Into the Breach at Pusan: The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in the Korean War

215 Pages·2012·5.034 MB·English

by  Kenneth W. Estes

Into the Breach at Pusan
Campaigns and Commanders
GENERAL EDITOR
Gregory J. W. Irwin, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ADVISORY BOARD
Lawrence E. Babits, East Carolina University, Greenville
James C. Bradford, Texas A&M University, College Station
Robert M. Epstein, U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies,
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
David M. Glantz, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Jerome A. Greene, Denver, Colorado
Victor Davis Hanson, California State University, Fresno
Herman Hattaway, University of Missouri, Kansas City
J. A. Houlding, Rückersdorf, Germany
Eugenia C. Kiesling, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York
Timothy K. Nenninger, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Bruce Vandervort, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington
Into the Breach at Pusan
The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in the Korean War
Kenneth W. Estes
University of Oklahoma Press : Norman
Also by Kenneth W. Estes
Marines under Armor: The Marine Corps and the Armored Fighting
Vehicle, 1916−2000 (Annapolis, Md., 2000)
Marine Officer’s Guide, 7th ed. (Annapolis, Md., 2008)
U.S. Marines in Iraq 2004−2005: Into the Fray (Washington, D.C., 2011)
This book is published with the generous assistance of The McCasland Foun­
dation, Duncan, Oklahoma.
Library of Congress Cataloging­in­Publication Data
Estes, Kenneth W.
Into the Breach at Pusan : the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in the Korean War
/ Kenneth W. Estes.
p. cm. — (Campaigns and commanders ; v. 31
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978­0­8061­4254­8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Korean War, 1950–1953—Regimental histories—United States. 2. United States.
Marine Corps. Provisional Marine Brigade, 1st. 3. Korean War, 1950–1953—Cam­
paigns—Korea (South)—Pusan region. I. Title.
DS919.E77 2012
951.904'242—dc23
2011050479
Into the Breach at Pusan: The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in the Korean War
is volume 31 in the Campaigns and Commanders series.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of
the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on
Library Resources, Inc. ∞
Copyright © 2012 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing
Division of the University. Manufactured in the U.S.A.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechani­
cal, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—except as permitted under Section
107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act—without the prior written per­
mission of the University of Oklahoma Press. To request permission to repro­
duce selections from this book, write to Permissions, University of Oklahoma
Press, 2800 Venture Drive, Norman OK 73069, or email [email protected].
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Contents
List of Illustrations xi
Preface and Acknowledgments xiii
List of Abbreviations xix
1. The Marine Corps and the Korean Crisis of 1950 3
2. First Fortnight in Korea 33
3. Naktong Battles 66
4. Reorganization and Recording: The Brigade’s Legacy 133
Appendix A. Organization of the 1st Provisional
Marine Brigade, 7 July−13 September 1950 151
Appendix B. Documents 156
Appendix C. Citations 167
Notes 171
Selected Bibliography 183
Index 187
ix
For Geneviève

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood.
Shakespeare, Henry V (5.3.44–51)