Wonju: The Gettysburg of the Korean War

By J.D. Coleman

Book Overview

Wonju: The Gettysburg of the Korean War is an insightful evaluation of a crucial but underappreciated battle of that fierce and bloody conflict. By December 1950, the dramatic entrance of Communist China into the war had forced the retreat of U.S., South Korean, and other United Nations troops back into South Korea. In February 1951, near a central South Korean town named Wonju, American forces finally quit running and started fighting - and stopped the Chinese juggernaut cold. Just as the Battle of Gettysburg was the high-water mark of the Confederacy's bid for secession, the Chinese offensive launched at Wonju was the high point from which China's hopes for victory faded. This is the first book to show that after fifteen days of combat at Wonju, Chinese leaders realized they could not win the war and could possibly lose it. On this not particularly well-known battlefield, U.N. forces led by brave U.S. and South Korean fighting men ensured South Korean independence. Coleman's comparison between Wonju and Gettysburg is original and thought provoking.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157488400X
• ISBN13: 9781574884005
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc
• Length: 303 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.5"