Journal of Military History
Vol. 75, No. 3
July 2011
Articles
The 2011 George C. Marshall Lecture in Military History
Gerhard L. Weinberg, “Some Myths of World War II,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 701-718.
Gerhard L. Weinberg, “Some Myths of World War II,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 701-718.
The talk engages some myths of the war that have been widely shared. The examination includes myths pertaining to the war as a whole as well as about individual leaders and groups of individuals. Included among the latter are Adolf Hitler and his generals, Winston Churchill, Benito Mussolini, Josef Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Yamamoto Isoroku. The text also touches on such issues as the Yalta Conference, the Morgenthau Plan for Germany, and the disappearance of the horses from people's image of the war.
Gavin Robinson, “Equine Battering Rams? A Reassessment of Cavalry Charges in the English Civil War,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 719-731.
According to traditional narratives the tactic of shock charges imported from Sweden replaced the caracole, a maneuver which involved successive ranks of cavalry advancing, firing their pistols, and retreating to reload, during the English Civil War. A successful cavalry charge was supposed to depend on close order and momentum to maximize the shock of impact. But this theory of shock is anachronistic. Physical shock is largely absent from early seventeenth century English drill books and eyewitness accounts of Civil War battles. The laws of physics and evidence from racing accidents show that if close-order shock charges could be achieved they could not give any tactical advantage. There is similarly little evidence for the continued use of the caracole into this period.
Ian Germani, “Terror in the Army: Representatives on Mission and Military Discipline
in the Armies of the French Revolution,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 733-768.
in the Armies of the French Revolution,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 733-768.
This article explores the role of the French National Convention’s representatives on mission in relation to the functioning of military courts in the armies of the French Revolution. It argues that the intervention of representatives on mission, while at times dramatic, was not necessarily the only, or even dominant, factor in determining the exercise of military justice. Although both representatives on mission and court officers insisted that harsh exemplary punishment was the key in military discipline and expressed an ideological antipathy toward the officer caste, the pattern of sentencing gives evidence of both moderation and pragmatism.
Tim Benbow, “Menace” to “Ironclad”: The British Operations against Dakar (1940) and Madagascar (1942),” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 769-809.
Two relatively unknown British operations during the Second World War—Operation “Menace” against Dakar (1940) and Operation “Ironclad” against Madagascar (1942)—offer a fascinating contrast, the former being a humiliating failure and the latter a striking success. This article seeks to explain the dramatic difference in their outcomes. Both were directed against Vichy France, with which Britain was not at war, and were undertaken at a time of particularly scarce resources and competing priorities, resulting in great challenges for political leaders and military planners. Unlike “Menace,” “Ironclad” achieved the desired objective at minimum cost to either side, largely by securing and exploiting surprise.
James Lacey, “World War II’s Real Victory Program,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 811-834.
Historians have long believed that the Victory Program that formed the basis of U.S. military and production strategy during World War II was mostly the work of a sole genius—Major Albert C. Wedemeyer. This article makes the case that Wedemeyer’s paper—“Ultimate Requirements Study: Estimate of Army Ground Forces”—had very little impact during the war. Its postwar prominence as an all-seeing document of remarkable foresight is a myth perpetuated for over fifty years by Wedemeyer himself. The true Victory Program combined a military strategy worked out by Admiral Harold Stark, and a production program worked out by three almost forgotten economists, Robert Nathan, Simon Kuznets, and Stacy May.
Kenton Clymer, “U.S. Homeland Defense in the 1950s: The Origins of the Ground Observer Corps,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 835-859.
A quasi-auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force from 1950 to 1959, the Ground Observer Corps (GOC) is among the least studied components of the American air defense system during the early Cold War. This essay concludes that although the GOC never met its founders’ hopes, air defense elements considered it useful in building support for Cold War policies, especially air defense programs. The essay also argues tentatively that the GOC’s failure to achieve its goals provides some support for those who have questioned how responsive the general public was to the anticommunist crusade and alarmist assertions of Soviet intentions to attack the United States with atomic weapons.
Hal Brands, “Why Did Saddam Invade Iran? New Evidence on Motives, Complexity, and the Israel Factor,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 861-885.
Using newly available Iraqi records, this article revisits Saddam Hussein’s decision to attack Iran in 1980. His decision defies easy categorization as offensive or defensive, strategic or ideological. The invasion’s rationale reflected a diverse array of factors rather than any single overriding determinant. Simultaneously a defensive response to Iranian provocations and an attempt to exploit post-revolutionary Iranian weakness, the invasion was also thoroughly wound up in Saddam’s ideological proclivities and exalted self-conception. Additionally, Saddam viewed attacking Iran as a step toward assuming his destiny as a great Arab leader and—more intriguingly—as a potential springboard to an eventual war against Israel. Strategy, ideology, and personality flowed together, creating a potent mix.
Review Essay:
John M. Carland, “Scorecard on CIA COIN in Vietnam,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 887-891.
Reviews:
Barbarous Philosophers: Reflections on the Nature of War from Heraclitus to Heisenberg, by Christopher Coker, reviewed by Ralph Hitchens, 893-894
Bloodied Banners: Martial Display on the Medieval Battlefield, by Robert W. Jones, reviewed by Karl Randall, 894-896
Portuguese Sea Battles, Volume I: The First World Sea Power, 1139-1521, by Armando da Silva Saturnino Monteiro, reviewed by John F. Guilmartin, Jr., 896-897
The Crusades and the Near East: Cultural Histories, edited by Conor Kostick, reviewed by Christopher Tyerman, 897-898
Wallenstein: The Enigma of the Thirty Years War, by Geoff Mortimer, reviewed by Christoph Kampman, 899-900
La Paix de Karlowitz, 26 janvier 1699: les relations entre l’Europe central et l’Empire Ottoman, edited by Jean Bérenger, reviewed by Ciro Paoletti, 900-901
A Military History of South Africa:From the Dutch-Khoi Wars to the End of Apartheid, by Timothy J. Stapleton, reviewed by Jan-Bart Gewald, 901-903
The Capture of Louisbourg, 1758, by Hugh Boscawen, reviewed by James Pritchard, 903-905
The American Revolution: A Grand Mistake, by Leland G. Stauber, reviewed by Mark Edward Lender, 905-907
The American Revolution: A Concise History, by Robert J. Allison, reviewed by James M. Johnson, 907-908
Recollections of Life on the Prison Ship Jersey, by Thomas Dring, edited by David Swain, reviewed by Paul J. Springer, 909-910
Captured at King’s Mountain: The Journal of Uzal Johnson, a Loyalist Surgeon, edited by Wade S. Kolb III and Robert M. Weir, reviewed by Carole Watterson Troxler, 910-911
Strategy in the American War for Independence: A Global Approach, edited by Donald Stoker, Kenneth J. Hagan, and Michael T. McMaster, reviewed by Gene Allen Smith, 911-912
The American Revolution in Monmouth County: The Theatre of Spoil and Destruction, by Michael S. Adelberg, reviewed by William Pencak, 912-914
Wellington’s Two-Front War: The Peninsular Campaigns at Home and Abroad, 1808-1814, by Joshua Moon, reviewed by William Anthony Hay, 914-915
Perilous Fight: America’s Intrepid War with Britain on the High Seas, 1812-1815, by Stephen Budiansky, reviewed by Michael J. Crawford, 915-917
The Second Creek War: Interethnic Conflict and Collusion on a Collapsing Frontier, by John T. Ellisor, reviewed by Matthew Jennings, 917-918
War with Mexico! America’s Reporters Cover the Battlefront, by Tom Reilly, edited by Manley Witten, reviewed by Irving Levinson, 918-919
An Ever Present Danger: A Concise History of British Military Operations on the North-West Frontier, 1849-1947, by Matt M. Matthews, reviewed by Christian Tripodi, 919-921
Soldiers and Settlers in Africa, 1850-1918, edited by Stephen M. Miller, reviewed by Charles Thomas, 921-922
The Mormon Rebellion: America’s First Civil War, 1857-1858, by David L. Bigler and Will Bagley, reviewed by Robert Wooster, 922-923
The Civil War: A Concise History, by Louis P. Masur, reviewed by Debra Sheffer, 924
God’s Almost Chosen People: A Religious History of the American Civil War, by George C. Rable, reviewed by Aaron Sheehan-Dean, 925-926
Civil War Citizens: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity in America’s Bloodiest Conflict, edited by Susannah J. Ural, reviewed by Paul A. Cimbala, 926-927
The Civil War Naval Encyclopedia, edited by Spencer C. Tucker, reviewed by Kevin J. Weddle, 928-929
America’s Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan, edited by James H. Willbanks, reviewed by Fred L. Borch, 929-931
Homer Lea: American Soldier of Fortune, by Lawrence M. Kaplan, reviewed by Katherine K. Reist, 931-932
Shattering Empires: The Clash and Collapse of the Ottoman and Russian Empires, 1908-1918, by Michael A. Reynolds, reviewed by Gary P. Cox, 932-934
Hero of the Air: Glenn Curtiss and the Birth of Naval Aviation, by William F. Trimble, reviewed by Stephen K. Stein, 934-935
Vittorio Orlando-Italy, by Spencer M. Di Scala, reviewed by John Gooch, 935-936
Sovereignty at Sea: U.S. Merchant Ships and American Entry into World War I, by Rodney Carlisle, reviewed by Eric W. Osborne, 936-937
Narrow Gauge to No Man’s Land: U.S. Army 60 cm Gauge Railways of the First World War in France, by Richard Dunn, reviewed by Murdock Moore, 938
Stalking the U-Boat: U. S. Naval Aviation in Europe during World War I, by Geoffrey L. Rossano, reviewed by J. I. Holwitt, 939-940
Desert Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia, by Charles Townshend, reviewed by Matthew Hughes, 940-942
Douglas Haig and the First World War, by J. P. Harris, reviewed by Mitchell Yockelson, 942-943
Tidewater Warrior: General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., USMC, Twentieth Commandant -- The World War I Years, by Tom FitzPatrick, reviewed by Robert H. Ferrell, 944-945
Revered Commander, Maligned General: The Life of Clarence Ransom Edwards, 1859-1931, by Michael E. Shay, reviewed by Edward M. Coffman, 945-946
Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era, by Chad L. Williams, reviewed by Jennifer D. Keene, 946-947
Finding Common Ground: New Directions in First World War Studies, edited by Jennifer D. Keene and Michael S. Neiberg, reviewed by Len Shurtleff, 947-949
Trotsky: A Biography, by Robert Service, reviewed by Evan Mawdsley, 949-951
Carrying the War to the Enemy: American Operational Art to 1945, by Michael R. Matheny, reviewed by Gordon W. Rudd, 951-953
The World in World Wars: Experiences, Perceptions and Perspectives from Africa and Asia, edited by Heike Liebau, Katrin Bromber, Katharina Lange, Dyala Hamzah and Ravi Ahuja, reviewed by Nikolas Gardner, 953-954
Architect of Soviet Victory in World War II: The Life and Theories of G. S. Isserson, by Richard W. Harrison, reviewed by Alexander Hill, 955-956
The Soviet Union at War, 1941-1945, edited by David R. Stone, reviewed by Jonathan M. House, 956-957
Reluctant Accomplice: A Wehrmacht Soldier’s Letters from the Eastern Front, edited by Konrad H. Jarausch, reviewed by Stephen G. Fritz, 957-959
Dealing with the Devil: Anglo-Soviet Intelligence Cooperation in the Second World War, by Donal O’Sullivan, reviewed by Wesley Wark, 959-960
The Hump: America’s Strategy for Keeping China in World War II, by John D. Plating, reviewed by Guangqiu Xu, 960-961
Shepherds of the Sea: Destroyer Escorts in World War II, by Robert F. Cross, reviewed by Richard J. Cappellino, 961-962
The Battle for Western Europe, Fall 1944: An Operational Assessment, by John A. Adams, reviewed by David W. Hogan, Jr., 963-964
Victory at Peleliu: The 81st Infantry Division’s Pacific Campaign, by Bobby C. Blair and John Peter DeCioccio, reviewed by Harold J. Goldberg, 964-966
The Final Betrayal: Mountbatten, MacArthur and the Tragedy of Japanese POWs, by Mark Felton, reviewed by Stanley L. Falk, 966-967
The United States and the End of British Colonial Rule in Africa, 1941-1968, by James P. Hubbard, reviewed by Anthony Adamthwaite, 967-968
Over There: Living with the U.S. Military Empire from World War II to the Present, edited by Maria Höhn and Seungsook Moon, reviewed by John Willoughby, 968-970
The Contours of America's Cold War, by Matthew Farish, reviewed by Andrej Gaspari, 970-971
Continental Defense in the Eisenhower Era: Nuclear Antiaircraft Arms and the Cold War, by Christopher J. Bright, reviewed by Michael J. Neufeld, 971-972
Arrested Histories: Tibet, the CIA, and Memories of a Forgotten War, by Carole McGranahan, reviewed by Allen Carlson, 972-974
Worse Than a Monolith: Alliance Politics and Problems in Coercive Diplomacy in Asia, by Thomas J. Christensen, reviewed by June Teufel Dreyer, 974-975
Transforming Command: The Pursuit of Mission Command in the U.S., British, and Israeli Armies, by Eitan Shamir, reviewed by Ingo Trauschweizer, 975-976
Fallout: The True Story of the CIA’s Secret War on Nuclear Trafficking, by Catherine Collins and Douglas Frantz, reviewed by Frank Settle, 977-978
Power in Uncertain Times: Strategy in the Fog of Peace, by Emily O. Goldman, reviewed by William R. Hawkins, 978-979
Global Air Power, edited by John Andreas Olsen, reviewed by Robert S. Ehlers, Jr., 979-981
On Flexibility: Recovery from Technological and Doctrinal Surprise on the Battlefield, by Meir Finkel, reviewed by Frank Hoffman, 981-983
Other:
BOOKS RECEIVED: 984-990
RECENT JOURNAL ARTICLES: 991-993
DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS IN MILITARY HISTORY: 994-1002
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: 1003-1004
SMH 2011 PRIZES AND AWARDS: 1012
John M. Carland, “Scorecard on CIA COIN in Vietnam,” The Journal of Military History 75 #3 (July 2011): 887-891.
Reviews:
Barbarous Philosophers: Reflections on the Nature of War from Heraclitus to Heisenberg, by Christopher Coker, reviewed by Ralph Hitchens, 893-894
Bloodied Banners: Martial Display on the Medieval Battlefield, by Robert W. Jones, reviewed by Karl Randall, 894-896
Portuguese Sea Battles, Volume I: The First World Sea Power, 1139-1521, by Armando da Silva Saturnino Monteiro, reviewed by John F. Guilmartin, Jr., 896-897
The Crusades and the Near East: Cultural Histories, edited by Conor Kostick, reviewed by Christopher Tyerman, 897-898
Wallenstein: The Enigma of the Thirty Years War, by Geoff Mortimer, reviewed by Christoph Kampman, 899-900
La Paix de Karlowitz, 26 janvier 1699: les relations entre l’Europe central et l’Empire Ottoman, edited by Jean Bérenger, reviewed by Ciro Paoletti, 900-901
A Military History of South Africa:From the Dutch-Khoi Wars to the End of Apartheid, by Timothy J. Stapleton, reviewed by Jan-Bart Gewald, 901-903
The Capture of Louisbourg, 1758, by Hugh Boscawen, reviewed by James Pritchard, 903-905
The American Revolution: A Grand Mistake, by Leland G. Stauber, reviewed by Mark Edward Lender, 905-907
The American Revolution: A Concise History, by Robert J. Allison, reviewed by James M. Johnson, 907-908
Recollections of Life on the Prison Ship Jersey, by Thomas Dring, edited by David Swain, reviewed by Paul J. Springer, 909-910
Captured at King’s Mountain: The Journal of Uzal Johnson, a Loyalist Surgeon, edited by Wade S. Kolb III and Robert M. Weir, reviewed by Carole Watterson Troxler, 910-911
Strategy in the American War for Independence: A Global Approach, edited by Donald Stoker, Kenneth J. Hagan, and Michael T. McMaster, reviewed by Gene Allen Smith, 911-912
The American Revolution in Monmouth County: The Theatre of Spoil and Destruction, by Michael S. Adelberg, reviewed by William Pencak, 912-914
Wellington’s Two-Front War: The Peninsular Campaigns at Home and Abroad, 1808-1814, by Joshua Moon, reviewed by William Anthony Hay, 914-915
Perilous Fight: America’s Intrepid War with Britain on the High Seas, 1812-1815, by Stephen Budiansky, reviewed by Michael J. Crawford, 915-917
The Second Creek War: Interethnic Conflict and Collusion on a Collapsing Frontier, by John T. Ellisor, reviewed by Matthew Jennings, 917-918
War with Mexico! America’s Reporters Cover the Battlefront, by Tom Reilly, edited by Manley Witten, reviewed by Irving Levinson, 918-919
An Ever Present Danger: A Concise History of British Military Operations on the North-West Frontier, 1849-1947, by Matt M. Matthews, reviewed by Christian Tripodi, 919-921
Soldiers and Settlers in Africa, 1850-1918, edited by Stephen M. Miller, reviewed by Charles Thomas, 921-922
The Mormon Rebellion: America’s First Civil War, 1857-1858, by David L. Bigler and Will Bagley, reviewed by Robert Wooster, 922-923
The Civil War: A Concise History, by Louis P. Masur, reviewed by Debra Sheffer, 924
God’s Almost Chosen People: A Religious History of the American Civil War, by George C. Rable, reviewed by Aaron Sheehan-Dean, 925-926
Civil War Citizens: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity in America’s Bloodiest Conflict, edited by Susannah J. Ural, reviewed by Paul A. Cimbala, 926-927
The Civil War Naval Encyclopedia, edited by Spencer C. Tucker, reviewed by Kevin J. Weddle, 928-929
America’s Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan, edited by James H. Willbanks, reviewed by Fred L. Borch, 929-931
Homer Lea: American Soldier of Fortune, by Lawrence M. Kaplan, reviewed by Katherine K. Reist, 931-932
Shattering Empires: The Clash and Collapse of the Ottoman and Russian Empires, 1908-1918, by Michael A. Reynolds, reviewed by Gary P. Cox, 932-934
Hero of the Air: Glenn Curtiss and the Birth of Naval Aviation, by William F. Trimble, reviewed by Stephen K. Stein, 934-935
Vittorio Orlando-Italy, by Spencer M. Di Scala, reviewed by John Gooch, 935-936
Sovereignty at Sea: U.S. Merchant Ships and American Entry into World War I, by Rodney Carlisle, reviewed by Eric W. Osborne, 936-937
Narrow Gauge to No Man’s Land: U.S. Army 60 cm Gauge Railways of the First World War in France, by Richard Dunn, reviewed by Murdock Moore, 938
Stalking the U-Boat: U. S. Naval Aviation in Europe during World War I, by Geoffrey L. Rossano, reviewed by J. I. Holwitt, 939-940
Desert Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia, by Charles Townshend, reviewed by Matthew Hughes, 940-942
Douglas Haig and the First World War, by J. P. Harris, reviewed by Mitchell Yockelson, 942-943
Tidewater Warrior: General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., USMC, Twentieth Commandant -- The World War I Years, by Tom FitzPatrick, reviewed by Robert H. Ferrell, 944-945
Revered Commander, Maligned General: The Life of Clarence Ransom Edwards, 1859-1931, by Michael E. Shay, reviewed by Edward M. Coffman, 945-946
Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era, by Chad L. Williams, reviewed by Jennifer D. Keene, 946-947
Finding Common Ground: New Directions in First World War Studies, edited by Jennifer D. Keene and Michael S. Neiberg, reviewed by Len Shurtleff, 947-949
Trotsky: A Biography, by Robert Service, reviewed by Evan Mawdsley, 949-951
Carrying the War to the Enemy: American Operational Art to 1945, by Michael R. Matheny, reviewed by Gordon W. Rudd, 951-953
The World in World Wars: Experiences, Perceptions and Perspectives from Africa and Asia, edited by Heike Liebau, Katrin Bromber, Katharina Lange, Dyala Hamzah and Ravi Ahuja, reviewed by Nikolas Gardner, 953-954
Architect of Soviet Victory in World War II: The Life and Theories of G. S. Isserson, by Richard W. Harrison, reviewed by Alexander Hill, 955-956
The Soviet Union at War, 1941-1945, edited by David R. Stone, reviewed by Jonathan M. House, 956-957
Reluctant Accomplice: A Wehrmacht Soldier’s Letters from the Eastern Front, edited by Konrad H. Jarausch, reviewed by Stephen G. Fritz, 957-959
Dealing with the Devil: Anglo-Soviet Intelligence Cooperation in the Second World War, by Donal O’Sullivan, reviewed by Wesley Wark, 959-960
The Hump: America’s Strategy for Keeping China in World War II, by John D. Plating, reviewed by Guangqiu Xu, 960-961
Shepherds of the Sea: Destroyer Escorts in World War II, by Robert F. Cross, reviewed by Richard J. Cappellino, 961-962
The Battle for Western Europe, Fall 1944: An Operational Assessment, by John A. Adams, reviewed by David W. Hogan, Jr., 963-964
Victory at Peleliu: The 81st Infantry Division’s Pacific Campaign, by Bobby C. Blair and John Peter DeCioccio, reviewed by Harold J. Goldberg, 964-966
The Final Betrayal: Mountbatten, MacArthur and the Tragedy of Japanese POWs, by Mark Felton, reviewed by Stanley L. Falk, 966-967
The United States and the End of British Colonial Rule in Africa, 1941-1968, by James P. Hubbard, reviewed by Anthony Adamthwaite, 967-968
Over There: Living with the U.S. Military Empire from World War II to the Present, edited by Maria Höhn and Seungsook Moon, reviewed by John Willoughby, 968-970
The Contours of America's Cold War, by Matthew Farish, reviewed by Andrej Gaspari, 970-971
Continental Defense in the Eisenhower Era: Nuclear Antiaircraft Arms and the Cold War, by Christopher J. Bright, reviewed by Michael J. Neufeld, 971-972
Arrested Histories: Tibet, the CIA, and Memories of a Forgotten War, by Carole McGranahan, reviewed by Allen Carlson, 972-974
Worse Than a Monolith: Alliance Politics and Problems in Coercive Diplomacy in Asia, by Thomas J. Christensen, reviewed by June Teufel Dreyer, 974-975
Transforming Command: The Pursuit of Mission Command in the U.S., British, and Israeli Armies, by Eitan Shamir, reviewed by Ingo Trauschweizer, 975-976
Fallout: The True Story of the CIA’s Secret War on Nuclear Trafficking, by Catherine Collins and Douglas Frantz, reviewed by Frank Settle, 977-978
Power in Uncertain Times: Strategy in the Fog of Peace, by Emily O. Goldman, reviewed by William R. Hawkins, 978-979
Global Air Power, edited by John Andreas Olsen, reviewed by Robert S. Ehlers, Jr., 979-981
On Flexibility: Recovery from Technological and Doctrinal Surprise on the Battlefield, by Meir Finkel, reviewed by Frank Hoffman, 981-983
Other:
BOOKS RECEIVED: 984-990
RECENT JOURNAL ARTICLES: 991-993
DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS IN MILITARY HISTORY: 994-1002
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: 1003-1004
SMH 2011 PRIZES AND AWARDS: 1012
