Leadership in the Crucible: The Korean War Battles of Twin Tunnels and Chipyong-Ni (review)

Few books written on the "Forgotten War" have been written with the quality of those by Roy Appleman and S. L. A. Marshall. This book is certainly in that league. Like Appleman, Hamburger goes into great detail on several battles and, like Marshall, he brings out the emotion, violence, and heroism of infantry close combat. This book also presents a comparison of Col. Paul L. Freeman, Col. Marcel G. Crombez, and General Edward M. Almond.

Most of the book discusses the 23rd Regiment of the 2nd Division commanded by Col. Paul L. Freeman. In detail the author describes the battering of the 2nd Division by the Chinese in late November and its withdrawal through a gauntlet on the Kunu-ri-Sunchon Road. He justifies Freeman's decision to withdraw his regiment along the Chongchon River and cross through the 5th Regimental Combat Team. The author describes the men, suffering from hunger and frostbite, riding on the hoods of jeeps and tanks. This reviewer clearly remembers standing on a bridge as the regiment passed by.

The regiment moved into South Korea south of the Han River in January 1951 as General Matthew B. Ridgway took command of Eighth Army. Now part of the 2nd Division again, they came under X Corps, commanded by General Ned Almond, who had just arrived from the Chosin Reservoir. Almond was a controversial officer and liked to command from the top. Attached to them was a French battalion under Lt. Col. Ralph Monclar, an experienced veteran, who in France held the rank of Lt. General. This unit of professionals was to make an outstanding record in the war, receiving U.S. Presidential Unit Citations three times.

The two battles the regiment fought, "Twin Tunnels" and "Chipyong-ni," are discussed in detail. The regiment took many casualties. Chipyong-ni, the final battle, is the most interesting. Here the regiment entered Chipyong-ni, where several roads joined and set up a blocking position to prevent the Chinese from entering the roadnet. A tight perimeter was established to prevent any gaps for Chinese infiltration. For three days they held off four Chinese and two North Korean divisions. In spite of controversy between Ridgway and Almond over the regiment remaining or withdrawing, the regiment stayed and was saved by Task Force Crombez, which ran a gauntlet to save them. Col. Crombez, the commander, was a colorful figure: "stubborn, opinionated, and ego driven."

Anyone reading this book should read Roy Appleman first to understand why these battles were so important in the first year of the war. In addition, the author might have added a few general area maps to follow the route of the 23rd Regiment. When he goes into detail about the close infantry fighting, his maps are excellent. His coverage of fighting in cold winter weather with all its problems is superb. I highly recommend this book.