Fifty years after the Korean conflict, what is a forgotten war for some Americans is an aching memory for China. With over a million casualties out of the three million soldiers sent into battle, that war looms as large for the People's Republic of China (PRC) -- barely a year old when North Korea invaded the South -- as World War II does for most other countries. It was the first international war fought by the Chinese Communist regime to halt counterrevolution; it was also a war that the Chinese fully expected to win, by virtue of not only superiority of numbers but also their soldiers' superior "political quality".
This book presents a mosaic of memoirs by key Chinese military commanders from that war, drawing not only on their personal papers but also on still-classified archives and on Chinese-language sources unavailable in English. It offers an uncensored, behind-the-scenes story of the Communist campaign, from the decision to intervene through the truce negotiations, that discloses new information on such facets of the war as strategy and tactics, use of propaganda, and mobilization of the Chinese population. It also reveals the generals' concerns about the possible use of nuclear force and the alleged use of biological and chemical weapons by the United States.
The book contains a wealth of new materials on the Chinese intervention, including combat operations, logistics, political control, field command, and communications. Among those whose recollections are recorded, then-acting Chief of Staff Nie Rongzhen reveals how party leadership decided on intervention, Commander in Chief Peng Dehuai provides personal accounts of major battles and communications with Mao, andGeneral Yang Dezhi shares secrets of Chinese military strategy and tactics, discussing how the army orchestrated each battle to contend with the better equipped UN forces. The volume also features an updated short history of the PRC's conduct of the war based on Chinese sources, plus rare photos from Chinese archives that put readers behind the lines from the Chinese side.
Mao's Generals Remember Korea demonstrates that the PRC continues to draw military, diplomatic, and strategic lessons from the war it fought fifty years ago with the world's most powerful military force. It offers valuable insight into the Chinese way of war and the military mind of Mao that will be a rich resource for Asian and military scholars.
Show moreFifty years after the Korean conflict, what is a forgotten war for some Americans is an aching memory for China. With over a million casualties out of the three million soldiers sent into battle, that war looms as large for the People's Republic of China (PRC) -- barely a year old when North Korea invaded the South -- as World War II does for most other countries. It was the first international war fought by the Chinese Communist regime to halt counterrevolution; it was also a war that the Chinese fully expected to win, by virtue of not only superiority of numbers but also their soldiers' superior "political quality".
This book presents a mosaic of memoirs by key Chinese military commanders from that war, drawing not only on their personal papers but also on still-classified archives and on Chinese-language sources unavailable in English. It offers an uncensored, behind-the-scenes story of the Communist campaign, from the decision to intervene through the truce negotiations, that discloses new information on such facets of the war as strategy and tactics, use of propaganda, and mobilization of the Chinese population. It also reveals the generals' concerns about the possible use of nuclear force and the alleged use of biological and chemical weapons by the United States.
The book contains a wealth of new materials on the Chinese intervention, including combat operations, logistics, political control, field command, and communications. Among those whose recollections are recorded, then-acting Chief of Staff Nie Rongzhen reveals how party leadership decided on intervention, Commander in Chief Peng Dehuai provides personal accounts of major battles and communications with Mao, andGeneral Yang Dezhi shares secrets of Chinese military strategy and tactics, discussing how the army orchestrated each battle to contend with the better equipped UN forces. The volume also features an updated short history of the PRC's conduct of the war based on Chinese sources, plus rare photos from Chinese archives that put readers behind the lines from the Chinese side.
Mao's Generals Remember Korea demonstrates that the PRC continues to draw military, diplomatic, and strategic lessons from the war it fought fifty years ago with the world's most powerful military force. It offers valuable insight into the Chinese way of war and the military mind of Mao that will be a rich resource for Asian and military scholars.
Show more"A fascinating volume offering insights into what remains one of
the most emotional and still controversial issues in modern Chinese
history--the Chinese experience in the Korean War. Until now the
recollections of China's top military personnel, among them the
most colorful and powerful in the Chinese Communist leadership,
have been inaccessible to most Americans. This volume helps us now
to begin reconstructing the views of the 'other side' in the not so
Cold War."--Gordon Chang, author of Friends and Enemies: The United
States, China, and the Soviet Union, 1948-1972"Essential reading
for military and diplomatic historians as well as students of
Chinese politics."--William Stueck, Jr., author of The Korean
War"Provides valuable insight into Chinese perspectives on the
Korean War truce negotiations."--Warren Cohen, author of America's
Response to China
"Three eminent scholars provide one of the best compilations of
high-level Chinese recollections of the 'Forgotten War.' . . . The
multifaceted nature of the memoirs selected gives the reader a
360-degree operational view of Chinese efforts to counter UN and US
actions in the Korean War. . . . Military historians, serving
officers, and designers of future military campaigns should read
this essential volume carefully because it provides a rare glimpse
into the 'troubles of the enemy.'"--Air & Space Power Journal"A
welcome addition to the ever-growing corpus of literature in the
field, shedding new light on the strategic thinking, ideological
inclination, military planning, and execution of the 'other side'
in the conflict."--Journal of Military History"A unique and very
useful source. Anyone who is interested in the Chinese perspective
of the Korean War should read it."--Journal of Asian Studies
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