Osprey Elite 2 : The US Marine Corps Since 1945

The US Marine Corps, the oldest of America's armed forces, was established on 10 November 1775. By 1945 the Corps had established itself in two chosen roles; as an intervention force, ready to guarantee American lives and interests around the world; and as the leading exponent of combined amphibious operations against hostile shores. In the decades following the end of World War 2, these duties were repeatedly fulfilled, in two major wars and a dozen smaller crises. In the meantime the Corps would survive major inter-service disputes and some internal problems of its own. Lee E Russell details the post-WWII history of the Marines, chronicling their involvement in Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon and Grenada. This account includes such remarkable exploits as the gruelling Chosin Reservoir campaign, which proved a supreme test of courage and discipline with the Marines isolated and overwhelmingly outnumbered in an unhospitable terrain where temperatures reached as low as -35F at night - they nevertheless emerged unbeaten - and the siege of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam conflict. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the history, organisation, appearance and equipment these famous troops accompanied by illustrations by Andy Carroll.

Contents

• The Post-War Marines
• A Brigade for Korea
• The Chosin Reservoir
• The 1950s and 1960s
• Vietnam - The Early Years
• 1968 - Khe Sanh and Tet
• The 1970s - Rebuilding the Corps
• The Plates