Tag Archives: Book Review

Book Reviews, Korean War

Book Review: East of Chosin Entrapment and Breakout in Korea

East of Chosin Entrapment and Breakout in Korea, 1950 written by retired Lt. Col. Roy E. Appleman is a stark and dramatic portrayal of one of the most tenuous battles of the Korean war. Often referred to as the “forgotten war”, Korea was not a glamorous as WWII and quickly became over shadowed in Vietnam. As one of the first conflicts of the Cold War, Korea became the proving ground of the conflict between democracy and communism that dominated the next forty years .

In this book, Appleman focuses on the men involved in the battle not the politics that placed them there as such he makes great use of both primary sources, such as  interviews with survivors and accounts written shortly after the battle, and official accounts. These two sources often were in conflict of each other, making the authors job one of having to sort through what was seen and what was reported. This is understandable considering the chaos and confusion of the time but there is no accounting for the sometimes fantastic discrepancies. For example there were several engagements that appear in the official record, but show up nowhere in survivor accounts. The author does a good job of presenting these discrepancies in an honest and questioning way, providing great depth to the accounts.

Far from a simple narration of the events of the campaign the author takes great pains to not only relay the events, but also provide his own insights. This can sometimes come off as an armchair general questioning a commanders decision well after the fact. That line however is seldom crossed for more than a sentence or two and his musings are there to provide perspective. Even so, he is never afraid to point out mistakes and show the consequences of poor planning on all levels of the X Corp. A simple action, such as air dropping the wrong type ammunition to the wrong unit had devastating consequences, to that unit and many others. Beyond simply pointing these mistakes out the author tries to explain, not place blame for the mistakes.

The real value of this book is in the stories and remembrances of the soldiers that were there on the frozen shores of the Chosin Resovoir. Having the events shown through these men’s eyes brings a level of humanity that is often lacking in accounts such as this. Here the author hits his stride as he not only provides the accounts, but provides enough details of the storytellers to put a true human face on the story. Alongside the narrative we are shown photographs taken during and around the time of the battle. There were few survivors of the battle, but there were many heroes, and thanks to the author we know who there are and what they were able to accomplish. In all, this is a very good and informative account of the events and well worth further study.

Lt. Col. Appleman served in the Korean War as an army historian. His position provided him with access to troops involved in the combat and an unparalleled knowledge of the conditions experienced by the troops. This knowledge was parlayed into five books on the Korean conflict.

American Revolution, Book Reviews

Book Review: Thrust for Canada: The American Attempt on Quebec in 1775-1776

 

Thrust for Canada: The American Attempt on Quebec in 1775-1776 by Robert McConnell Hatch poses the theory that the invasion of Canada by the American Colonies came very close to succeeding, and may have if not for issues of command and control. The book starts with the Quebec Act of 1774 and covers the American military campaign from the initial success at Ticonderoga, all the way to the end at Valcour Island.  The authors’ goal is to show the campaign from both sides, focusing more on the politics of the people than the military aspects.

The Quebec Act placed Canada in the middle of the Americans conlifct with Britian. American leaders decided that striking Canada was necessary for defense and hoped to liberate the colony. The social classes in Canada viewed the conflict differently, forcing Governor Carleton to mount a defense with few resources and a population with suspect loyalty. The Americans were led into the field by Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold who struggled to create an army from scratch. Montgomery led the attack up the St. Lawrence and after facing the enemy and his own men captured Montreal.  To strike directly at Quebec, Arnold took a different route, facing horrible weather, near starvation and mutiny within his own ranks. In front of Quebec, the Americans joined forces and in the final attack Montgomery was killed and Arnold wounded, effectivly ending the campaign for Canada.

There have been many books written covering the various parts of the campaign in detail. Hatch does not dwell with the personalities instead he deals more with the politics than the military aspects of the campaign. This was noticed in the glossing over of the American attempts on St. John and in regards to Arnold’s expedition. There is a place for this book in the historiography of the campaign, but it does not stand alone. It is with the Canadian side of the campaign the value of the book is displayed.

The author’s research is deep. With many pages of sources listed in the bibliography, many primary sources, he did not short shrift the subject. There were copious footnotes, but they were done in such a way as not be intrusive to the narrative. There were many resources that I have seen used in other books on the subject, but also some new sources presented.

The author does a very admirable job in proving the thesis of the narrative. There were numerous reasons that the American campaign should have succeeded and the author is able to explain why they did not. This book should be considered as a must read, if only for the depth and detail that the author puts into the Canadian perspective. If you are looking for a military breakdown and blow by blow account of the military campaign there are other resources. However, if you wish to dissect the human aspect on both sides of the opening act of the American Revolution, this is a book that will provide it.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The American Civil War and the Origins of Modern Warfare

 

The American Civil War and the Origins of Modern Warfare by Edward Hagerman is unlike almost any book written about the Civil War. This is a book about supply and tactics above all else and lays out the path to which the warfare of the Napoleonic era evolved during this conflict into a shadow of the wars to come. Three area are focused on: entrenchment, supply and signals.

The groundwork for the discussion of entrenchment is laid in the halls of West Point as the lessons of Jomini and Mahan and set in the minds of the future leaders of the coming conflict. Entrenchment is preached over frontal assaults as a method of defeating the enemy. The lessons are learned and held to differently by each of the leaders, some better than others. The devolution of maneuver to the eventual trench warfare is fascinating and well documented.

Supply is another major focus in this book. The depth that the author goes into to try to give a full picture of the supply issues faced in both armies is eye-opening and is provided in a detail that is rarely seen. This part of book explains many of the questions of why the armies didn’t move faster or farther. They couldn’t. At the same time the evolution of the supply system is shown from the development of the “Flying Column” to the focus of using mules for supply purposes instead of horses. These kind of details can easily overwhelm, but the author handles the facts and figures deftly, answering more questions than are asked.

In the title of the book the phrase “The Origins of Modern Warfare” is used. The one aspect of this title that is addressed in the book is the development of the Signal Corps on both sides. The telegraph is just coming into use as well as balloons, each have an effect of battlefield communication and give the commanders more options for controlling the battle. In other books these developments are normally simply footnotes, given short shrift. In this book they are treated as the integral components they are and seeing these new advancements come into their own in this book is refreshing.

The author takes each of these three aspects and walks the reader through the war, taking turns on both sides of the conflict. From start to finish he shows how each of the three aspects plays out and evolves. How each of these start at the beginning is a far cry from how the turn out at the end of the war. Never has this level of detail been seen in anything that I have read about the war and the perspective from which it is written can change the way the war is viewed.

At the time the book was published, Edward Hagerman was an Associate Professor of History at York University in Toronto Canada and the recipient of the Moncado Prize of the American Military Institute.

Book Reviews

Book Review: A People’s Army

 

A  People’s Army by Fred Anderson is an examination of New England soldiers during the Seven Years war. What sets this book apart is that the story of the war takes a backseat to the lives and communities of those who fought in it. Instead of a strict military history, the author provides a rich social history that exposes not only how the war was fought, but why and by who.

The narrative of the war itself, while far from a straight repetition of known facts, is punctuated with the experiences of the young, and sometimes not so young men that fought. The author is able to make use of a plethora of primary sources. Many New England soldiers kept journals of their military experiences. From these, Anderson is able to weave their personal stories around the solid hard data that he uncovers in the historical record.  At one point Anderson goes so far as show how a number of individuals viewed one particular battle, from the mosaic of their remembrances, a full and human picture of the events can be formed.

In his study of the society, Anderson sets the stage with discussions of how the local economies worked in the absence of hard currency, and how the different working classes stood in comparison to each other. For many young men, serving in the militia was expected to be the path to financial freedom that without the war, may not have ever come to them. In this reflective look at the society these soldiers came from we see how every aspect of their life played out on the battlefield. From the decision of who would fight in the war to the religious beliefs that guided their actions, every detail followed the men into battle. Ever present was the belief that they were fighting for a better life. Far from a veritable mélange of charts and tables that have come to permeate social histories, the author manages to transpose a face onto the numbers and that face is the face of New England.

What sets this book apart is how the author details the differences between the regular British Army and the colonial military establishment. In this conflict you see how the roots of the mutual dislike and distrust that permeated relations between the colonies and the home country taking solid root, played out in the rivalry between the two different military organizations.  This is where the author shines, comparing and contrasting the difference between the volunteer military establishment of New England and the professional British army and in effect calling out the societal differences between the two groups and delving into the degradation of their relations. It was these poor relations that set the stage for the coming Revolution. Even with what we know is coming down the road the author manages to press home that the colonists were proud British subjects who saw themselves as equal and deserving members of the Empire.

The book itself has garnered acclamation, including the 1982 Jamestown Prize in Early American History and the 1986 Distinguished Book Award from the Society of Colonial Wars. The author received his B.A. from Colorado State University in 1971 and his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1981. He has written a total of five books on the subject.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Crusade – The Untold Story Of The Persian Gulf War

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Crusade – The Untold Story Of The Persian Gulf War

Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War written by Rick Atkinson details the campaign from the start of Desert Shield to the final hours of Desert Storm and the war against Saddam Hussein. Two things continuously went through my mind as I read this book. First was the fact that it was written several years after the war and knowing how the story continued in the time since leaves one shaking their head. The other was the fact that this was the first war that I had personally lived through. Comparing the events of the book to my own recollections of the events as they happened was fascinating and as any good history should do allowed me to learn something about what I thought I already knew. There were three aspects to the narrative that I found the most fascinating, the politics of the war, the personalities of the war and the execution of the war.

In writing about the politics involved in the war the author delves into the building of the Multinational Coalition that executed the war. Each member nation of the coalition had to be handled in different ways, balancing the various sensibilities of the Muslim nations with the political expediency of the Western nations is covered with apt skill. Even more fascinating is the dealings with nations that were not a part of the coalition, especially Israel. From my own perspective I knew that one of the major efforts undertaken by the US Government was to try to keep the Israelis from overt participation in the conflict. What this book showed however was the depth of the maneuvering that kept that from happening and the various personalities involved. Besides the Israelis and the Iraqis themselves, the Soviet Union was also a major player, trying to keep their fingers in the Middle Eastern pie. The author handles all sides with a deft understanding of the critical balance that had to be maintained during the fighting.

From the perspective of watching the war on the television we saw a never-ending parade of personalities from Powell to Schwarzkopf, Cheney to Arens. We had one view of these people, especially Schwarzkopf. This book provides valuable insights into these people and shows things that are not part of general knowledge. Schwarzkopf’s temper, something whispered about in rumors, is on full display in this book. Powell’s handling of Schwarzkopf, something we knew was critical, but here we are shown why. Far from a book of psychological examinations, what the author does is plainly put out there who these people are and how they effected the war in general. This helps the reader make their own judgments as to each individuals effectiveness.

Truly the most fascinating portion of the book was the way it laid out the execution of the war. From the first days of the air campaign to the closing moments of the ground campaign, every aspect is examined. The overwhelming theme in this part of the book is the desire to finally have US Military move out from under the shadow of Vietnam. That was what the war was really about to the commanders who were looking for a second chance. That is never portrayed as a bad thing in this book. From the couch the war was fought almost perfectly and where this book really makes its impact is in looking at this belief and explaining the reality. Precision bombing was more precise, but not as much as the nightly news would have us believe. The vaunted Patriot missile did not have the perfect record in defending against the SCUDS that we were told. The most tragic failure of the war was the fact that we lost more troops to friendly fire, then to the enemy. The reasons for these failures are explained in detail as a balance to the things that did work.

Rick Atkinson spent the war as a reporter for The Washington Post, providing an interesting prospective that he put to use in completing this novel. Since the publication he has gone on to finish several histories revolving around WWII and has received the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Doughboys, the Great War, and the Remaking of America

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Doughboys, the Great War, and the Remaking of America

 

Doughboys, the Great War, and the Remaking of America, written by Jennifer Keene can best be described as a social history of the American citizen soldiers that fought in the Great War. The focus is mainly on the men drafted and how the military had to deal with the influx of hundreds of thousands of these citizens and convert them into soldiers. Several aspects of the issues were addressed in the book: training, discipline, race relations, and demobilizing the new soldiers.

With war looming on the horizon the American military was faced with the specter of having to increase their standing army and navy a dozen times over. A mobilization that reached deep into the various levels of American society. The author goes into the great detail of the methods used to raise and train this army, issues that were complicated by the uniquely American idea of the “citizen soldier”. Who would be in the army, who would lead the army and what role would the National Guard play.

Once the new soldiers were in the military they were difficult to discipline, many did not understand the new military life they had entered and many more were foreigners. Many of the traditional punishments for military crimes did not seem to faze the new soldiers and this caused many changes in the way that discipline was handed out.

The author deals with the issue of race in the military in a frank and honest manner. This issue is one that would haunt the military all the way from the stateside training camps to the frontlines of the war. An interesting aspect that is dealt with is how the colored soldiers found some kind of equality among the French countryside, something they could never find at home.

Desperate to avoid the mistakes of the Civil War, the issue of how best to demobilize the troops back into civilian lives came to the forefront. At this point politics and Spanish Flu complicate the issues, all well sorted in the end.

The author takes all these issues and rolls them together under the premise that the Military treaded carefully with all of these issues in the hopes that after the war the soldiers would become a powerful lobbying group, designed to support military appropriations bills. As a method of achieving this goal the Military constantly tried to stay informed of what their soldiers were thinking by clandestine operations against their own troops. The information gathered from the troops shaped and molded policy in a way that individual soldiers had never done before.

Where I feel the author wanders from their point was towards the end when the formation of the various Veteran societies became intertwined with the various labor interests. It is here that the authors own politics seep into the writing and ruin what is an otherwise solid social history of that generation.

At the time this book was written Jennifer Keene was an assistant professor of history at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.