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Book Review
62
Fire For Effect: Artillery
Forward Observers In Korea.
Sobieski, Anthony J
AuthorHouse, Bloomington, IN, 2005. 259 pp.
$19.95 (Soft Cover) ISBN 1-4208-3836-9 (sc)
July 14, 2005. I am sitting in the
Ambulatory Surgery Center of St. Francis
Hospital awaiting surgery. I am searching
for something to take my mind off the
upcoming procedure. I find it in the form
of a book: Fire For Effect. In fact, I
become so engrossed in it I almost forget
why I am there. (Unfortunately, the surgeon
did not.)
Sobieski’s book is a perfect example
of my long-held belief that the best military
history is not found in overviews.
Rather, it is in the books written by the
participants, whether in entire volumes or
a series of vignettes, such as Sobieski
presents.
The author has some knowledge of
artillery. His father was an FO in Korea,
which is known not only as the
“Forgotten War,” but the “Artillery War”
as well. In fact, his father, 2nd Lt. Henry
J. Sobieski, 213th Field Artillery
Battalion (1953), presents his own story
(pp. 220- 225), with an intriguing account
of events on July 27th, 1953—the “end of
the war.”
Fire For Effect presents the story of
artillery forward observers (FOs) in
Korea. It includes the experiences of over
100 individuals. They look at the war
from their little spheres of influence,
which gives readers a broad view of the
entire war as the FOs relate their experiences
from virtually every battle, major
or minor (as if there is any such thing as
a minor battle when the bullets are flying).
The writers’ stories address every
aspect of the war in Korea, e.g., the sadness
at seeing friends and even enemies
destroyed by artillery fire, the humor they
detect in different circumstances, and the
relationships between and among allied
units. They often express their respect for
the enemy and analyze the strategies used
by both sides. In total, the writers present
a balanced view of the artillery war within
the war through their personal insights
and observations.
To be sure, there are some interesting
stories to tell. For example, 1st Lt.
Richard Kirk, 58th Armored Field
Artillery Battalion (1950-51), recalls a
time at the Chosin Reservoir involving
ROK soldiers, Spanish-speaking Puerto
Ricans, and American FDC (fire direction
center) troops. Kirk spoke Japanese,
which he had learned during WWII. As
he described his relationships with the
ROKs and the Puerto Ricans (members of
the 65th Infantry Regiment), “It was more
interesting because no one could talk to
the ROK troops except me and none of
the Puerto Rican troops could master anything
in Korean.” (p. 41)
Describing one fire mission, he wrote,
“I heard the flares pop and that gave me
five seconds to tell my ROKs to freeze,
speaking in Japanese, when it occurred to
me that the PR troops are going to hear
my Japanese and think I am a Chinese or
NK infiltrator and my fanny is in deep
doo-doo.” (p. 43) That is just one of the
dilemmas in which FOs found themselves.
Sergeant Conard Blevins, 11th Marine
Regiment, HQ Flash & Sound section
(1952-53) noted in his story (pp. 152-
153) that war could become a personal
thing.
I had a little duel with a Chinese mortar
crew one day and I prevailed because
I was using [ a] 105mm howitzer with
VT [variable time] fusing….The
duel…was interesting. I was in a fairly
substantial OP [Observation Post]
bunker and the Chinese mortar crew as
in an open dugout. They were putting
those rounds right around the OP and I
was adjusting that 105. After about three
or four rounds I got a battery round of
Variable Time fuse and that took out the
mortar crew.
More often than not, though, the stories
revolved around broader events and
the not-too-pleasant conditions in which
the FOs often lived.
Consider, for example, 2nd Lt. Wally
Woods’, 37th Field Artillery Battalion
(1952-53), description of his living conditions:
The living quarters were about six feet
long and were as wide as the front end
five feet (sic). In these quarters, we
rigged up a double deck bunk arrangement
made from approximately six-foot
poles that were strung with commo wire
to support our bedrolls. The lower space
was used as our ‘sofa’ and a place to
stow our personal gear while the upper
portion was for sleeping. The roof was
made of logs laid in two directions perpendicular
to each other and then lined
with ponchos for weatherproofing before
piling on about five or six layers of sandbags.
It is interesting to note that it only
took a matter of days before the rats
could be heard scurrying around all
throughout the overhead. And when the
smell of rat excrement became too bad,
our option was to sprinkle Mennen’s
aftershave lotion sent up from the
Battalion PX to mask the stink.
Well, that doesn’t sound very pleasant.
Indeed, the lives of FOs in Korea in general
were rather unpleasant. But, they had
a job to do, and they did it well. Sobieski
manages to depict just how significant
their role was in his compilation. The stories
are well worth reading for anyone
who has an interest in the role of artillery
in Korea—and even for those who do not.
Readers need not be experts in artillery
to appreciate the FOs’ stories. Sobieski
does include a glossary to define terms
peculiar to the FOs. An index would have
helped as well, since there are so many
references to different places, battles,
allied troops, etc, but there is none.
Nevertheless, the gripping stories compensate
for that one omission.
So, the next time you are undergoing
surgery, or are just trying to find a book
that will take your attention away from
the mundane things of life, pick up Fire
for Effect. It’s a blast.
TO ORDER THE BOOK, contact
AuthorHouse Publishers, 1663 Liberty
Place, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403,
(888) 280-7715, www.authorhouse.com,
or order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
and Borders book stores.
July - August A
2005
The Graybeards