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To the Last Round: The Epic British Stand on the Imjin River, Korea 1951 First Edition
Author(s): Andrew Salmon (Author)
- Publisher: Aurum Press
- Publication Date: 25 April 2009
- Edition: First Edition
- Language: English
- Print length: 352 pages
- ISBN-10: 9781845134082
- ISBN-13: 1845134087
Book Description
In 1950 the Cold War turned hot with the Communist invasion of South Korea. But by November, when Britain’s 29th Infantry Brigade landed in Korea, it seemed that the war was all but over. United Nations forces – principally South Koreans and Americans – had decimated the invading North Koreans and were thrusting north towards the Chinese border. Then – catastrophe. China entered the war and panicked UN forces began a 250-mile retreat in sub-zero temperatures. By April 1951, the war hung in the balance.The Chinese had been halted. On the Imjin River, the critical hinge in the line was manned by the British brigade. Then, on the night of 22 April, the largest communist offensive of the Korean War was unleashed. An entire Chinese army assaulted 29th Brigade’s scattered strong-points. One by one, the British units were swamped in the ‘human waves’ of attacking Chinese. For three days hand-to-hand combat raged. At one stage the artillery was firing point-blank, over open sights. Against all odds, 29th Brigade held, but by the third morning it was cut off. The order was given to break out. In a death ride down a valley swarming with enemy, the infantry and tanks battled south. But for one battalion, it was too late. Surrounded on a smoking hilltop, the Glosters fought until their ammunition was exhausted. Of 700 men, less than 50 escaped the trap. The author has interviewed veterans of every unit engaged, to produce an hour-by-hour account of the action as they experienced it in their foxholes. Dramatic, traumatic, moving and inspirational, this is the true story of the band of men who remained at their posts, held an army and astonished the world. Andrew Salmon is a Seoul-based journalist.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘Over a thousand British servicemen lost their lives in the Korean War and here, at last, is a compelling account of a defining moment in the conflict…. An astonishing tale.’
— Good Book Guide, June, 2009
— Good Book Guide, June, 2009
About the Author
Journalist Andrew Salmon covers the Koreas for Forbes, The South China Morning Post, The Times and The Washington Times. Educated at Elizabeth College Guernsey, the University of Kent and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, he is the author of business history American Business and the Korean Miracle and two books about the Korean War. The first, To the Last Round: The Epic British Stand on the Imjin River, Korea, 1951, was the unanimous winner of the Hampshire Libraries/Osprey Publishing €˜Best Military Book of 2009′ award. In 2010, he was honoured at Seoul’s National Assembly with a €˜Korean Wave’ award for his contribution to the literature of the Korean War. He lives in Seoul with wife Ji-young and daughter Hannah.
