The Last Stand of Fox Company, Bob Drury
The Last Stand of Fox Company, Bob Drury
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The Last Stand of Fox Company
A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat

Author: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin

Narrator: Michael Prichard

Unabridged: 11 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/30/2009


Synopsis

November 1950, the Korean Peninsula. After General MacArthur ignores Mao's warnings and pushes his UN forces deep into North Korea, his 10,000 First Division Marines find themselves surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered by 100,000 Chinese soldiers near the Chosin Reservoir. Their only chance for survival is to fight their way south through the Toktong Pass, a narrow gorge in the Nangnim Mountains. It will need to be held open at all costs. The mission is handed to Captain William Barber and the 246 Marines of Fox Company, a courageous but undermanned unit of the First Marines. Barber and his men are ordered to climb seven miles of frozen terrain to a rocky promontory overlooking the pass. The Marines have no way of knowing that the ground they occupy—it is soon dubbed "Fox Hill"—is surrounded by 10,000 Chinese soldiers. As the sun sets on the hill, and the temperature plunges to thirty degrees below zero, Barber's men dig in for the night. At two in the morning they are awakened by the sound—bugles, whistles, cymbals, and drumbeats—of a massive assault by thousands of enemy infantry. The attack is just the first wave of four days and five nights of nearly continuous Chinese attempts to take Fox Hill, during which Barber's beleaguered company clings to the high ground and allows the First Marine Division to battle south. Amid the relentless violence, three-quarters of Fox Company's Marines are killed, wounded, or captured. Just when it looks like the outfit will be overrun, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Davis, a fearless Marine officer who is fighting south from Chosin, volunteers to lead a force of 500 men on a daring mission that cuts a hole in the Chinese lines and relieves the men of Fox Company.

The Last Stand of Fox Company is a fast-paced and gripping account of heroism and self-sacrifice in the face of impossible odds. The authors have conducted dozens of firsthand interviews with the battle's survivors, and they narrate the story with the immediacy of such classic accounts of single battles as Guadalcanal Diary, Pork Chop Hill, and Black Hawk Down.

About Bob Drury

Bob Drury, the recipient of several national journalism awards, is a three-time National Magazine Award finalist as well as a Pulitzer Prize nominee. Drury honed his investigative skills writing for all four New York City newspapers as well as a variety of national publications. His journalism career has arced from sports to crime to adventure travel to foreign correspondence. He is also the author, coauthor, or editor of ten non-fiction books, including Valley Forge and Lucky 666.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sweetwilliam on February 18, 2019

I really enjoyed this audio book. There was never a dull moment and they used a lot of Marine Corps colloquialisms and vernacular which makes the testimony more authentic for this ex-Marine. What the Marines accomplished in the Chosin Reservoir was nothing short of incredible. Fox Company's stand wi......more

Goodreads review by Carol on April 13, 2017

Everything the titles promises and more -- non stop action, inspirational stories, a look at a breed of fighting men who have never been equaled anywhere -- the United States Marines!......more

Goodreads review by Julia on March 16, 2025

I did not appreciate this book when forced to read it as a TBS student. I think I appreciate it more now, however, I still found the writing style very jarring and hard to follow. On Desperate Ground remains a superior book about Fox Company IMO.......more

Goodreads review by Jeffrey on January 05, 2013

Of all the accounts of specific battles of the Korean War, none are more vivid, riveting, and intense as the one described in The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of US Marines in Combat. The authors place you right there with the Marines on Fox Hill in one of the most gallant, heroic stands......more

Goodreads review by K.M. on September 23, 2013

One of the points this book makes is that the Korean War is often overlooked altogether, particularly in comparison to its "big brother" WWII. This was certainly the case for me. Historical wars are of particular interest for me, but what I've read about Korea could fill a teaspoon. Not only was thi......more