Wonju: The Gettysburg of the Korean War

By December 1950, the dramatic entrance of Communist China into the war had forced the retreat of U.S., South Korean, and other United Nations troops from the Yalu River back into South Korea. In February, 1951, near a central South Korean town named wonju, UN forces finally quit running and started fighting--and stopped the Chinese juggernaut cold.

Just as the Battleo of Gettysburg was the high water mark of the Confederacy's bid for secession, the Chinese offensive launched at Wonju was the high point from which China's hopes for victory soon faded. This is the first book to show that after fifteen days of combat at Wonju, Chinese leaders realized that they could not win the war andcould possibly lose it. On this not particularly well-known battlefield, UN forces led by brave U.S. and South Korean fighting men ensured South Korean independence. These battles reinvigorated the UN war effort, thanks in no small part to the leadership of the U.S. Eighth Army's new commander, Lt. Gen. Matthew Ridgway. J.D. Coleman's comparison bewteen the pivotal battles of Wonju and Gettysburg is original and thought-provoking.