Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir

My dad served as a soldier in the Pacific War and has never talked about it--even after I saw combat as a Marine. So I was shocked when he handed me "Colder than Hell" and recommended it as a true account of what combat is really like. We agree and can't understand why it has not been made into a movie. This is a rare account of a subject that generally can't be explained unless you have experienced it. He captures the breathless horror that is combat. Combat vets will finish it and simply say "Yes". The rest of the world will say "Oh my God" and thank men like Owen who have faced the dragon. A must real for the universe.

I recently read "Colder than Hell" and found it to be one of the most motivating books that I have ever come across. Joseph Owen gives an exceptional description of the challenges that the Marines encounter while they are fighting in the Korean War. I am an active duty Marine and after reading this book I hope to display the type courage and strength that Owen and his fellow Marines of Baker-One-Seven did during the Korean War and their breakout of Chosin Reservoir. I would suggest this book to not only Marines but to any Military professional who wants an accurate, and in you face description of what the Korean War was like.

Colder than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir. By Joseph R. Owen. Reviewed by Mike Davino Army Korean War expert Lieutenant Colonel Roy Appleman has called the 1st Marine Division of the Chosin Reservoir campaign "one of the most magnificent fighting organizations that ever served in the United States Armed Forces." The remarkable and inspiring story of the division at the Chosin Reservoir has been the subject of numerous books and several films. During their fighting withdrawal, the Marines decimated several divisions of the Chinese People's Liberation Army while at the same time fighting an exceptionally harsh winter environment. Joseph Owen's new book on the subject tells the story from the cutting edge perspective of a rifle company. The author served as a mortar section leader and rifle platoon commander in Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines from its activation in August 1950 through the Inchon-Seoul and Chosin fighting where he was severely wounded. There are many reasons given for the outstanding performance of the Marines in northeast Korea during the winter of 1950. It is clear from this book that a large measure of the credit goes to the Marines and their leaders at the small unit and rifle company level. Owen's narrative covers the hasty activation and training of the company, its brief participation in the fighting north of Seoul after the amphibious assault at Inchon and the details of its intense fighting at Chosin. He candidly discusses the mistakes made by the leaders and Marines of Baker Company, to include his own. More importantly, Owen covers what they learned from these mistakes and how they used that knowledge to defeat the Chinese in a series of intense actions. Although focused at the company level, the author frames his story with the overall conduct of the campaign. Refreshingly, unlike many books about the Chosin campaign, it is free of partisan sniping about the contributions made by the various services involved. Owen gives credit to the Army units that fought at Chosin as well as the contributions of naval and air forces and our British allies. This book is rich in lessons about small unit leadership, training and combat operations. It is an excellent addition to the personal narratives on the Korea War.