• The Last Stand of Fox Company

  • A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat
  • By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
  • Narrated by: Michael Prichard
  • Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,036 ratings)

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The Last Stand of Fox Company  By  cover art

The Last Stand of Fox Company

By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
Narrated by: Michael Prichard
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Publisher's summary

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 30 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 imm...

©2008 Bob Drury and TO, Clavin (P)2009 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"Bob Drury and Tom Clavin have set the standard for wartime accounts on the Korean conflict.... This is a story that is almost too incredible to be true." (Dr. Charles P. Neimeyer, director of the U.S. Marine Corps History Division)
"A paean worthy of one of the most extraordinary battles in Marine Corps history.... A magnificent book." (Nathaniel Fick, New York Times bestselling author of One Bullet Away)

What listeners say about The Last Stand of Fox Company

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Outstanding story, poor narration

The number of mispronunciations was disappointing. I'm not talking about Korean names. I'm talking about the English language.
Someone should have told the narrator that "X Corps" is "Tenth Corps", not "x corps".
The story is still well worth listening to...

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Reference maps a must have.

I agree the book was excellent (besides the narration errors mentioned in previous reviews). However without maps the progression of the battle and events within it are difficult to follow. I have contacted Audible.com and asked the maps that are in the book be included in the download.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Good Story - Confusing Logistics

The story is good (4), but it gets confusing trying to remember all the different people and you really need a map to be able to orient yourself to the landscape.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Incredible Story, Hard to Follow

It tells the incredible story of the Marines and Sailors of Fox Company, but very difficult to follow.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Intense dark war story

I understand it is war and things get beyond intense. However, the way the narrator casually describes horribly gruesome and vivid imagery led me to hang this one up before finishing.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Uncommon valor became a common trait.

A minute by riveting minute account of a gallant stand by an understrength marine company fighting under horrific conditions against overwhelming odds in an almost forgotten chapter in the history of modern war. Drury and Clavin have brought the men of Fox Company to life, and in the matter of fact way that extrordinary deeds are chronicalled, have made their sacrifices meaningful to those of us who could not have imagined that men could endure, let alone prevail, under those circumstances.

Michael Prichard's narration was spot on.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One for the Annals of the USMC

I really enjoyed this audio book. There was never a dull moment and they used a lot of Marine Corps colloquialisms and vernacular which made 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 will go down in the annals of The United States Marine Corps. While the army units in X Corps were falling apart, the United States Marine Corp stood firm and exercised an orderly withdraw destroying ten Chinese Divisions. Fox held open a critical pass for the 1st Marine Division for seven days at temperatures of minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit with a windchill that made it feel like minus 70 Fahrenheit. Most of their weapons wouldn't even function properly. There is never a dull moment. There is a minimum of background information presented which makes the story fast-paced and action packed and yes, there is some of that typical gallows humor that made me chuckle from time to time as well.

Now a word about the narrator. It was apparent to me that this man was not a Marine and probably not a student of military history. He continued to refer to X Corps as "X Corps" using the letter "X" rather than "Tenth." His mispronunciation of the rifleman's standard battle weapon the M1 Garand was laughable. The final straw for me was when the narrator tried to sing the Marine Corps Hymn as the remnants of Fox were marching away from Fox Hill. He sang the third line of the song the same as the first two. Has this guy never heard the Marine Corps Hymn before? He ruined a moment for me...but still, it was well worth it. I think I will listen to it again.

As my drill instructor told me, we enjoy freedom not because a group of hippies marched down the streets smoking weed toting a banner. Freedom has more to do with men making sacrifices like the men of Fox Company who held open Toktong Pass in a remote area of Korea a long time ago.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A tale of ordinary men doing extraordinary things

This is a great read that any Marine or history buff should pick up. History seems to hide the Korean war, and considering the modern political climate I feel it is important to remember the past. This story puts things into perspective.

Any Marine undergoing winter training should seriously give this book a try.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning & Compelling!

I grew up in the same apartment building as the Bonelli's and Farmers. I had an idea they were vets but I never heard them speak of their experiences in Korea during the war.
Just like the generation before, they had a clear job and mission, did it, then moved on with their life.
The detail of the combat and everything around what they did is just a testament to these brave men.
I could not stop listening to the book.
One of the best books, ever!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Military Book Ever

Fantastic book that was a super easy read. Hands down the best military story of all time.

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1 person found this helpful