From Whaleboats to Amphibious Warfare

From Whaleboats to Amphibious Warfare PDF Author: Ann Cipriano Venzon
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313039046
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
An examination of Holland Smith's career in the Marine Corps follows its evolution from an insular constabulary at the turn of the 20th century to a juggernaut, landing American troops island by island in vital amphibious engagements up to 1945. Serving in important assignments from the Philippines to China to Latin America, Smith became deeply involved in the development of amphibious strategy and tactics, as well as in the creation of proper landing craft by the early 1930s. After Pearl Harbor, the Marines would turn to him to plan and lead operations in the Gilberts, the Marianas, and the Volcano Islands, culminating in the epic operation at Iwo Jima. Venzon details the life of this quiet, modest man who, she contends, deliberately cultivated the persona of an irascible, unreasonable perfectionist, in an effort to do everything possible to protect the Marines under his command. Smith braved malaria and dengue fever in the Philippines, sailed through the backwaters of post-Manchu China, and fought in the earliest banana wars in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. After World War I, he was the first Marine to attend the General Staff College at Langres, and from then on became am important member of 4th Marine Brigade Staff, and later on the staff of the army's I Corps. Here, he learned that war in the new century would be as much about planning, logistics, communications, and intelligence as it was about brute force. Upon his return to the United States, he attended both the Naval War College and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. By 1940, he commanded the First Marine Division. His deliberately explosive behavior, however, would ultimately push him out of the circle of legendary World War II leaders.

From Whaleboats to Amphibious Warfare

From Whaleboats to Amphibious Warfare PDF Author: Ann Cipriano Venzon
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313039046
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Get Book Here

Book Description
An examination of Holland Smith's career in the Marine Corps follows its evolution from an insular constabulary at the turn of the 20th century to a juggernaut, landing American troops island by island in vital amphibious engagements up to 1945. Serving in important assignments from the Philippines to China to Latin America, Smith became deeply involved in the development of amphibious strategy and tactics, as well as in the creation of proper landing craft by the early 1930s. After Pearl Harbor, the Marines would turn to him to plan and lead operations in the Gilberts, the Marianas, and the Volcano Islands, culminating in the epic operation at Iwo Jima. Venzon details the life of this quiet, modest man who, she contends, deliberately cultivated the persona of an irascible, unreasonable perfectionist, in an effort to do everything possible to protect the Marines under his command. Smith braved malaria and dengue fever in the Philippines, sailed through the backwaters of post-Manchu China, and fought in the earliest banana wars in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. After World War I, he was the first Marine to attend the General Staff College at Langres, and from then on became am important member of 4th Marine Brigade Staff, and later on the staff of the army's I Corps. Here, he learned that war in the new century would be as much about planning, logistics, communications, and intelligence as it was about brute force. Upon his return to the United States, he attended both the Naval War College and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. By 1940, he commanded the First Marine Division. His deliberately explosive behavior, however, would ultimately push him out of the circle of legendary World War II leaders.

Saipan

Saipan PDF Author: James H. Hallas
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0811768430
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 593

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Book Description
The story of the Battle of Saipan has it all. Marines at war: on Pacific beaches, in hellish volcanic landscapes in places like Purple Heart Ridge, Death Valley, and Hell’s Pocket, under a commander known as “Howlin’ Mad.” Naval combat: carriers battling carriers from afar, fighters downing Japanese aircraft, submarines sinking carriers. Marine-army rivalry. Fanatical Japanese defense and resistance. A turning point of the Pacific War. James Hallas reconstructs the full panorama of Saipan in a way that no recent chronicler of the battle has done. In its comprehensiveness, attention to detail, scope of research, and ultimate focus on the men who fought and won the battle on the beaches and at and above the sea, it rivals Richard Frank’s modern classic Guadalcanal. This is the definitive military history of the Battle of Saipan.

The Greatest of All Leathernecks

The Greatest of All Leathernecks PDF Author: Joseph Arthur Simon
Publisher: LSU Press
ISBN: 0807172456
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Joseph Arthur Simon’s The Greatest of All Leathernecks is the first comprehensive biography of John Archer Lejeune (1867–1942), a Louisiana native and the most innovative and influential leader of the United States Marine Corps in the twentieth century. As commandant of the Marine Corps from 1920 to 1929, Lejeune reorganized, revitalized, and modernized the force by developing its new and permanent mission of amphibious assault. Before that transformation, the corps was a constabulary infantry force used mainly to protect American business interests in the Caribbean, a mission that did not place it as a significant contributor to the United States defense establishment. The son of a plantation owner from Pointe Coupee Parish, Lejeune enrolled at Louisiana State University in 1881, aged fourteen. Three years later, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy, afterward serving for two years at sea as a midshipman. In 1890, he transferred to the Marines, where he ascended quickly in rank. During the Spanish-American War, Lejeune commanded and landed Marines at San Juan, Puerto Rico, to rescue American sympathizers who had been attacked by Spanish troops. A few years later, he arrived with a battalion of Marines at the Isthmus of Panama—part of Colombia at the time—securing it for Panama and making possible the construction of the Panama Canal by the United States. He went on to lead Marine expeditions to Cuba and Veracruz, Mexico. During World War I, Lejeune was promoted to major general and given command of an entire U.S. Army division. After the war, Lejeune became commandant of the Marine Corps, a role he used to develop its new mission of amphibious assault, transforming the corps from an ancillary component of the U.S. military into a vibrant and essential branch. He also created the Marine Corps Reserve, oversaw the corps’s initial use of aviation, and founded the Marine Corps Schools, the intellectual planning center of the corps that currently exists as the Marine Corps University. As Simon masterfully illustrates, the mission and value of the corps today spring largely from the efforts and vision of Lejeune.

The Globe and Anchor Men

The Globe and Anchor Men PDF Author: Mark Ryland Folse
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700636250
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
Throughout the World War I era, the United States Marine Corps’ efforts to promote their culture of manliness directed attention away from the dangers of war and military life and towards its potential benefits. As a military institution that valued physical, mental, and moral strength, the Marines created an alluring image for young men seeking a rite of passage into manhood. Within this context, the potential for danger and death only enhanced the appeal. Mark Ryland Folse’s The Globe and Anchor Men offers the first in-depth history of masculinity in the Marine Corps during the World War I era. White manhood and manliness constituted the lens through which the Marines of this period saw themselves, how they wanted the public to see them, and what they believed they contributed to society. Their highly gendered culture helped foster positive public relations, allowing Marines to successfully promote the potential benefits of becoming a Marine over the costs, even in times of war. By examining how the Marine Corps’ culture, public image, and esteem within U.S. society evolved, Folse demonstrates that the American people measured the Marines’ usefulness not only in terms of military readiness but also according to standards of manliness set by popular culture and by Marines themselves. The Marines claimed to recruit the finest specimens of American manhood and make them even better: strong, brave, and morally upright. They claimed the Marine would be a man with a wealth of travel and experience behind him. He would be a proud and worthy citizen who had earned respect through his years of service, training, and struggle in the Marine Corps. Becoming a Marine benefited the man, and the new Marine benefited the nation. As men became manlier, the country did, too.

The Battle of Iwo Jima

The Battle of Iwo Jima PDF Author: Walt Sandberg
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786417900
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
Beginning with the Marine assault on February 19, 1945, the Battle for Iwo Jima quickly became the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history. Today this fierce battle remains high in our collective memories, not only for its terrors but for its indelible image of triumph: the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi. Much information exists about the Battle for Iwo Jima, but it is scattered and can be difficult to track down. This book draws the information together in two ways. It offers bibliographic listings to lead researchers to useful sources, and provides actual texts of documents related to the battle and its aftermath. Part One, "The Bibliography," offers information on more than 800 books, magazines, official documents, audio-visual materials and online resources about the Battle of Iwo Jima. Each listing is annotated to assist researchers, historians, veterans and others seeking information. Part Two, "The Anthology," offers the texts of hard-to-locate documents; a series of maps showing the day-by-day progression of the battle; and a selection of poetry inspired by the battle. Appendices provide details of the American chain of command and both the American and the Japanese orders of battle; describe some lingering mysteries about the Battle of Iwo Jima; and list Iwo Jima memorial sites around the world.

A Companion to American Military History

A Companion to American Military History PDF Author: James C. Bradford
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444315110
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1136

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Book Description
With more than 60 essays, A Companion to American MilitaryHistory presents a comprehensive analysis of the historiographyof United States military history from the colonial era to thepresent. Covers the entire spectrum of US history from the Indian andimperial conflicts of the seventeenth century to the battles inAfghanistan and Iraq Features an unprecedented breadth of coverage from eminentmilitary historians and emerging scholars, including little studiedtopics such as the military and music, military ethics, care of thedead, and sports Surveys and evaluates the best scholarship on every importantera and topic Summarizes current debates and identifies areas whereconflicting interpretations are in need of further study

The Siege of Tsingtau

The Siege of Tsingtau PDF Author: Charles Stephenson
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1526702940
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
“A well-written, modern narrative of the political and military events leading up to, during and after the German-Japanese War of 1914.”—The Australian Naval Institute The German-Japanese War was a key, yet often neglected, episode in the opening phase of the First World War. It had profound implications for the future, particularly in respect of Japan’s acquisition of Germany’s Micronesian islands. Japan’s naval perimeter was extended and threatened the United States naval strategy of projecting force westward. The campaign to relieve Germany of Tsingtau, the port and naval base in China, and its hinterland posed a grave threat to Chinese independence. The course of the Second World War in China and the Pacific cannot be explained without reference to these events. Charles Stephenson’s account makes fascinating reading. The siege of Tsingtau by the Japanese, with token British participation, forms the core of his story. He draws on Japanese and German primary sources to describe the defenses, the landings, the course of the siege, and eventual German surrender. His study will be absorbing reading for anyone interested in the campaigns of the First World War outside of Europe, in German colonial expansion and the rise to power of Japan. “Overall the volume delivers a much needed, interesting and often highly detailed overview of operations in the Pacific and the siege of Tsingtau. The volume excels especially in its detailed narrative of naval and land operations in the Pacific and in China. The geopolitical background provides a most useful introduction to the history of the region.”—International Journal of Maritime History

The American Military

The American Military PDF Author: Brad D. Lookingbill
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118609433
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
The American Military: A Narrative History presents a comprehensive introduction to more than four centuries of American military history. Presents a chronological account of American military history from clashes between militias and Native Americans to 21st-century operations in Afghanistan and Iraq Features personal vignettes to put a human face on armed conflict Addresses patterns of national service, the evolution of civil-military relations, and the advent of all-volunteer forces Puts events in historical context, and considers cultural, social, political, economic, and technological developments

Pacific Blitzkrieg

Pacific Blitzkrieg PDF Author: Sharon Tosi Lacey
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
ISBN: 1574415255
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
Pacific Blitzkrieg closely examines the planning, preparation, and execution of ground operations for five major invasions in the Central Pacific (Guadalcanal, Tarawa, the Marshalls, Saipan, and Okinawa). The commanders on the ground had to integrate the U.S. Army and Marine Corps into a single striking force, something that would have been difficult in peacetime, but in the midst of a great global war, it was a monumental task. Yet, ultimate success in the Pacific rested on this crucial, if somewhat strained, partnership and its accomplishments. Despite the thousands of works covering almost every aspect of World War II in the Pacific, until now no one has examined the detailed mechanics behind this transformation at the corps and division level. Sharon Tosi Lacey makes extensive use of previously untapped primary research material to re-examine the development of joint ground operations, the rapid transformation of tactics and equipment, and the evolution of command relationships between army and marine leadership. This joint venture was the result of difficult and patient work by commanders and evolving staffs who acted upon the lessons of each engagement with remarkable speed. For every brilliant strategic and operational decision of the war, there were thousands of minute actions and adaptations that made such brilliance possible. Lacey examines the Smith vs. Smith controversy during the Saipan invasion using newly discovered primary source material. Saipan was not the first time General “Howlin’ Mad” Smith had created friction. Lacey reveals how Smith’s blatant partisanship and inability to get along with others nearly brought the American march across the Pacific to a halt. Pacific Blitzkrieg explores the combat in each invasion to show how the battles were planned, how raw recruits were turned into efficient combat forces, how battle doctrine was created on the fly, and how every service remade itself as new and more deadly weapons continuously changed the character of the war. This book will be a must read for anyone who wants to get a behind-the-scenes story of the victory. “Pacific Blitzkrieg is not only a major contribution to our understanding of the Pacific War, but is also a delight to read. Lacey demolishes the belief, widely held among students of the Pacific War, that a deep gulf lay between the Marine Corps and the Army. In every respect Pacific Blitzkrieg is what one should expect from a scholarly book: well researched, well argued, and coherent.”—Williamson Murray, coauthor of A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War “This is a significantly fresh approach in that it goes beyond the Army-Marine controversies best exemplified by ‘Smith versus Smith.’ It does so by explaining their genesis in institutional and personal terms, then showing how both services marginalized the controversies during the war, in the interest of resolving the real problem: crossing the central Pacific with minimum cost and maximum effectiveness.”—Dennis E. Showalter, author of Hitler’s Panzers and Patton and Rommel “Pacific Blitzkrieg is an exceptional analysis of U.S. joint amphibious operations against Japan during World War II. Lacey clearly demonstrates that despite the heat of the Smith versus Smith controversy during the invasion of Saipan, in fact U.S. Army and Marine units and commanders cooperated far better than the published historical record to date suggests. A must read for current and future joint force commanders and their staffs.”—Peter R. Mansoor, author of The GI Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions, 1941-1945

Kentucky Marine

Kentucky Marine PDF Author: David J. Bettez
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 0813144817
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
“Follows the changes in the Marine Corps from its role as colonial infantry to amphibious assault force . . . us[ing] the career of Maj. Gen. Logan Feland.” —Allan R. Millett, author of Semper Fidelis Winner of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Colonel Joseph Alexander Award A native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Major General Logan Feland (1869-1936) played a major role in the development of the modern Marine Corps. Highly decorated for his heroic actions during the battle of Belleau Wood in World War I, Feland led the hunt for rebel leader Augusto César Sandino during the Nicaraguan revolution from 1927 to 1929—an operation that helped to establish the Marines’ reputation in guerrilla warfare and search-and-capture missions. Yet, despite rising to become one of the USMC’s most highly ranked and regarded officers, Feland has been largely ignored in the historical record. In Kentucky Marine, David J. Bettez uncovers the forgotten story of this influential soldier of the sea. During Feland’s tenure as an officer, the Corps expanded exponentially in power and prestige. Not only did his command in Nicaragua set the stage for similar twenty-first-century operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Feland was one of the first instructors in the USMC’s Advanced Base Force, which served as the forerunner of the amphibious assault force mission the Marines adopted in World War II. Kentucky Marine also illuminates Feland’s private life, including his marriage to successful soprano singer and socialite Katherine Cordner Feland, and details his disappointment at being twice passed over for the position of commandant. Drawing from personal letters, contemporary news articles, official communications, and confidential correspondence, this long-overdue biography fills a significant gap in twentieth-century American military history.