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<a href="http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette">www.mca-marines.org/gazette</a> 77 M a r i n e C o r p s G a z e t t e • M a y 2 0 0 9 BOOKS A fter the brilliant success at In- chon in September 1950, and as part of MacArthur’s plan to demolish Kim Il Sung’s fleeing North Korean Army, the 1st Marine Division (1st MarDiv), commanded by MajGen O.P. Smith, had been advancing toward the Yalu River. By 27 November 1950, their command post (CP) was in Yudam-ni, just west of the Chosin Reservoir. Under Army MG Edward M. Almond, U.S. Army and allied units were de- ployed along the eastern side of the Chosin. The 1st MarDiv’s units and as- sets stretched precariously along 65 miles of the unpaved main supply route (MSR). Now, as nightly temper- atures dropped to 30 degrees below zero, instead of a defeated, evaporating North Korean foe, Smith’s Marines faced the brunt of China’s massive in- cursion into North Korea. Toktong Pass is a bottleneck area, with high ground overlooking the north-south MSR between Yudam-ni, 7 miles to the north and Hagaru-ri to the south. Capt William E. Barber’s Fox Company received the mission on 27 November to proceed from Hagaru-ri to occupy and hold Toktong Pass. It quickly became obvious that holding this critical terrain, and thus keeping the MSR available and open, would de- termine whether the 8,000 Marines still in or near Yudam-ni—7 miles to the north of the bottleneck—would be able to march southward toward Hagaru-ri and safety or be trapped by the advanc- ing and encircling Chinese Communist Forces (CCF). Bob Drury and Tom Clavin’s The Last Stand of Fox Company relives the 5-day defense of what came to be known as Fox Hill. It is a story of al- most unbounded individual courage and determination; it exemplifies the highest qualities of leadership, especially by Capt Barber, but also by the battal- ion commander, LtCol (later Gen) Ray Davis, who, with tactical ingenuity, led the relief mission on the final day. Al- though the battle for Fox Hill has been described in many books and articles (listed in an excellent bibliography), this new publication provides thor- oughness, context, realism, and detail that do justice to the mission, its mean- ing, and its place in history. From the first day on Fox Hill, Bar- ber’s lone rifle company with attach- ments, starting with 246 effective Marines and corpsmen, faced seem- ingly insurmountable odds, in the worst of weather conditions, with no logistical support except from occa- sional air drops. Drury and Clavin pro- vide painstaking details, moving the narrative chronologically through the fierce nightly close combat between 27 November and 2 December 1950. At the end, fewer than 80 in the company had avoided death or wounds. The Last Stand makes compelling— and chilling—reading. The style is nov- elistic, not academic. The authors clearly did their homework; the known historical events are woven seamlessly into the story. Taken as a whole The Last Stand becomes the best single re- source on the battle. First, in a fast- paced, story-telling style, it presents the drama and ferocity of what happened, the hour-by-hour, day-by-day rhythms of combat, both on Fox Hill and in 1st Battalion, 7th Marine’s (1/7’s) “Ridge- running” relief of Fox Company. Sec- ond, the defense of Fox Hill is placed in its immediate tactical and strategic perspectives. The loss of this key terrain would have fated over 8,000 Marines to near-certain death or capture—a fact on which Barber focuses. Third, as a place in Marine Corps history, the suc- cessful stand, saving a division from de- struction (while imposing devastating losses on a much larger force), Fox Hill is and will remain an enduring symbol of Marine Corps tenacity and courage. Fourth, without at all minimizing the valiant roles of hundreds of Marines and the ultimate sacrifices of many who turned desperate circumstances into victory, The Last Stand demon- strates how heroic leadership—espe- cially that of Capt Bill Barber and LtCol Ray Davis—flows from special men who can inspire their people be- THE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY. By Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 2009 ISBN 9780871139931, 288 pp. $25.00 (Member $22.50) Courage on a Frozen Hilltop reviewed by Col Eric L. Chase, USMCR(Ret) >Col Chase retired in 1998 after more than 30 years of service, Active and Reserve, and practices law in New Jersey.
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