military history

Jan 24 2012

Last Man Standing: The 1st Marine Regiment on Peleliu by Dick Camp

When World War II enthusiasts hear the word Peleliu, they think of the pointless battle in the Pacific that was a meat grinder for the 1st Marine Division.  Dick Camp details the battle for Peleliu from the perspective of the 1st Division’s 1st Marine Regiment – the Marines known as “The Old Breed” – in Last Man Standing: The 1st Marine Regiment on Peleliu, September 15-21, 1944.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher (Zenith Press):

One of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history, Operation Stalemate, as Peleliu was called, was overshadowed by the Normandy landings.  It was also, in time, judged by most historians to have been unnecessary; though it had been conceived to protect MacArthur’s flank in the Philippines, the U.S. fleet’s carrier raids had eliminated Japanese airpower, rendering Peleliu irrelevant.  Nevertheless, the horrifying number of casualties sustained there (71% in one battalion) foreshadowed for the rest of the war: rather than fight to the death on the beach, the Japanese would now defend in depth and bleed the Americans white.

The book provides a good description of the 1st Marine Regiment’s actions on Peleliu.  The book is mainly narrative with many excerpts from Marines who fought in the battle.  For example, Camp describes the initial landings and how the Japanese guns knocked out many of the landing craft.  He sprinkles in amongst this text the first-hand accounts of how the men got off the landing craft as quickly as possible because many the landing craft were blown to pieces with bodies and equipment thrown high into the air.  Camp gives a good balance of the narrative and the first-hand accounts.

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By Jeff Grim • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , ,

Jan 10 2012

Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II by Joseph A. Springer

I have been on a World War II history kick lately.  This kick continues with my most recent read – Joseph A. Springer’s Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II.  It is an oral history that follows the USS Franklin(a fleet aircraft carrier) from the laying of its keel in Newport News, Virginia to its battles during World War II.

I normally do not like oral histories because many times they are choppy – the first-hand accounts are not normally interwoven with the narrative very well.  However, this book is the rare exception.  Springer provides an excellent framework of the ship’s history in the narrative.  He then fills in the personal details with the oral history.  Springer’s writing style is light and easy to read.

The most gripping parts of the book are the accounts of the crew’s fight for the Franklin’s survival in one instance (the ship was hit by a kamikaze on October 30, 1944 that caused enough damage to require repairs in the mainland U.S.)  and fighting to contain damage in another (it was hit again on March 18, 1945 by one bomb that caused cataclysmic damage).  The stories are interesting and engaging.  For example, many of the survivors describe  where they were when the bomb hit the ship and how they either left the ship or fought to control the fires raging below the decks.

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Jan 3 2012

Omar Bradley: General at War by Jim DeFelice

English:

Many people in their late thirties or older know of Omar Bradley from Karl Malden’s portrayal of him in the movie Patton.  He was portrayed as a bland, risk-averse character who was overshadowed by the flamboyant Patton (played by George C. Scott).  Jim DeFelice tries to dispel this image of Bradley in Omar Bradley: General at War.

DeFelice discusses Bradley’s rise in rank before World War II.  Although never serving in combat, he gained valuable leadership experience in various postings, such as two stints at West Point and one at the Infantry School.  According to DeFelice, this leadership experience served him well when Bradley did first see combat in North Africa in World War II.

I have read more than a few books on the European Theater in World War II and most of them either ignore Bradley (focusing more on the common soldier or Patton) or paint him in a less than flattering light.  For instance, many of the books blame Bradley for ignoring the warning signs prior to the German attack in the Ardennes.  The arguments supporting this viewpoint are quite convincing and DeFelice does begrudgingly admit that Bradley was slow on the uptake in discerning Germany’s actions in the Ardennes.

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Nov 7 2011

Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq by Mark Urban

There is no doubt that the special forces of the United States have been heavily involved in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars since those wars’ initial stages.  However, many do not know how much assistance the Americans received from its allies, particularly the British.  Mark Urban highlights the efforts of British special forces to assist American special forces in taking down Saddam’s forces and the insurgents of al-Qaeda and Shia in his book Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq.

Here is a brief summary of the book from the publisher’s website:

When American and British forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, select teams of special forces and intelligence operatives got to work looking for the WMD their governments had promised were there.  They quickly realized no such weapons existed.  Instead they faced an insurgency—a soaring spiral of extremism and violence that was almost impossible to understand, let alone reverse.

Facing defeat, the Coalition waged a hidden war within a war.  Major-General Stan McChrystal devised a campaign fusing special forces, aircraft, and the latest surveillance technology with the aim of taking down the enemy faster than it could regenerate.  Guided by intelligence, British and American special forces conducted a relentless onslaught, night after night targeting al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups.

Urban provides a solid chronological history of the British special forces in Iraq.  Many people may see this book  as a dry history, but I would counter that it is not because Urban includes many details of the war that I thought would be top-secret.  For example, he describes how the American tracking of cell phones in Iraq helped the American and British special forces to find targets for their operations.  These operations eliminated or captured leaders in the insurgency.

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Sep 30 2011

A Little Short of Boats by James A. Morgan III

A Little Short of Boats: The Civil War Battles of Ball’s Bluff and Edwards Ferry, October 21 – 22, 1861 by James Morgan III is an excellent analysis and description of two of the war’s earliest battles – the Battles of Ball’s Bluff and Edwards Ferry. The book’s latest edition is revised with some updated information from Morgan’s further study of the Battle.

The Battle of Ball’s Bluff (more action took place there than at Edwards Ferry) grew out of an order for Union General Charles P. Stone to make a “demonstration” in front of Confederate positions near Ball’s Bluff. This demonstration turned into a twelve-hour battle where hundreds of men were killed and wounded, a prominent friend of President Lincoln’s (Col. Edward D. Baker) was killed, and the promising career of Stone was ruined (Morgan succinctly and clearly explains how Stone was pointed out as a scapegoat by his detractors). As Morgan shows, if anyone was to blame, it was Baker for his lack of leadership and control of the battle.

Although Ball’s Bluff did not seem to have any tactical or strategic consequences, but it did have political repercussions way beyond the Battle. As a result of the Union’s bungling of this battle and the First Battle of Bull Run, Congress created the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War – which proved to be a major hindrance for Lincoln throughout the war.

Morgan clearly lays out how the battle progressed and the different units that participated on both sides. He equally criticizes and praises both sides. The Confederates were generally better led (overall command was under Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Evans) and organized than the Union – there was total confusion prior to Baker’s entrance on the battlefield. Morgan supports most of his arguments with diaries and official reports. However, when his opinion is not based on either source, he bases it on sound reason.

Scattered throughout the text, Morgan includes numerous maps and photographs of the participants. The maps are helpful in following the action depicted in the text. The reader gets a better understanding of the tactical situation as well.

Finally, Morgan includes seven appendices on various aspects surrounding the battles. The topics covered include the details surrounding Baker’s death and an interesting discussion on why the Battle of Ball’s Bluff even occurred.

This book is an excellent short, concise history of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff.

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