The Frozen Chosen: The 1st Marine Division and the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir

by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Overview

The Frozen Chosen is an account of the breakout from the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea by the 1st Marine Division from November to December 1950, following the intervention of Red China in the Korean War. Fought during the worst blizzard in a century, it is considered by the United States Marine Corps to be “the Corps' finest hour.” Fourteen Medals of Honor, a record for any American battle, and eighty-five Navy Crosses—many awarded in lieu of an original nomination for the Medal of Honor—attest to the intensity of the battle.

Based on first-person interviews from surviving veterans who came to be known as the “Frozen Chosen,” this is the incredible story of heroism and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, as a handful of Marines fought desperately against wave after wave of Chinese forces. Sometimes forced into desperate hand-to-hand fighting in intense cold, cut off from reinforcements, and with dwindling supplies and ammunition, the fighting retreat from Chosin marked one of the darkest moments for Western forces in Korea, it but would go on to resonate with generations of Marines as a symbol of the Marine Corps' dogged determination, fighting skill, and never-say-die attitude on the battlefield.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472824882
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has been a published writer for the past 40 years, with his most recent work being the best-selling Osprey titles MiG Alley (2019), I Will Run Wild (2020), Under the Southern Cross (2021), The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club (2021), Going Downtown (2022), The Cactus Air Force (2022) alongside the late Eric Hammel, and most recently Clean Sweep (2023). Tom served in the US Navy in Vietnam and currently lives in Encino, California.

Table of Contents

List of Maps

List of Illustrations

Prologue

Introduction

1. Brother's Keeper

2. Background to War in the Land of The Morning Calm

3. The Wages of Hubris

4. The Fatal Decision

5. First Contact

6. Where is the Enemy?

7. The Chinese Attack

8. Holding On

9. Breakout

10. "Retreat, Hell, We're Just Attacking in a New Direction!"

11. Evacuation

12. Aftermath

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"An excellent account of one of the most epic moments in American history . . . This is a valuable addition to the literature of the war in Korea, and a worthwhile read for anyone interested in men at war.” ---Strategy Page

From the Publisher