Greenhill Books, 2001, £ 7.50, ISBN: 1-85367-443-5, 72 pgs, soft cover

Book number 23 in the GI series contains the usual multitude of photos (112 B&W, 14 color) with captions, supplemented with four pages of text summarizing the entire Korean War.

Most photos receive extensive analysis of the uniforms worn by the soldiers--from grunts to generals in all seasons. What struck me was the non-uniformity of the uniforms. It was a mixture of WWII stocks and new issues. Boots, pants, jackets, shirts, and equipment were mixed and sometimes matched among the various arms--infantry, armor, artillery, and airborne. Logistics seems less a nightmare and more an emptying of every warehouse west of San Francisco.

There are some wonderful shots of deployed 105 mm and 155 mm artillery batteries, use of water-cooled M1917A machine guns, use of a flame thrower, and a M26 Pershing tank decorated on the front glacis with a large picture of a tiger! Also of note is the front cover showing a member of the 35th Regimental Combat Team in August 1950 with a goatee--there's a first, at least for me.

The War in Korea is a fine addition to the GI series.

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