A War of Patrols: Canadian Army Operations in Korea (review)

In the last two years a number of publications examining the Canadian experience of the Korean conflict have become available. These books, although unlike in format and style, are similar in that they are able to draw upon a large number of sources to examine dispassionately the events of fifty years ago. In conjunction with official histories they form a comprehensive modern dialogue on Canadian Army involvement in the Korean War. This discourse addresses what were formerly silences in the body of historical material concerned with the Canadian Army throughout that conflict. Of particular note in this dialogue is William Johnston's A War of Patrols: Canadian Army Operations in Korea. This book provides a highly acclaimed revisionist counterpoint to commonly accepted unfavourable perceptions of the performance of the hastily formed all-volunteer Special Force. He demonstrates, quite to the contrary, that succeeding rotations of professional regular army units failed to continue the successful methods of these initial volunteers. This resulted in allied complaints concerning the mediocrity of Canadian military performance, which until now have been attributed to supposed deficiencies of the Special Force. Johnston has created a seminal work that provokes a thoughtful re-examination of the training, leadership, operations, and tactics demonstrated in the course of Canadian Army operations during the Korean War.

Johnston shows that between 1950 and 1953 there were essentially three separate campaigns conducted by the Canadian 25 Brigade. A War of Patrols reveals that for the period of the initial deployment the Special Force, consisting for the most part of Second World War veterans, had an active, aggressive approach to operations in Korea. He opines that subsequent rotations consisting of serving regular troops did not mirror this attitude, with a corresponding negative impact on the tactical performance of 25 Brigade from late 1951 onwards. Throughout that period the defensive conflict, conducted by the Canadians, degenerated from the aggressive 'war of patrols' waged by the Special Force to passivity, with attempts by the last rotation to regain supremacy on the battlefield. In effect, each set of units fought a different and distinct war, with varying results.

A War of Patrols provides valuable insight to the Canadian military experience. Johnston's methodical, detailed scrutiny of primary and secondary sources provides fresh perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of the Canadian Army in Korea. Additionally, Johnston illustrates a reccurring truth of national policy through the last half-century: 'Canada's involvement in the Korean War was simply the nation's contribution to an international standoff that one only read about in the newspaper.' Because the vital interests of the country were not at risk, as in other instances of Canadian military commitment since that time, the armed forces of Canada sustained themselves by voluntary recruitment and consequently made a limited impression on the nation as a whole. Without the participation of Canadian society the level of public concern regarding the events in Korea was low, with a corresponding effect on the Canadian Army. This lack of curiosity was mirrored in the actions or lack thereof during the passive defence of 1952 and 1953 and was in direct contrast to other Commonwealth units. Johnston provides a complete and contextual account of the manner in which the Canadian Army, albeit unknowingly, conducted three successive individual operations during the Korean War and dispels the commonly held perception of a single and cohesive three- year war. Moreover, he dismisses the myth of amateurism associated with the quickly formed Special Force and prompts a reconsideration of the military qualities of the then existent professional army. A War of Patrols is a definitive work that provides not only a perspective of the relationship of the state and the military but also provokes introspection concerning the role and meaning of regular military forces within the Canadian context. In the final analysis, William Johnston has created a masterful and unique historical account that provides a splendid contribution to the current body of scholarship pertaining...