It’s A Whole New World Baby
I just finished reading a terrific book about the Korean War entitled, “The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War
Early in the book, Halberstam contrasts the armies of North Korea/China and the United Nations in terms of “strategic management.” It surprised me to learn that the Communist’s army pretty much had free rein in terms of how and when to deal with the U.N., while the United Nations’ troops (primarily, these were Americans) were bound to a fairly rigid hierarchical command and control structure.
In essence, the Reds were given “The Big Picture.” They were told that the South Koreans desperately sought emancipation and, basically, that individual companies and platoons were fully permitted to “freelance” in terms of getting this accomplished. This then resulted in a series of early, stunning Communist victories; victories that were based on speed and audacity while U.N. troops wasted vital amounts of time, both awaiting orders from “Up-Channel,” and then awaiting further re-definition of those orders.
