The Farthest Valley

A history of the legendary extraction of the Fifth and Seventh Marines from a Chinese trap, told for the first time using Chinese sources. Knee-deep in snow, and under a leaden sky, American Marines thousands of miles from home, watched more snow settle onto the frozen ground, glittering in the fading light. Suddenly, the still Korean night roared to life with the sound of Chinese mortar fire. The Fifth and Seventh Marine Regiments were besieged and surrounded by the Chinese 9th Army Group in a surprise attack at Chosin Reservoir in what is now North Korea. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, defeat and death seemed guaranteed. Their improbable escape after a week of brutal combat required all the Marines'' fighting skills and supreme combat leadership. It has become the stuff of legend and is brilliantly brought to life in this book through first-hand accounts by Joseph Wheelan, himself the son of a Chosin veteran. However, The Farthest Valley also uses Chinese military documents to give a unique perspective on Chinese strategic and tactical failings which allowed the Marines to escape. Without the Marines the entire United Nations core strength was at risk of collapse which would have changed the outcome of the Korean War. This is a two-part history of incredible tenacity on the part of the Marines and woeful Chinese combat leadership as they gambled away their men''s lives and ultimately victory.>

Auteur

Joseph Wheelan is the author of ten books about 19th- and 20th-century American history including Midnight in the Pacific (2017), Bloody Okinawa (2020) and Bitter Peleliu (2022). Previously, he was an editor and reporter for The Associated Press for 24 years. He lives in Cary, North Carolina.

Contenu

List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Acronyms
Prologue

Part I: Prelude to Chosin
Chapter 1: West of Chosin Reservoir

Part II: The March Upcountry
Chapter 2: The Chinese Menace
Chapter 3: The March North
Chapter 4: Arctic Cold Arrives
Chapter 5: The Chinese Prepare to Attack

Part III: The Trap Closes
Chapter 6: A Night to Remember
Chapter 7: The Longest Night
Chapter 8: Fox Hill
Chapter 9: East of Chosin Reservoir
Chapter 10: Out on a Limb
Chapter 11: Fox Hill Surrounded
Chapter 12: Hagaru-ri
Chapter 13: Surrounded, Losing Hope
Chapter 14: Hellfire Valley
Chapter 15: The Airfield
Chapter 16: The Chinese Destroy a Regiment
Chapter 17: Yudam-ni and Fox Hill
Chapter 18: The Relief of Fox Company
Chapter 19: Entering Hagaru-ri

Part IV: The March to the Sea
Chapter 20: Readying the Breakout
Chapter 21: Hagaru-ri to Koto-ri
Chapter 22: Koto-ri
Chapter 23: The Bridge
Chapter 24: The Last Furlong

Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index