Retreat, Hell!
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4.3 • 593 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
It is the fall of 1950. The Marines have made a pivotal breakthrough at Inchon, but a roller coaster awaits them.
While Douglas MacArthur chomps at the bit, intent on surging across the 38th parallel, Brigadier General Fleming Pickering works desperately to mediate the escalating battle between MacArthur and President Harry Truman. And somewhere out there, his own daredevil pilot son, Pick, is lost behind enemy lines--and may be lost forever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Megaseller Griffin (Honor Bound; Brotherhood of War; Men at War) musters another solid entry in his series chronicling the history of the U.S. Marines, now engaged in the Korean War. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, nicknamed El Supremo by his subordinates, is taken by surprise when the North Korean Army surges south across the 38th parallel. After early losses, he rallies his troops and stems the tide, but not for long. Intertwining stories of literally an army of characters reveal how MacArthur and his sycophantic staff overlook the entire Red Chinese Army, which is massed behind the Yalu River and about to enter the war. Brig. Gen. Fleming Pickering attempts to mediate the ongoing battles between feisty, give-'em-hell Harry Truman and the haughty MacArthur, while worrying about his pilot son, Malcolm "Pick" Pickering, who has been shot down behind enemy lines. The introduction of the Sikorsky H-19A helicopter into the war by Maj. Kenneth "Killer" McCoy and sidekick Master Gunner Ernie Zimmerman details the invention of tactics that will become commonplace in Vietnam. Readers looking for guts and glory military action will be disappointed, as barely a shot is fired in anger, but fans of Griffin's work understand that the pleasures are in the construction of a complex, big-picture history of war down to its smallest details: "There were two men in the rear seat, both of them wearing fur-collared zippered leather jackets officially known as Jacket, Flyers, Intermediate Type G-1." Veterans of the series will enjoy finding old comrades caught up in fresh adventures, while new-guy readers can easily enter here and pick up the ongoing story. Author tour.
Customer Reviews
Great Continuation of The Corps Series
I have read all but one of the books in the series. Every book has been exceptional. The evolution of the characters and all of the challenges they face, create an endearing appreciation of these hero’s. They are the soldiers one would hope to be facing the same situations.
Retreat Hell
I have read, and re-read each of Griffin’s books at least three times. Each time I feel I am talking with an old friend, perhaps sitting in a comfortable chair and sipping ancient scotch. I look forward to my next re-reading. I can only wonder why Griffin has found it necessary to cease writing.
Bill Schoettler