MacArthur's Korean War Generals (Modern War Studies)

MacArthur's Korean War Generals (Modern War Studies)

Wedged chronologically between World War II and Vietnam, the Korean Warâ€”which began with North Koreaâ€™s invasion of South Korea in June of 1950â€”possessed neither the virtuous triumphalism of the former nor the tragic pathos of the latter. Most Americans supported defending South Korea, but there was considerable controversy during the war as to the best means to do soâ€”and the question was at least as exasperating for American army officers as it was for the general public. A longtime historian of American military leadership in the crucible of war, Stephen R. Taaffe takes a close critical look at how the highest ranking field commanders of the Eighth Army acquitted themselves in the first, decisive year in Korea. Because an army is no better than its leadership, his analysis opens a new perspective on the army's performance in Korea, and on the conduct of the war itself.

In that first year, the Eighth Armyâ€™s leadership ran the gamut from impressive to lacklusterâ€”a surprising unevenness since so many of the high-ranking officers had been battle-tested in World War II. Taaffe attributes these leadership difficulties to the armyâ€™s woefully unprepared state at the warâ€™s start, army personnel policies, and General Douglas MacArthurâ€™s corrosive habit of manipulating his subordinates and pitting them against each other. He explores the personalities at play, their pre-war experiences, the manner of their selection, their accomplishments and failures, and, of course, their individual relationships with each other and MacArthur. By explaining who these field, corps, and division commanders were, Taaffe exposes the armyâ€™s institutional and organizational problems that contributed to its up-and-down fortunes in Korea in 1950â€“1951. Providing a better understanding of MacArthurâ€™s controversial generalship, Taaffeâ€™s book offers new and invaluable insight into the armyâ€™s life-and-death struggle in Americaâ€™s least understood conflict.
Country USA
Brand University Press of Kansas
Manufacturer University Press of Kansas
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 6 Maps
ReleaseDate 2016-02-25
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780700622214

Country	USA
Brand	University Press of Kansas
Manufacturer	University Press of Kansas
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	6 Maps
ReleaseDate	2016-02-25
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780700622214

MacArthur's Korean War Generals (Modern War Studies)

You might also like...