Holding the Line
The Naval Air Campaign in Korea
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Holding the Line
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Narrated by:
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Sean Runnette
About this listen
Naval and air power was crucial to the United Nations' success in the Korean War as it sought to negate the overwhelming Chinese advantage in manpower. In what became known as the "long hard slog", naval aviators sought to slow and cut off Communist forces and support troops on the ground. USS Leyte (CV-32) operated off Korea in the Sea of Japan for a record 93 continuous days to support the Marines in their epic retreat out of North Korea and was crucial in the battles of the spring and summer of 1951 in which the UN forces again battled to the 38th Parallel.
All of this was accomplished with a force that was in the midst of change, as jet aircraft altered the entire nature of naval aviation. Holding the Line chronicles the carrier war in Korea from the first day of the war to the last, focusing on frontline combat while also describing the technical development of aircraft and shipboard operations and how these all affected the broader strategic situation on the Korean Peninsula.
©2019 Thomas McKelvey Cleaver (P)2019 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
The effort put in by the carrier crews was extremely admirable, but I’ve always admired the floating town that is a carrier.
The author also gives the key events of the land battle and political backdrop to add context to the missions. I’m interested in the war full stop, but as a British person i was also pleased to hear about the Royal Navy/Fleet air arm’s operation.
Informative
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Superb History
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Cleaver has two great strengths in this book. First, he is able to telescope between the high level politics and strategy and the accounts from individuals fighting the battles. He does this as well as the great Antony Beevor, which I think says quite a bit about Cleaver's abilities as an author and researcher. Second, Cleaver is skilled in showing the overall global context surrounding the individual combat missions. The result is a book that avoids the pitfalls of military authors when they become too focused on the nitty gritty of individual combat reports or high end strategy, which usually turns the narrative into dry wood.
A nice touch is the inclusion of British naval air operations as well.
Highly recommended.
Outstanding view of Korean War naval air combat
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