--- product_id: 130543131 title: "On Desperate Ground: The Epic Story of Chosin Reservoir--the Greatest Battle of the Korean War" price: "754342₫" currency: VND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.vn/products/130543131-on-desperate-ground-the-epic-story-of-chosin-reservoir-greatest store_origin: VN region: Vietnam --- # On Desperate Ground: The Epic Story of Chosin Reservoir--the Greatest Battle of the Korean War **Price:** 754342₫ **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** On Desperate Ground: The Epic Story of Chosin Reservoir--the Greatest Battle of the Korean War - **How much does it cost?** 754342₫ with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vn](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/130543131-on-desperate-ground-the-epic-story-of-chosin-reservoir-greatest) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description From the New York Times bestselling author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers , a chronicle of the extraordinary feats of heroism by Marines called on to do the impossible during the greatest battle of the Korean War. "Superb ... A masterpiece of thorough research, deft pacing and arresting detail...This war story—the fight to break out of a frozen hell near the Chosin Reservoir—has been told many times before. But Sides tells it exceedingly well, with fresh research, gritty scenes and cinematic sweep." — The Washington Post On October 15, 1950, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of UN troops in Korea, convinced President Harry Truman that the Communist forces of Kim Il-sung would be utterly defeated by Thanksgiving. The Chinese, he said with near certainty, would not intervene in the war. As he was speaking, 300,000 Red Chinese soldiers began secretly crossing the Manchurian border. Led by some 20,000 men of the First Marine Division, the Americans moved deep into the snowy mountains of North Korea, toward the trap Mao had set for the vainglorious MacArthur along the frozen shores of the Chosin Reservoir. What followed was one of the most heroic--and harrowing--operations in American military history, and one of the classic battles of all time. Faced with probable annihilation, and temperatures plunging to 20 degrees below zero, the surrounded, and hugely outnumbered, Marines fought through the enemy forces with ferocity, ingenuity, and nearly unimaginable courage as they marched their way to the sea. Hampton Sides' superb account of this epic clash relies on years of archival research, unpublished letters, declassified documents, and interviews with scores of Marines and Koreans who survived the siege. While expertly detailing the follies of the American leaders, On Desperate Ground is an immediate, grunt's-eye view of history, enthralling in its narrative pace and powerful in its portrayal of what ordinary men are capable of in the most extreme circumstances. Hampton Sides has been hailed by critics as one of the best nonfiction writers of his generation. As the Miami Herald wrote, "Sides has a novelist's eye for the propulsive elements that lend momentum and dramatic pace to the best nonfiction narratives." Review: Too Little Known Battle Brought to Life - The story of General Oliver Smith's 1st Marines at Chosin Reservoir is too little known and unappreciated due to the stalemate that became the Korean War. Hampton Side's book "On Desperate Ground" should rectify that. As usual, Sides has told a non-fiction happening with the skill that enlivens the persons, places and events and turns the tale into a story. Sides gives a good overview that sets the stage of the battle including the 1st Marine's successful landing at Inchon and battle to clear Seoul. The success of Inchon fueled the megalomania of MacArthur (and spurred his sycophant General Edward Almond, Smith's Corps commander, into command decisions unrestrained by prudence or reality) - who almost alone was confident that the Inchon flank would be successful and avoid the disastrous repulse many in the American command feared. That hubris led MacArthur to initiate his dash to the Yalu River, with his forces widely dispersed and ignoring the potential for Chinese intervention even after Chinese troops had been engaged. (Sides also discusses Truman's and the Joint Chiefs' disastrous deferral to MacArthur's strategic judgement in demonstrating shortfalls of American higher authority). The 1st Marines were tasked with approaching the Yalu up a one-road mountainous path toward the Chosin Reservoir. Upon reaching that objective a massive Chinese army comprised of multiple divisions fell upon them. This set up the hellacious below-zero winter battle and "attack in the other direction" (to avoid the use of the hated "retreat" word) that General Smith brilliantly executed to save his command. Sides has interviewed and obtained interviews with many of the participants including some Chinese sources and a civilian who was both at Seoul and the staging city our forces ultimately evacuated from. This gives an immediacy to the battle and takes the reader onto the hilltops, medical tents, convoys, and perimeters that hosted American (and some British) soldiers in arctic conditions as they fought to maintain unit cohesion amid overwhelming numerical pressure from the Chinese. The author centers most of his story on the view from the front line. This is battle in all its cold, pain, misery, fear and confusion told by an expert. The grunts-eye view puts into perspective the issues General Smith was facing as he overcame numerous problems of supply, engineering and troop disposition. Smith's command was brilliant and he is an American general who deserves to be more well known - his defense at Chosin and successful retreat were every bit as brilliant if not more than McAuliffe's successful defense of Bastogne (though to be fair, different wars. Smith faced harsher weather and his troops scattered initially with some cut-off. McAuliffe faced a much more advanced and well-equipped enemy in the Germans as compared to the Chinese facing Smith, though McAuliffe enjoyed an intact perimeter as well as an advancing relief in the form of George S. Patton). Ultimately successful, the battle and retreat made thousands of American casualties due solely to the Corps and Theater Commanders wishful thinking and negligent troop disposition and management. The fact that it was not a surrender a la Corregidor is solely due to General Smith, his regimental commanders, junior officers and the grit and tenacity of his Marines. In my mind, this story further illustrates why the Marines are due the reputation that has made them thought of as one of the finest fighting entities ever assembled. Sides does what he's done well in "Ghost Soldiers," "Blood and Thunder," and "Kingdom of Ice," This author gives great history the voice it deserves to produce thrilling stories. Review: Riveting account of the Chosin Reservoir campaign during the Korean War - A couple of years ago, I read Sides's "Hellhound on His Tale," an account of the intersecting paths of James Earl Ray and Martin Luther King. It's one of the best books I've ever read. So, I was expecting good things from this book and I wasn't disappointed. I knew only the bare outlines of the story of the First Marine Division's ambush by Chinese Communist forces in area around the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Sides provides a gripping and detailed account of what was one of the more harrowing battles ever fought by U.S. forces. This is one of those books that propels you through it at a breakneck pace. So, I liked the book and learned a lot from it, but I have a few caveats. First, although I haven't read any of them, there have been multiple earlier accounts of this campaign, some written by participants. Whether anyone who has read one or more of those accounts will profit from reading Sides's book, I can't say. He doesn't make clear what new information he may be bringing to the story. He has interviewed some of the survivors, but I would guess that earlier authors did as well. I was on the fence between giving the book four stars or five. It probably merits four and a half. Although I think it's a great read, I also think that, like too many books these days, it needed one more draft. Like many authors writing the history of a single battle or segment of a campaign, Sides faced the question of how much of the story of the Korean War to tell. Overall he did a decent job, but there are some gaps. For instance, he sketches out what was happening on the western side of the Korean peninsula as UN forces swept all the way to the border with China at the Yalu River. We could really have used a map of that part of the campaign. (The only maps are in the books endpapers and the only detail given is for the area in and around the reservoir.) We're never told the fate of these forces. Presumably they were also attacked by Chinese troops and retreated south, but it would have been nice to at least have a couple of pages informing us of what happened. Similarly, early in the book he discusses McArthur and Truman during the period leading up to the Marines marching north and includes an account of their face-to-face meeting. But once the battle at the reservoir begins, they pretty much drop out of the story. In particular, I was wondering why no effort was made to land additional troops to break through to the Marines trapped around Chosin. Were there no other available troops in the theater? Was there insufficient time to bring them into the action? He should have provided some explanation, as well as an account of the options MacArthur and Truman considered. There are also some gaps in the details of the story. He discusses at length the fate of the Army Task Force Faith that is surrounded on the east side of the reservoir. But how they extricated themselves is not well explained. The trapped troops were told to abandon their vehicles and travel overland until they reached the frozen reservoir, and then proceed on to link up with the Marines at the southern end of the reservoir. Sides describes the Army troops as having devolving into an undisciplined mob as they scrambled to safety. That description made me wonder how 2,000 of the 3,000 men managed to escape. If the Chinese troops had them surrounded, couldn't they have killed or captured them before they made it overland to the reservoir? Particularly since, according to Sides, many of the soldiers had thrown away their rifles. Similarly, he leaves the impression that General Smith and the forces at Hagaru-ri were cut off from the Marines down the road at Koto-ri. Yet no real description is given of how Smith's forces end up making it to Koto-ri. I assume they fought their way out, but some description would have been nice. The book ends with a brief account of the remainder of the Korean War. Given we had been given descriptions of the thinking of MacArthur and Truman about invading North Korea, I think Sides should have provided some account of why they (or maybe just the Truman Administration) decided after the X Corps had successfully retreated to the coast, not to resume an offensive into North Korean territory the following spring. Overall, then, an excellent book, particularly if you have not read one of the other accounts of this campaign, but it has its flaws. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #13,875 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Korean War Campaigns History #50 in American Military History #65 in Engineering (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 5,012 Reviews | ## Images ![On Desperate Ground: The Epic Story of Chosin Reservoir--the Greatest Battle of the Korean War - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/818HIrQpq3L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Too Little Known Battle Brought to Life *by W***H on January 20, 2019* The story of General Oliver Smith's 1st Marines at Chosin Reservoir is too little known and unappreciated due to the stalemate that became the Korean War. Hampton Side's book "On Desperate Ground" should rectify that. As usual, Sides has told a non-fiction happening with the skill that enlivens the persons, places and events and turns the tale into a story. Sides gives a good overview that sets the stage of the battle including the 1st Marine's successful landing at Inchon and battle to clear Seoul. The success of Inchon fueled the megalomania of MacArthur (and spurred his sycophant General Edward Almond, Smith's Corps commander, into command decisions unrestrained by prudence or reality) - who almost alone was confident that the Inchon flank would be successful and avoid the disastrous repulse many in the American command feared. That hubris led MacArthur to initiate his dash to the Yalu River, with his forces widely dispersed and ignoring the potential for Chinese intervention even after Chinese troops had been engaged. (Sides also discusses Truman's and the Joint Chiefs' disastrous deferral to MacArthur's strategic judgement in demonstrating shortfalls of American higher authority). The 1st Marines were tasked with approaching the Yalu up a one-road mountainous path toward the Chosin Reservoir. Upon reaching that objective a massive Chinese army comprised of multiple divisions fell upon them. This set up the hellacious below-zero winter battle and "attack in the other direction" (to avoid the use of the hated "retreat" word) that General Smith brilliantly executed to save his command. Sides has interviewed and obtained interviews with many of the participants including some Chinese sources and a civilian who was both at Seoul and the staging city our forces ultimately evacuated from. This gives an immediacy to the battle and takes the reader onto the hilltops, medical tents, convoys, and perimeters that hosted American (and some British) soldiers in arctic conditions as they fought to maintain unit cohesion amid overwhelming numerical pressure from the Chinese. The author centers most of his story on the view from the front line. This is battle in all its cold, pain, misery, fear and confusion told by an expert. The grunts-eye view puts into perspective the issues General Smith was facing as he overcame numerous problems of supply, engineering and troop disposition. Smith's command was brilliant and he is an American general who deserves to be more well known - his defense at Chosin and successful retreat were every bit as brilliant if not more than McAuliffe's successful defense of Bastogne (though to be fair, different wars. Smith faced harsher weather and his troops scattered initially with some cut-off. McAuliffe faced a much more advanced and well-equipped enemy in the Germans as compared to the Chinese facing Smith, though McAuliffe enjoyed an intact perimeter as well as an advancing relief in the form of George S. Patton). Ultimately successful, the battle and retreat made thousands of American casualties due solely to the Corps and Theater Commanders wishful thinking and negligent troop disposition and management. The fact that it was not a surrender a la Corregidor is solely due to General Smith, his regimental commanders, junior officers and the grit and tenacity of his Marines. In my mind, this story further illustrates why the Marines are due the reputation that has made them thought of as one of the finest fighting entities ever assembled. Sides does what he's done well in "Ghost Soldiers," "Blood and Thunder," and "Kingdom of Ice," This author gives great history the voice it deserves to produce thrilling stories. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Riveting account of the Chosin Reservoir campaign during the Korean War *by H***N on October 20, 2018* A couple of years ago, I read Sides's "Hellhound on His Tale," an account of the intersecting paths of James Earl Ray and Martin Luther King. It's one of the best books I've ever read. So, I was expecting good things from this book and I wasn't disappointed. I knew only the bare outlines of the story of the First Marine Division's ambush by Chinese Communist forces in area around the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Sides provides a gripping and detailed account of what was one of the more harrowing battles ever fought by U.S. forces. This is one of those books that propels you through it at a breakneck pace. So, I liked the book and learned a lot from it, but I have a few caveats. First, although I haven't read any of them, there have been multiple earlier accounts of this campaign, some written by participants. Whether anyone who has read one or more of those accounts will profit from reading Sides's book, I can't say. He doesn't make clear what new information he may be bringing to the story. He has interviewed some of the survivors, but I would guess that earlier authors did as well. I was on the fence between giving the book four stars or five. It probably merits four and a half. Although I think it's a great read, I also think that, like too many books these days, it needed one more draft. Like many authors writing the history of a single battle or segment of a campaign, Sides faced the question of how much of the story of the Korean War to tell. Overall he did a decent job, but there are some gaps. For instance, he sketches out what was happening on the western side of the Korean peninsula as UN forces swept all the way to the border with China at the Yalu River. We could really have used a map of that part of the campaign. (The only maps are in the books endpapers and the only detail given is for the area in and around the reservoir.) We're never told the fate of these forces. Presumably they were also attacked by Chinese troops and retreated south, but it would have been nice to at least have a couple of pages informing us of what happened. Similarly, early in the book he discusses McArthur and Truman during the period leading up to the Marines marching north and includes an account of their face-to-face meeting. But once the battle at the reservoir begins, they pretty much drop out of the story. In particular, I was wondering why no effort was made to land additional troops to break through to the Marines trapped around Chosin. Were there no other available troops in the theater? Was there insufficient time to bring them into the action? He should have provided some explanation, as well as an account of the options MacArthur and Truman considered. There are also some gaps in the details of the story. He discusses at length the fate of the Army Task Force Faith that is surrounded on the east side of the reservoir. But how they extricated themselves is not well explained. The trapped troops were told to abandon their vehicles and travel overland until they reached the frozen reservoir, and then proceed on to link up with the Marines at the southern end of the reservoir. Sides describes the Army troops as having devolving into an undisciplined mob as they scrambled to safety. That description made me wonder how 2,000 of the 3,000 men managed to escape. If the Chinese troops had them surrounded, couldn't they have killed or captured them before they made it overland to the reservoir? Particularly since, according to Sides, many of the soldiers had thrown away their rifles. Similarly, he leaves the impression that General Smith and the forces at Hagaru-ri were cut off from the Marines down the road at Koto-ri. Yet no real description is given of how Smith's forces end up making it to Koto-ri. I assume they fought their way out, but some description would have been nice. The book ends with a brief account of the remainder of the Korean War. Given we had been given descriptions of the thinking of MacArthur and Truman about invading North Korea, I think Sides should have provided some account of why they (or maybe just the Truman Administration) decided after the X Corps had successfully retreated to the coast, not to resume an offensive into North Korean territory the following spring. Overall, then, an excellent book, particularly if you have not read one of the other accounts of this campaign, but it has its flaws. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best U.S. military history account ever. *by A***R on September 1, 2025* What an epic tale of warfare, survival, grief and despair. You will not put this book down and you will cry at the end, it is that good. The plots and subplots, expertly woven together in Hampton Sides’ inimitable style of clarity and color—the man’s vocabulary is simply epic—paint an indelible picture of the governments and ideologies that defined this terrible moment of the Cold War. The bravery in this battle that the author recounts in vivid, scorching detail is heart-rending, and the action unstoppable. I’ve read many, many of the great works on the Civil War, WWII, and Vietnam, and this hidden gem about the Frozen Chosin is the best. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vn/products/130543131-on-desperate-ground-the-epic-story-of-chosin-reservoir-greatest](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/130543131-on-desperate-ground-the-epic-story-of-chosin-reservoir-greatest) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vietnam* *Store origin: VN* *Last updated: 2026-06-08*