Collected Miscellany

I have always been interested in the history of individual military units, especially ones written by a former member.  Thus, I was intrigued by Edward Posey’s The U.S. Army’s First, Last, and Only All-Black Rangers when I found out about it.  Although the unit was only in existence for ten months during the Korean War, its members proved to many skeptics (some high ranking generals in the Army) that African-Americans could fight.  I believe their example and the efforts of others pushed the Army leadership in Korea (and worldwide) to finally end segregation in the U.S. Army - the armed forces were ordered to desegregate by President Truman, but the Army took its sweet time in carrying out the order.

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Armies of the Napoleonic Wars: An Illustrated History, edited by Chris McNab, is a wonderful resource for any Napoleonic Wars buff.  The book is a compilation of several booklets on this subject published by Osprey Publishing.

Here is a brief description of the book from the publisher:

The Napoleonic Wars saw almost two decades of brutal fighting, from the frozen wastelands of Russia to the wildness of the Peninsula; from Egypt’s Lower Nile to the bloody battlefield of Waterloo. Fighting took place on an unprecedented scale across Europe, and over the entire period of the wars Napoleon led his Grand Armee and his allies against almost every European nation, and against varying coalitions. This book provides a comprehensive guide to all the major armies of the Napoleonic Wars, of France, Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain and Portugal. Covering the changes experienced by the armies over the period, the author details the organization, infantry, cavalry, and artillery of each. With stunning original artwork of the often glorious uniforms worn into battle, period illustrations or the equipment used, and photographs, this is a beautiful and in-depth study of the armies that fought in the Napoleonic campaigns.

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On this date, 65 years ago the Malmedy Massacre took place – this was when the Waffen-SS murdered 115 American soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge.

The following is an excerpt from World’s Bloodiest History: Massacre, Genocide, and the Scars They Left on Civilization by Joseph Cummins.   I plan on reviewing the book in a few weeks.

Image via Wikipedia

I have read a lot of books on the individual battles fought in the Pacific Theater during World War II, but I have not read much on the strategy used by American political and military leaders – other than Plan Orange.  So, in order to learn more about the strategy, I decided to read The Pacific War: The Strategy, Politics, and Players That Won the War by William B. Hopkins.

At a little less than 400 pages, this book is an excellent overview of the strategy and major personalities that shaped the American war effort in the Pacific.  Hopkins succinctly explains the various strategies in competition with each other on how to defeat the Japanese – some of these strategies were advocated by one armed service over another one.  For example, General Douglas MacArthur advocated that the main thrust of the American counterattack should start from Australia and move north with the U.S. Army taking the lead and the U.S. Navy taking a support role.  However, Admiral Ernest King (Chief of Naval Operations), with the full support of Admiral Chester Nimitz (Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet), advocated an island hopping strategy across the Central Pacific with the U.S. Navy taking the lead (Hopkins is very partial to this plan).

Hopkins also brings much-needed attention to the unsung heroes of the Pacific Theater – the cryptologists and the submariners.  The cracking of the Japanese military code and the information obtained – codenamed Japanese ULTRA – was a major intelligence coup that gave the United States a decided advantage over the Japanese.  The Americans used ULTRA to its advantage in many battles.  For example, Hopkins adroitly points out that the Americans knew where to send their precious carriers for maximum effect in the Battle of Midway.

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As all of you know from reading American history, the Civil War has been the most divisive time in our history.  The most pivotal year of that struggle was 1864 – when at the beginning of the year the Union was on the verge of quitting the war if it’s generals did not start winning some battles and when the U.S. presidential election was to occur in November.  Charles Flood in 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History examines this pivotal year by looking at Abraham Lincoln’s actions.

Flood touches on the political and personal life of Lincoln as well as the military situation of the Union.  Flood provides an excellent balance between all three – weaving them all together in a seamless story.

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Ideologically opposite of my previous post on the communist North Vietnamese Army, Alejandro de Quesada studies the efforts of exiled Cuban forces to overthrow the communist government of Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961.  Quesada’s booklet, The Bay of Pigs, Cuba 1961,  is part of Osprey’s “Elite” series, which explores the history of military forces, artifacts, personalities, and techniques of warfare.

Quesada provides a brief history of Fidel Castro’s rise to power against the corrupt Batista dictatorship.  After gaining power, Castro initiated a brutal purge that drove many Cubans into exile in the United States – especially around Miami.  These exiles provided a pool of recruits for a CIA plot to overthrow Castro.  The plans were started under President Eisenhower,but came to fruition under President Kennedy.

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