The Darkest Summer by Bill Sloan

 The Darkest Summer: Pusan and Inchon 1950 by Bill Sloan -385 pages

The onslaught of the North Korean army into South Korea in late June 1950 caught the U.S. by surprise and at a time of deep cuts to the military. Following World War II, many short-sighted officials were calling for the elimination of the Marine Corps as a fighting force. The desperate battles in the summer and fall of 1950 along the Naktong River and the successful amphibious landing at Inchon not only crushed the North Korean forces, but clearly demonstrated the Marine Corps' continued combat value at a time of general apathy in the military and political structure at home. Further misjudgments at the top led to a broadening of the conflict with China. This is an excellent book on the Marines' actions in the first months of the Korean War. The essential role of air support in these campaigns would also be of interest.