This history of the Korean War offers a complete and detailed portrayal of the conflict. Clay Blair, a military writer, is credited with taking a close and blistering look at high-level defense policy with ground-level leadership of the U.S. Army. He supports his analysis with official records and interviews with participants as well as his own deep knowledge of Washington personalities and politics. Blair's book 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 progress of the war. Highly critical of General 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 instinting praise for Gen.. Matthew Ridgway's turn around 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.

Reprint. Originally published: New York : Times Books, Ã1987. Reprint. Originally published: New York : Times Books, c1987. Reprint. Originally published: New York : Times Books, ©1987. Includes indexes.

Washington : 1949-1950 -- Tokyo and Seoul : 1949-1950 -- Momentous decisions -- Fantastical deployments -- Taejon lost -- "Stand or die" -- Pusan saved -- Taegu saved -- Magnificent victory -- Seoul recaptured -- Pursuit and exploitation -- Crossing the 38th parallel -- On to the Yalu -- The Chinese strike -- "Land happy" -- The second Chinese offensive -- Shocking losses -- A ray of sunshine -- A "defeated" army? -- The third Chinese offensive -- "Eighth army in good shape" -- The fourth Chinese offensive -- Killer and ripper -- Courageous, tomahawk, and rugged -- MacArthur sacked -- The fifth Chinese offensive -- The sixth Chinese offensive -- Stalemate -- The talking war.