In an engrossing tale of unsung heroes and high-risk
missions, military historian Breuer (Feuding Allies, 1995, etc.) penetrates the little-known espionage, propaganda, and guerilla operations of the Korean war. When well-equipped, Soviet trained
North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel on June 15, 1950, in what Breuer calls a ``second Pearl Harbor,'' the overmatched South Korean defenders were quickly driven into a small pocket in
southeastern Korea called the Pusan Peninsula. There they held fast, with the emergency support of newly arrived (but inexperienced) American troops.
The covert war began almost immediately. General Douglas MacArthur's special warfare unit spread
disinformation before his surprise landing at Inchon in the enemy rear. Army and CIA units trained
many South Koreans and sent them North to spy and to carry out guerrilla operations, often with great success. Yet the North Koreans and their Chinese allies had their covert victories, too.
Communist forces often seemed to know when and where the UN forces would attack. Breuer tracks these leaks back to the highly placed British traitors Philby, Burgess, and MacLean, who sent copies
of US plans to Moscow.
And the Communist propaganda machine lied so effectively about American ``atrocities'' that some countries demanded investigations, while, Breuer reveals, the Communist military tortured and
killed POWs (including Americans) and civilians. While China and the Soviet Union were officially neutral in the war's early days, Breuer finds that Chinese and Soviet soldiers and airmen (with
their equipment and supplies) were covertly available to the North Koreans, as they were later to the Communists in North Vietnam. Built on personal interviews and sound secondary research,
Breuer's account should please both students of modern military history and espionage enthusiasts. (30 photos, maps)
Pub Date : 17/05/1996
ISBN : 0-471-14438-X
Publisher : Wiley
Review Posted Online : May 20th, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue : March 15th, 1996
Author : William B. Breuer
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Shadow warriors - The Covert War in Korea
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