This is the story of the ships that responded to the foggy and chaotic start to the Korean War. The invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950 came as a complete surprise to the West. The North Koreans attacked without warning and such ferocity that it was unclear whether the Republic of South Korea would survive. When the conflict erupted; the post-World War II navies of the United States and Great Britain had been dramatically reduced in size; strength; and perceived need. The limited U.S. and British naval forces that responded to the onslaught of the communist incursion had no intel regarding North Korea's war plan or the possible military intentions of the Soviet Union. The crisis was fraught with tension as the first days and weeks of the suddenly hot "Cold War" unfolded. From atomic considerations; evacuations; air and submarine threats; surface gunnery actions; airstrikes; shore bombardments; special ops; to amphibious landings and mine warfare; the naval forces present at the beginning of the war had to do it all in this eye-opening display of the vital importance of sea power. With 39 photographs; 6 maps; and 272 footnotes; this history not only tells the story of the initial stage of the war at sea in Korea but goes on to follow the service careers and fates of the warships and other vessels after their unexpected and volatile nexus in the summer of 1950.
#379823 in Books Scribner Book Company 2016-11-15 2016-11-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.37 x 1.00 x 5.50l; .0 #File Name: 1476727988384 pagesScribner Book Company
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Churchill As You've Never Quite Seen Him Before - An Un-Put-Downable Book!By Book Lover 22I love history well told; and this book delivers!! I could not put it down once I started. In this book; you are transported to a very anxious London as Hitler is plundering Europe and many in the British Parliament want appeasement while the people in countryside and London; remembering the toll of the last war; worry deeply. The author enables you to intimately feel a most dramatic and romantic time. And here is a Churchill not quite seen before: cunning and willing to resort to mild deceit to get his fellow Parliamentarians; especially his foes like Lord Hallifax; to do the right thing. Even though I knew from history books what would happen; I was on the edge of my seat. Highly recommended for those especially interested in the subject as well as those who have never opened a World War Two book. Human drama; resolve and courage; warts and all; during an unforgetable era.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Another Brilliant Read by John KellyBy davidmarksI’ve been waiting for this one for months; and frankly; it was worth it.Never Surrender is yet another brilliant and masterful job by John Kelly; who; it must be noted; has never failed to grip me with his illustrative and generous prose and insights. This is the rare genius of an author/historian who; quite literally; brings to life one of the greatest men of the twentieth century. This is the unique and unequaled promise of Mr. Kelly; whose understanding of history is vast; and who can sift through the complexities of our past; and cast light on extraordinary moments in time; making them as real today; as they were when they occurred. This is the genius of a writer who can take us to yesterday; to a time where our very humanity was in peril; and show us how one man was able to transform the world; and change the course of global events.I am utterly thrilled to own this historical masterpiece; and I will proudly recommend it to lovers of history; to students everywhere; to those who wish to learn more about the power and grace of Churchill; and to those who simply yearn for great writing. This is a classic borne of yesterday; written for today; and no bookshelf will be complete without it. What a giant of a read!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An Inspiring Read!By Elin Schoen BrockmanI’m not a WWII history buff; but one of my best friends is. And skimming through “Never Surrender†in order to decide whether to buy it for him; I got hooked – on page 22; to be exact; when the crime writer Margery Allingham enters what is essentially the story of Churchill’s world-changing decision to take on; rather than appease; Nazi Germany. It is summer 1938. Hitler has annexed Austria and is about to grab the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. Neville Chamberlain; Churchill’s predecessor; has just made his hold-the-course speech; assuring Britons that their government is not about to rush into war over the Czech crisis. But this does not appease people’s fears. In “an obscure Essex village whose sole distinction was its possession of one of the two surviving Maypoles in England;†Margery Allingham is hosting a backyard meeting of the annual village cricket party. When the subject of Czechoslovakia comes up; Margery; who grew up during the devastating Great War; has “an astonishing thought:†“War; which had savaged the generation before hers; now seemed about to savage the generation after hers. The thought was so staggering; she found it ‘hardly to be borne.’†The brilliance of John Kelly’s meticulously documented account of the fall of Chamberlain; the rise of Churchill; and the impact of imminent war on the British people lies in its seamless interweaving of personal observations and anecdotes from the diaries of Allingham and others (from Mollie Painter Downes to Vera Brittain to Claire Boothe (Luce) to the foreign minister of Fascist Italy; Galleazzo Ciano) with vivid military and political narrative; making the book not only compulsively readable; but full of revelations that I’m pretty sure must be new even to those more familiar with this territory. Like my friend the history buff. (I bought us each a copy of the book; incidentally; and he loved it as much as I did.) I was impressed; too; by Kelly’s ability – he’s as talented a writer as he is a researcher – to move and inspire; not just to inform. The portrait he presents of Churchill is far more nuanced and accessible than the usual overblown depiction. In “Never Surrender†we experience in intimate detail The Great Man Out to Save the World instilling courage and forbearance into the hearts and souls of his own countrymen and women – again; through their eyes; often in their exact words. “He brought you up to his level;†wrote Margery Allingham. And in the process of doing so; he not only became a hero; he created a nation of heroes.
