On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle (Unabridged) On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle (Unabridged)

On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle (Unabridged‪)‬

    • 4.6 • 132 Ratings
    • $19.99

    • $19.99

Publisher Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers, a chronicle of the extraordinary feats of heroism by Marines called on to do the impossible during the greatest battle of the Korean War.

"Superb ... A masterpiece of thorough research, deft pacing and arresting detail...This war story—the fight to break out of a frozen hell near the Chosin Reservoir—has been told many times before. But Sides tells it exceedingly well, with fresh research, gritty scenes and cinematic sweep." —The Washington Post


On October 15, 1950, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of UN troops in Korea, convinced President Harry Truman that the Communist forces of Kim Il-sung would be utterly defeated by Thanksgiving. The Chinese, he said with near certainty, would not intervene in the war.

As he was speaking, 300,000 Red Chinese soldiers began secretly crossing the Manchurian border. Led by some 20,000 men of the First Marine Division, the Americans moved deep into the snowy mountains of North Korea, toward the trap Mao had set for the vainglorious MacArthur along the frozen shores of the Chosin Reservoir. What followed was one of the most heroic--and harrowing--operations in American military history, and one of the classic battles of all time. Faced with probable annihilation, and temperatures plunging to 20 degrees below zero, the surrounded, and hugely outnumbered, Marines fought through the enemy forces with ferocity, ingenuity, and nearly unimaginable courage as they marched their way to the sea.

Hampton Sides' superb account of this epic clash relies on years of archival research, unpublished letters, declassified documents, and interviews with scores of Marines and Koreans who survived the siege. While expertly detailing the follies of the American leaders, On Desperate Ground is an immediate, grunt's-eye view of history, enthralling in its narrative pace and powerful in its portrayal of what ordinary men are capable of in the most extreme circumstances.

Hampton Sides has been hailed by critics as one of the best nonfiction writers of his generation. As the Miami Herald wrote, "Sides has a novelist's eye for the propulsive elements that lend momentum and dramatic pace to the best nonfiction narratives."

GENRE
History
NARRATOR
DP
David Pittu
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
12:07
hr min
RELEASED
2018
October 2
PUBLISHER
Random House Audio
SIZE
762.4
MB

Customer Reviews

ct2124 ,

A historical account that puts you on the battlefield

Truly difficult to put down. The atmospheric details and the fleshing out of character backgrounds will put you in the foxholes with Marines, feeling the frostbite and the chaos as if you are there.

Devil2814 ,

Why?

Why do we need to hear about Truman’s lifestyle? Why do need to hear about things not dealing with the battle of Chosen?

olikjjughjjiut ,

Best book ever made

I love it

Listeners Also Bought

Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II (Unabridged) Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II (Unabridged)
2019
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette (Unabridged) In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette (Unabridged)
2014
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission (Abridged) Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission (Abridged)
2001
Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West (Unabridged) Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West (Unabridged)
2006
The First Wave: The D-Day Warriors Who Led the Way to Victory in World War II (Unabridged) The First Wave: The D-Day Warriors Who Led the Way to Victory in World War II (Unabridged)
2019
The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau (Unabridged) The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau (Unabridged)
2012