Enter the Dragon: China's Undeclared War Against the U.S. in Korea, 1950-1951 - Softcover

Spurr, Russell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1557049149 ISBN 13: 9781557049148

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2010

Synopsis

Reissued to coincide with the 60th anniversary of U.S. involvement in the Korean War, this gripping, dramatic military classic re-creates six pivotal months in the conflict, told from both the Chinese and Allied sides.

The Korean War was, years before Vietnam, the first great East-West military misadventure, eventually engaging sixteen countries under the U.N. flag in war against China and North Korea. Enter the Dragon examines the Chinese side of the Korean War for the first time, re-creating and dramatizing Communist China's reluctant role in the undeclared war against the U.S. in Korea. Russell Spurr's military classic is drawn from firsthand recollections of observers and participants on both sides, and focuses on six pivotal months, beginning in August 1950, when China first deliberated intervention, through their first strike in October, to the standstill at the end of January 1951.

Based on five years of research and over 20 fact-finding trips to the People's Republic of China and Korea, Enter the Dragon describes why China became involved in Korea and how its strategy evolved, and re-creates life on the front lines, conference rooms, and in the streets of the embattled cities.

About this title

About the Author

Russell Spurr was based in Hong Kong for more than 20 years as the China and Far East correspondent for the London Daily Express and ABC Radio Network, and the chief correspondent and deputy editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review. He was one of the first Western correspondents to report from Peking after the establishment in 1949 of the People's Republic of China. During World War II Spurr was in the Royal Indian Navy, and served in motor gunboats through most of the Burma campaign. After the Japanese surrender, he was assigned to Kure, Japan, where he first viewed the vacant dock built for the Yamato and began to pursue the story of its demise. Spurr is also the author of the highly acclaimed Enter the Dragon: China's Undeclared War Against the U.S. in Korea.

Review

"Dramatic…Mr. Spurr has tackled a difficult topic and is to be applauded."—The New York Times Book Review

"As entertaining as a novel, Spurr’s book…commendably provides a strong, you-are-there sense of the war."—The Washington Post Book World

"A thrilling narrative that holds the reader to the last page. Highly recommended."—Los Angeles Times

"Spurr’s unique opportunity to use Chinese and North Korean archives and his interviews with participants give the work a reality not found in comparable books."—Library Journal

"This is a remarkable account of a neglected war…Enter the Dragon is nothing short of superb."—Naval War College Review

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1557049149
• ISBN 13: 9781557049148
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384