Breakout

By Martin Russ,

Book cover of Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950

Book description

On General Douglas MacArthur's orders, a force of 12,000 U.S. Marines were marching north to the Yalu river in late November 1950. These three regiments of the 1st Marine Division--strung out along eighty miles of a narrow mountain road--soon found themselves completely surrounded by 60,000 Chinese soldiers. Despite being given…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Breakout as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

If “Shared misery” bonded the Spartans together at Thermopylae in 485 BC, it was those bonds that enabled 19,000 U.S. Marines to fight their way 79 miles to safety through 300,000+ Chinese soldiers in sub-zero temperatures in December 1950.

Author Martin Russ is a former Marine who fought at Chosin Reservoir, going on to a career as a writing professor.  Well-researched, Breakout is both historically accurate, as well as filled with information and personal anecdotes offered to Russ when interviewing his fellow Marines.

Although the Chinese had warned about not approaching their border, Gen Douglas MacArthur disregarded them, and as…

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