 707.

  the state of the other men: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, pp. 206–207, 213–214.

  CHAPTER 46

  to try to save Inmon’s life: author interviews with Cletis Inmon and Paul McGee.

  give him a shot to sedate him: author interview with Dr. Robert Hall.

  doing a giant jigsaw puzzle: Knox, Donald, The Korean War, Vol. II, p. 73.

  “I will court-martial him”: Hamburger, Kenneth, Leadership in the Crucible, p. 215.

  CHAPTER 47

  “starting with the victories up along the”: author interview with Chen Jian.

  “can’t wait for him to wake up”: Ibid.

  CHAPTER 48

  “it is a free Asia”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 659.

  would use it as an excuse for an intervention: Truman, Harry S., Memoirs, Vol. II, p. 420.

  the Russians would send in by train: Ibid., p. 416.

  “did not consider it beyond his own powers”: Hastings, Max, The Korean War, pp. 192–193.

  “igniting World War III, and a nuclear”: Bradley, Omar with Blair, Clay, A General’s Life, p. 616.

  plan a major offensive: Weintraub, Sidney, MacArthur’s War, p. 305.

  “but had almost forgotten”: Ibid., p. 616.

  “the contingency of ‘success’”: Manchester, William, American Caesar, p. 625.

  “in Manchuria are contained by”: Paul Freeman oral history, U.S. Army War College Library.

  had nothing to lose by ignoring: Weintraub, Sidney, MacArthur’s War, p. 307.

  “the most gross indifference”: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, pp. 767–768.

  “combined disbelief with controlled fury”: Acheson, Dean, Present at the Creation, p. 519

  “I wanted to kick him into the North China Sea”: Truman, Margaret, Harry S. Truman, p. 513.

  CHAPTER 49

  “This is outright treachery ”: Goulden, Joseph, Korea, pp. 477–478.

  “but it does not get me anywhere”: Truman, Harry S., Memoirs, Vol. II, pp. 446–447.

  Lincoln as “the original gorilla”: Goodwin, Doris Kearns, Team of Rivals, p. 383.

  “and my decision alone”: author interview with George Elsey; George Elsey interview, Harry S. Truman Library.

  “We’ll let them think so”: Donovan, Robert, Tumultuous Years, p. 355.

  “the Emperor of the Far East”: Truman interviews, Harry S. Truman Library.

  That was abs
urd, Almond insisted: Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, p. 788.

  “His soldierly qualities were never”: Goldman, Eric, The Crucial Decade, pp. 201–202.

  CHAPTER 50

  “almost a professional little man”: Swanberg, W. A., Luce and His Empire, p. 312.

  “to be a fit commander in such a war”: Hastings, Max, The Korean War, p. 207.

  “nothing to match it since the Civil”: Rovere, Richard and Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr., The General and the President, p. 5.

  “the adoring crowd that thronged”: Caro, Robert, Master of the Senate, pp. 369–370.

  “Would you like me to get out”: Halberstam, David, The Fifties, p. 114.

  “into the persona of a great General”: Goulden, Joseph, Korea, p. 507.

  “a damn bunch of bullshit”: Halberstam, David, The Fifties, p. 115.

  “Thank God that’s over”: Acheson, Dean, Present at the Creation, p. 524.

  for one last try: Goulden, Joseph, Korea, p. 498.

  was a dubious honor: Caro, Robert, Master of the Senate, p. 372.

  “with parochial interests and knowledge”: Goulden, Joseph, Korea, p. 527.

  “the wrong war at the wrong place”: Bradley, Omar with Blair, Clay, A General’s Life, p. 640.

  “that were run off China in the first place”: Goulden, Joseph, Korea, pp. 534–535.

  “destroyed the Truman Administration”: Acheson, Dean, Among Friends, p. 103.

  CHAPTER 51

  “the more he damaged himself”: author interview with Bill McCaffrey.

  “he just did not understand”: Walters, Vernon A., Silent Missions, pp. 209–210.

  “in purple splendor”: Eisenhower, Dwight D., At Ease, p. 227.

  CHAPTER 52

  “Why don’t you get a red flag?”: Smith, Richard Norton, Thomas Dewey and His Times, p. 591.