Operation Plum: The Ill-Fated 27th Bombardment Group and the Fight for the Western Pacific
Adrian R. Martin and Larry W. Stephenson. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2008. 364 pp. Illus. Append. Notes. Bib. Index. $29.95.
The Army Air Corps' 27th bombardment group landed in the Philippines during November 1941 as part of Operation Plum, the code name for the resupply effort of U.S. forces in the Philippines. The group arrived with 1,209 confident young airmen who later emerged from their ordeal as battle-scarred veterans or POW camp survivors. One year later, only 20 pilots returned to the United States.
The 27th was formed in 1940 at Barksdale field near Shreveport, Louisiana. Its aircrews were trained to a high state of combat readiness in twin-engine A-20 attack bombers and single-engine A-24 dive bombers. But logistical snafus during deployment to the Pacific separated personnel from aircraft and equipment, so about half the 27th's pilots were sent to retrieve aircraft that had been diverted to Australia.
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, the squadron mates who remained fought during the withdrawal to the Bataan Peninsula, and were forced to participate in the notorious Death March that led hundreds of them to suffer incredibly cruel treatment as POWs. The majority of the 27th's men served on the ground in the Philippines until surrender to Japan in May 1942.
Operation Plum's chapters range from the pre-war preparations, to fighting on Bataan and "Royce's Raid" on Cebu, to air missions over the Coral Sea and the bitter experiences of the POWs. I found Appendix 4 to be a most interesting biographical follow-up concerning the 27th's pilots—for example, by my quick arithmetic, six of them eventually became general officers.
This is a fine tale of a little-known chapter in World War II, complete with maps and excellent black-and-white photos. Authors Martin and Stephenson, the latter the nephew of a 27th pilot, should take particular pride in their thorough research.
The Long Road to Baghdad: A History of U.S. Foreign Policy from the 1970s to the Present
Lloyd C. Gardner. New York: The New Press, 2008. 310 pp. Notes. Index. $27.95.
A renowned diplomatic historian reveals the historical thread connecting defense of U.S. intervention in Southeast Asia to attempts to project U.S. power into the "arc of crisis" (with Iran at its center), and the efforts of two Bush administrations to establish outposts in that vitally important area.
The author argues that the way to Iraq "began in the aftermath of the Vietnam War," during which President Johnson's National Security Adviser, Walt Rostow, stood for countering revolution while stimulating economic growth in "backward areas." Zbigniew Brzezinski, Rostow's successor in the Carter administration, concentrated on the Persian Gulf region as a key site.
Two of the book's most engaging chapters focus on Rostow and Brzezinski. According to Gardner, Rostow viewed his job as anticipating communist intentions and thwarting their purposes "with whatever methods necessary." He was often irritated by the "naysaying" of CIA and State Department officials. Brzezinski fretted over President Carter's "mixed signals" and his own differences with Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. In response to a public query about the danger of Islamic fundamentalism, Brzezinski replied, "Nonsense! . . . That is stupid. There isn't a global Islam."
In Chapter 4, the Clinton administration is sharply critiqued: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, for pronouncing that Saddam Hussein "is producing weapons of mass destruction"; and National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, for making the "mealy-mouthed claim" that air power was the best way to contain the Iraqi dictator.
Predictably, given the 9/11 attacks and his responsibility for the U.S. campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, President George W. Bush takes the lion's share of criticism. As indicated previously, however, it would be difficult to accuse Professor Gardner of favoritism. This is an especially good book for political junkies.
New Georgia, Bougainville, and Cape Gloucester: The U.S. Marines in World War II
Eric Hammel. Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press, 2008. 168 pp. Illus. Gloss. Bib. Index. $34.95.
A critically acclaimed military historian's latest book recounts the struggle Marines faced in the thick jungles of the islands north of Guadalcanal. Between late 1942 and early 1944, the Marines' air and ground forces fought a series of battles that have frequently been overshadowed by the more famous battles for Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.
The operations at New Georgia, Bougainville, and Cape Gloucester have, according to some, "been poorly documented." Hammel remedies this with a striking pictorial tribute to these South Pacific warriors. His first-class research adds much to this fascinating collection of photos.
In Chapter 1, "After Guadalcanal," Hammel sets the stage for Japan's increasingly defensive measures aimed at blunting the strong Allied offensive. In "The Central Solomons" he examines Marine Corps participation in the seizure of Munda Airfield. At Bairoko Harbor, a joint Raider-Army assault with scant air and artillery support degenerated to withdrawal—"the soundest defeat" suffered by the Marines in the Pacific war.
Chapter 3, "Bougainville," describes a complicated operation that was initially plagued by inadequate ground reconnaissance. "New Britain" covers the 1st Marine Division's drive to capture enemy airfields and bases, a unique campaign because it was executed "entirely under U.S. Army command." "Rabaul" tells of the relentless air offensive against Japan's "vital strategic bastion," where, by late January 1944, Marine aircraft had claimed a total of 266 Japanese fighters. Remarkably, Marine missions over Rabaul continued until two days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Eric Hammel's research involved studying hundreds of combat photos, many of which had never been published.
A Perfect Lady: A Pictorial History of the U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle
Tido Holtkamp. Mystic, CT: Flat Hammock Press, 2008. 160 pp. Illus. Append. $19.95.
This compact and engaging paperback chronicles the evolution of the Coast Guard's celebrated sailing ship. The author compiled more than 280 photos and provided captions to document the vessel's history from her birth to present-day duties at the Coast Guard Academy.
Commissioned as a training ship for the German navy, the 295-foot Horst Wessel was built at Hamburg in 1936. (The eponymous Wessel, a young political extremist, became a hero of the Nazi Party after his murder in 1930.) Following World War II, the ship was declared a war prize, commissioned, and renamed the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. The book's title, referring to the ship's nickname, derives from remarks made by the ship's first American skipper. After leaving Bremerhaven, the Eagle weathered a hurricane, which prompted him to report that she handled extremely well and reacted to commands "like a perfect lady."
In 1946, she traveled from Bremerhaven to New London, Connecticut, with a crew of Coasties and German sailors. Subsequently, she sailed the world, hosted countless dignitaries, and routinely acted as the nation's goodwill ambassador. Most important, she has enabled Coast Guard cadets and officer candidates to apply naval skills learned in the classroom.
The appendices include all of the vessel's commanding officers (German and American), a brief rundown on the crew of six officers and 54 enlisted personnel, and a list of cruises dating from 1936. Author Tido Holtkamp has a special relationship with the Eagle. In 1944, he served on board the Horst Wessel as a German naval cadet. More than 40 years later, he reconnected with her in Connecticut. He has sailed on her frequently and counts many of the ship's company as friends.