English Summary/英文概要： When North Korea mounted its audacious surprise invasion of South Korea in June 1950, the world was stunned. Within 3 days, the Soviet backed North Koreans had captured the South Korean capital of Seoul and threatened to soon take over the entire country. Facing imminent defeat, the South Koreans and their American allies put out the call for urgent reinforcements. Among the first to answer were the men of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade.

Comprising units from five countries - Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India - the Commonwealth Brigade saw 9 months of brutal fighting. From the Pusan pocket in the far south, up to the border with Communist China, the disparate units of the Brigade were welded together into an extremely potent fighting force. The Commonwealth troops faced North Koreans, Chinese Communists and the equally brutal ‘General Winter’, emerging from numerous battles as a well-respected and effective force.

This book is the first book which looks at the composition of each of the five countries which made up the Commonwealth Brigade and describes their commonalities and differences as well as how they were brought together to form a single effective unit. It also examines in detail the ‘friendly fire’ incident at Hill 282 when the Argylls were accidentally bombed by the US Airforce and the first VC of the war was awarded. This books also looks at the pivotal battle at Kapyong which helped to blunt the Chinese Spring Offensive of 1951. Unlike previous histories which often focussed on the actions of a single country, this book looks at the contributions of all of the Commonwealth forces as a whole and shows that it was the efforts of the Commonwealth troops together that led to their eventual success.

David Allison was born in Perth, Australia. With degrees in Chinese studies and Law, he has practiced as a lawyer in Australia, China and Hong Kong for more than 20 years. He has also served as an officer in the Australian Army (Reserve) for over 15 years. David’s primary research interest is the military history of Commonwealth forces in Asia from the Second World War to the present. David is married and lives with his wife and three children in Hong Kong.