The Korean War (4-volume set)

The Korean War: Fire and Ice, the four-part History Channel series, explores the historical factors, political entanglements, and military strategies of this pivotal struggle in exceptional detail. Rare black-and-white footage is combined with a diverse and knowledgeable group of veterans to paint a gripping, complete perspective of the Korean conflict. From its politically intertwined beginnings through the brutal battles and the unsettling truce that would leave more than 2 million lives in its wake, the Korea conflict would set the standards of East and West relations for the next 50 years. In spite of its political, historical, and military significance, the Korean War remains one of the least examined incidents in modern warfare. The Korean War: Fire and Ice is an excellent telling of military history as it was encountered by those who were there. --Rob Bracco

The Korean War was the first military confrontation of the Cold War, and half a century later the Korean peninsula is still a political hot spot with nuclear implications. The focus in this documentary is certainly on the military aspects rather than the political, but that strikes me as being rather appropriate. The dramatic clash between President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur fading away is clearly remembered more than Heartbreak Ridge and MIG Alley, and the point of this documentary is to remember what the troops went through.

The documentary breaks down the war into four parts: (1) "Making of a Blood Bath" covers the first stage, when the unexpected attack by the North Koreans drove United States and United Nation forces back to the Pusan Perimeter; (2) "Triumph to "Tragedy" begins with MacArthur's brilliant counteroffensive of the landing at Inchon and ends with Chinese troops crossing the Yalu River to up the ante on the war; (3) "Retreat From Hell" tells of the retreat of the UN forces from Chinese troops during a brutal winter; and (4) "Bitter Standoff" traces the two-year stalemate that end with a negotiated peace and everybody right back where they started, with the 38th Parallel dividing Korea.

"The Korean War: Fire and Ice" combines historic black & white footage with a virtual army of talking heads, consisting of veterans and historians, who put the war in both historical and personal perspective. The four-part division works perfectly with the Korean War, which clearly had four distinct stages. However, in addition to providing a clear sense of the ebb and flow of the war, "Fire and Ice" fills in the details with personal recollections and concise analysis. Part of it might be that I had only a basic knowledge of this "police action," but I certainly learned a lot from watching this documentary this morning.


The Korean War / Fire & Ice   June 27, 2000
 10 out of 11 found this review helpful

A very good documentary for anyone who is unfamiliar with this military endeavor. The details of politcal strategy are lacking, but the military strategy is revealed. Highly recommendable.