“Bryan Gibby’s latest offering, Korean Showdown: National Policy and Military Strategy in a Limited War, 1952–1952, delivers one of the most soundly researched, comprehensive and in-depth analyses of the Korean War published to date. . . . It will become a staple reference work for students of both the Korean War and the Cold War.”
—Army Magazine
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“Dr. Gibby offers one of the best US military history studies on the Korean War by successfully examining how the US Army applied total war experience and training to a new limited war and accomplished Washington’s Cold War political goal in East Asia. A milestone in US military history research of the Korean War.
He focuses on the US war strategy and operations of 1952, the most forgotten year of the ‘forgotten war.’ His well-researched study provides a better understanding of the military historiography of the Korean War and essential to understanding general trends in military cultures of the United States. It is highly recommended.”
—Xiaobing Li, author of A History of the Modern Chinese Army
“Bryan Gibby has made a major contribution to military history with this detailed description of an often-forgotten year in an often-forgotten war. Yet this experience trying to apply coercion in a limited war 70 years ago is still very relevant to the problems of contemporary war termination. Scholars and soldiers, as well as policy makers, will profit from reading this thoughtful book.”
—Conrad C. Crane, author of American Airpower Strategy in Korea, 1950-1953
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“Bryan Gibby’s latest offering, Korean Showdown: National Policy and Military Strategy in a Limited War, 1951–1952, delivers one of the most soundly researched, comprehensive and in-depth analyses of the Korean War published to date. . . . Readers will find this book to be an excellent and well-documented work that sets a standard for the historian and casual reader alike. I highly recommend this scholarly effort to both soldiers and laymen who engage in a study of the Korean War as a superb historical account of that conflict. It will become a staple reference work for students of both the Korean War and the Cold War.”
— Association of the United States Army Book Review
“Gibby examines military operations both on the ground and in the air . . . which are often overlooked in many studies of the conflict. He concludes that in order to successfully wage war, a nation’s civilian and military leadership must work together to establish clear political objectives and a workable military strategy to accomplish those goals. Most importantly, political objectives should drive military operations, not the other way around as often happened in Korea. The author asserts that this was a primary factor in leading to a stalemate in Korea, on the battlefield and at the negotiation table. Recommended.”
—CHOICE
“Korean Showdown links the tactical, operational, and strategic levels for the two Koreas, the US, and the People’s Republic of China. For the first time in an English language work, this book shows the Chinese side of this dynamic and how it interacted with the American side on all three levels.”
—William M. Donnelly, author of Under Army Orders: The Army National Guard during the Korean War
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