Fight, dig and live : the story of the Royal Engineers in the Korean War

Overview: The deeply unpleasant Korean War began in 1950 with an unprovoked attack by North Korea. Hostilities went on for three long years, followed by an uneasy armistice that continues to this day. United Kingdom casualties amounted to some 300 Officers and 4,000 Other Ranks, many of them conscripts, while a total of over 100,000 United Nations soldiers were killed and three times that number wounded.A Royal Engineer Field Squadron deployed to Korea in late 1950 and this was expanded to a Regiment the following year. Often involved in fierce fighting, the Sappers suffered grievous casualties including 42 killed and several hundred wounded. Their gallantry was rewarded by numerous awards, including a CBE, an OBE and eight MBEs, two DSOs, thirteen MCs, eight MMs and, most notably, a Distinguished Conduct Medal, second only to the Victoria Cross. It was a vicious war whose intensity neverslackened; in the last two months alone the Communist artillery fired over 700,000 rounds against just under five million fired back by United Nations forces. The Royal Engineers, among them the Author, were indispensible at all levels, from the forward areas, where they were often involved in close-quarter fighting, right back to the base in Japan. Their skills and roles varied from patrolling, river crossing and road building, to mine-clearing and -laying, defence works, bridging and postal services, so vital for morale. Other tasks included blowing things up (always a favourite occupation) and clearing booby traps (less popular). In a war zone with one of the most inhospitable climates in the world, merely keeping alive was a challenge. This book is not merely a gripping, yet thoroughly readable, account of the Sappers' achievement but a tribute to the sacrifice of those who did not return. The Korean War, which began with an unprovoked attack by North Korea in 1950, went on for three long years. Over 100,000 soldiers of the United Nations forces, including those of the Republic of Korea, were killed and three times that number wounded. United Kingdom casualties amounted to some 300 Officers and 4,000 Other Ranks. The Royal Engineers deployed a Field Squadron to Korea in the Autumn of 1950 and this was expanded to a Regiment the following year. Involved in fierce fighting, the Sappers suffered grievous casualties including 42 killed and several hundred wounded. Their gallantry was rewarded by numerous gallantry awards, including two DSOs, thirteen MCs, (one by the author), eight MMs and the most distinguished of all, a Distinguished Conduct Medal, second only to the Victoria Cross.It was a vicious war whose intensity never slackened and in the last two months alone the Communist artillery fired over 700,000 rounds against 4.7 million fired back by the United Nations. The Royal Engineers were involved at all levels, from patrols and minefields, to defense works and, providing support to all manner of operations such as transportation, bridging and the important provision of postal services, so vital for morale. Inevitably, though, the focus in that of a war like Korea is often on sapper participation in the forward area where they were often involved in close-quarter fighting with the enemy. Sappers certainly lived up to the title of this book: Fight, Dig and Live. Content: Chapter 1 Early Days -- chapter 2 55 Field Squadron goes to Korea -- chapter 3 The Imjin Battle, 22--25 April 1951 -- chapter 4 Consolidation -- chapter 5 Advance over the Imjin -- chapter 6 Life in the Line -- chapter 7 Operation Dragon -- chapter 8 Roads Again -- chapter 9 Spring Returns -- chapter 10 The Hook -- chapter 11 On a Lighter Note -- chapter 12 The Final Months -- chapter 13 Night Life in Korea -- chapter 14 The Cruellest Months -- chapter 15 Routine -- chapter 16 The Dukes' Battle -- chapter 17 Rip Van Winkle -- chapter 18 A Fragile Peace -- chapter 19 The Immediate Aftermath -- chapter 20 Deja Vu.