The Last Stand of Fox Company is a gory blow by blow account of one of the most famous engagements of the Korean War, when a Company of Marines (about 120 men) killed at least 1000-2000 enemies during a -30 degree winter siege at the top of a mountain ridge. It is compelling in the same way a 1940s war movie with stories of heroism, buddies, gore, humor, salty characters etc.. the tropes are all there. The same battle was covered more briefly by Hampton Sides in On Desperate Ground and I wanted to learn more and this book did exactly that. Hampton's book does a better job with context and bigger picture situation, they are both worthwhile. Read Hampton's first and this one for a deeper though no less entertaining take. ( )

Review of The Last Stand of Fox Company By Alfred Wellnitz
Authors; Bob Drury and Tom Clavin
The Last Stand of Fox Company was read and reviewed by a book club I belong to. During the review we had a member of Fox Company present who participated in the battle described in The Last Stand of Fox Company. My review reflects both the reading of the book and the Fox Company veteran’s memories of the battle.
The book begins as the Marine 7th Regiment, part of the 1st Marine Division moves inland after landing at Wonsan, North Korea. Other than a clash at Sudong Gorge the marines did not encounter resistance as it moved up a single primitive mountain road in an advance toward the Yalu River. The war with North Korea had been considered over except for some mopping up by the MacArthur’s headquarters in Tokyo. The marines advancing into the mountains weren’t so sure. There were persistent rumors and signs of Chinese during the advance. North Korean natives said there were many Chinese in the vicinity of the advance. The soldiers encountered at Sudong were identified as Chinese. The presence of the Chinese was ignored or discounted by the Tokyo headquarters. The marines continued the advance into the mountains seventy eight miles and reached a hamlet called Yudam-ni. The road going to Yudam-ni went through Taktong Pass, a narrow twisting path cut through high mountains. Fox Company with 234 men was dropped off to guard Toktong Pass as the 7th Regiment passed through. Fox Company came under attack almost immediately after taking up positions at Toktong Pass. At the same time the marines that had reached Yudam-ni came under a massive attack as the Chinese sprung the trap they had set to destroy the 1st Marine Division. During four nights and five days Fox Company withstood attack after attack by battalions of enemy soldiers. Three quarters of the Fox Company marines were killed, wounded or captured before they were relieved by a daring overland rescue mission. Three Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded and the Fox Company stand is considered one of the signature Marine Corps actions in the twentieth Century. These were Belleau Wood during World War I, Iwo Jima during World War II, Khe San during Vietnam and Fox Hill.
The Last Stand of Fox Company book describes the Fox Hill battle in part by describing the actions of about two dozen officers and men that participated in the battle. The narrator intersperses this information with descriptions of higher level actions on the company and battalion level and with overall battle strategy by the enemy and marine forces. The reader will not become attached to any of the these battle participants as the narrative jumps from one individual to another or to some higher level action without going to any depth on any part of the action. The technique provides a realistic battle experience where each individual involved sees the battle from a different perspective and fights the war he sees. Sometimes the jump from one action to anther is jarring and it takes a moment to become reoriented. That said the story held my attention. The books descriptions of the ferocity of the fighting, and the terrible cold weather and its effect on everything were excellent.
During the book club review the Fox Company veteran pointed out some instances where his memory of events differed from the books description. Sixty year old memories can vary so who knows what the facts are. The book picked up on a number of the Chosen Reservoir clichés, including the Fox Company forming up and singing the Marine Hymn when they came into Hagaru and getting a small dick out of multiple layers of cloths. Every story about the Chosen Reservoir battle seems to include those tidbits. This brings into question non-fiction based on the memories of a number of individuals and the possible assistance of the author’s imagination at times. Maybe it should be labeled an enhanced true story. In any case the book is assumed to be non-fiction and certainly the battle was very real.
I learned one thing from the Fox Company veteran I had not known about the Chinese soldiers despite having been doing research recently on the first six months of the Korean War. That is Chinese soldiers did not wear gloves. I did know the Chinese wore only cotton socks with sneakers on their feet and suffered terribly as a result. It is hard to imagine not wearing gloves and handling weapons and digging foxholes into the frozen earth under those conditions.
One thing the The Last Stand of Fox Company does do is help make people more aware of the history of the Korean War. The Korean War is called the forgotten war. This book will help keep the memory of that war alive. ( )

'The Last Stand of Fox Company' is a thrilling view from the foxhole of battle that is easily as good as Hal Moore's `We Were Soldiers Once and Young'

The book tells the story of 246 Marines who, during the Chinese counteroffensive in Korean War, were charged with holding a hill overlooking the Main Service Road running from the Chosin Reservoir to the south so that the 8,000 Marines stationed around the reservoir could evacuate (or, in USMC parlance, "attack in another direction"). Surrounded by thousands of Chinese regulars, the men of Fox Company, supplied only with summer gear and little food or ammunition, withstood repeated attacks and temperatures of 30 degrees below zero. It is a story of courage in the face of hardship that makes the battle of the Alamo seem almost trivial in comparison.

Authors Drury & Clavin conducted exhaustive interviews with the surviving veterans of Fox Company and used what they learned to spin in incredible narrative. By skipping from the experiences on one solder to the next and the next they were able to give the reader a feel for the chaos of battle that the individual soldier feels while also gaining an understanding of how the battle unfolded. ( )

Breathtaking, vivid account of men enduring by any available means circumstances unimaginable to anyone who wasn't there. A devastating account of unbeleivable courage, resolve, and commitment. Chilling, horrifying, and magnificent. ( )

This remarkable book tells the remarkable story of a small company of Marines fighting to hold open a mountain pass in Korea. Out-numbered and out-gunned, these 246 Marines hold off 10,000 Chinese soldiers determined to overtake the Toktong Pass near the Choisin Resevoir. The story of their eight day battle is a moving account of bravery and of sacrifice.

Drury and Clavin have given the reader a riveting day-by-day picture of the efforts of this extraordinary group of soliders. The narrative is enriched by what are obviously first-hand accounts from the soldiers themselves. The horrors of the days, where the Marines must battle both the elements and the enemy, are meticulously detailed, as are the ever-mounting casualties.

This book is not an easy read by any means, but even knowing the staggering losses that would be presented, I found it hard to put down. Both the writing and the story itself draw the reader in, and make finishing this book an imperative. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in U.S. military history. ( )