Summary of Hampton Sides's On Desperate Ground

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The amphibious invasion taking place off the jetties and docks of Inchon was led by General Douglas MacArthur, and his name would forever be associated with it. But the officer most directly responsible for executing the details of the initial landing was in many ways MacArthur’s opposite: Oliver Prince Smith, commander of the First Marine Division.

#2 General Smith was a cerebral, soft-spoken man who had a reputation in the Corps as an intellectual. He was fluent in French, drank sparingly, and never cursed. He was a professional killer, employed in a hard trade.

#3 Smith was a by-the-book Marine who was known for his calm and gentle demeanor. He was also one of the country’s preeminent experts on the tactics and logistics of amphibious warfare.

#4 Operation Chromite was a plan developed by General MacArthur to land a large force behind the lines and capture Seoul, which was the capital of South Korea. He believed that capturing Seoul would psychologically damage the North Korean army.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669392934

IRB Media

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Insights on Hampton Sides's On Desperate Ground

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The amphibious invasion taking place off the jetties and docks of Inchon was led by General Douglas MacArthur, and his name would forever be associated with it. But the officer most directly responsible for executing the details of the initial landing was in many ways MacArthur’s opposite: Oliver Prince Smith, commander of the First Marine Division.

#2

General Smith was a cerebral, soft-spoken man who had a reputation in the Corps as an intellectual. He was fluent in French, drank sparingly, and never cursed. He was a professional killer, employed in a hard trade.

#3

Smith was a by-the-book Marine who was known for his calm and gentle demeanor. He was also one of the country’s preeminent experts on the tactics and logistics of amphibious warfare.

#4

Operation Chromite was a plan developed by General MacArthur to land a large force behind the lines and capture Seoul, which was the capital of South Korea. He believed that capturing Seoul would psychologically damage the North Korean army.

#5

Douglas MacArthur, the American commander, was the de facto ruler of 83 million foreign subjects during the occupation of Japan. He was the American Mikado, the American Proconsul, and the American Caesar. He was a man in love with the vertical pronoun.

#6

The Inchon landing was a providential undertaking that could not be questioned. But in the end, it was not so much MacArthur who worried Smith, but his chief of staff, Major General Edward Ned Almond.

#7

The Inchon landing was a success, and the journalists aboard the Mount McKinley tried to capture the scene. Now and then puffs of smoke came softly from the muzzles of the naval guns, waving lazily like huge indolent fingers in their turrets, wrote Reginald Thompson, a British correspondent.

#8

The Inchon landing was a huge success, and the bold gamble proved to be a huge success. It was clear that the North Koreans had been thoroughly cowed. The way was clear for many tens of thousands of US troops to come ashore beginning the next day.

#9

In Seoul, the citizens were anxiously waiting for the American army to arrive. The North Korean government had labeled this house a traitor’s house, but six children called it home.

#10

After World War II, Korea was divided into two separate countries at the thirty-eighth parallel. The two nations shared the same culture, history, and language, but were quickly