New Breed

As a Marine combat veteran and a successful writer of fiction and non-fiction, Andrew Geer was ideally suited to tell this story of the U.S.

Marines in Korea. In preparing this book, which was first published in 1952, Geer had access to the complete file of Marine combat reports and was able to gather material at first hand as an active Marine field officer during the dreadful winter, spring and summer of 1950-51 in Korea.

He interviewed 697 Marines individually in preparing this history."e;Military history generally deals with campaigns; with the factors affecting the situation; with the decisions of higher commanders; and with an analysis of the results accomplished.

The human reactions of the thousands of lesser actors are as a rule painted with a broad brush only.

The details are usually left to the historical novel or quasi-historical novel.

Yet the actual story is far more convincing than any fictional account.

What Andrew Geer has done in The New Breed is to picture vividly the real-life, not fictional, Marine, as he fought the bitter battles of the Naktong, struggled with the mud flats and sea walls of Inchon, crushed the enemy barricades in Seoul, and cut his way through a Chinese army from the Chosin Reservoir to the sea.

In telling this detailed story, however, Major Geer has not neglected the broad picture.

The New Breed is a definite contribution to the history of the Korean War."e;-OLIVER P.

SMITH, Major-General, U.S. Marine Corps