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THE SAVIOR: General Oliver Prince Smith. By Nick Ragland and Tom Schwettman. Published by Orange Frazer Press. 251 pages. $17.96 MCA Members. $19.95 Regular Price.
Many enthusiasts of Marine Corps history will fondly recall Nick Ragland's first historical novel, "Puller's Runner." His new work, "The Savior," written with Tom Schwettman, will hit the mark again for many fans of the genre. The novel focuses its narrative on the perilous days when Major General Oliver Prince Smith and the First Marine Division overcame great odds and the unforgiving Siberian weather to conduct a brilliant fightingretreat from the North Korean mountains.
The book's title, "The Savior," refers to the mild-mannered Marine general, O.P. Smith. This vastly underrated gentleman-warrior magnificently commanded the newly constituted IstMarDiv. MajGen Smith led the invasion over the seawall at Inchon before the division liberated the South Korean capital. McArthur's opening invasion gambit at Inchon, thanks to the Marines, succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. The North Korean invaders were on the run! McArthur's next move was to redeploy the Marines to the east side of the Korean peninsula and send the reinforced and reinvigorated U.S. and South Korean Army north toward the Chinese border. The IstMarDiv, under the overall command of U.S. Army Lieutenant General Edward Mallory Almond, landed at Hungnam. Unopposed, the division moved north toward the Chosin Reservoir area.
With the goal of...