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O God of Battles
Harry Homewood. New York: William Morrow and Co., 1983. 359 pp. $14.95 ($13.45).
Reviewed by Captain Edward L. Beach,
U. S. Navy (Retired)
Harry Homewood has picked an unusually broad tapestry for his third novel about our submarine service, and there will inevitably be the question whether he, or anyone short of Herman Wouk or Leo Tolstoy, can do justice to the tremendous sweep of the entire Pacific War in a single normal length novel. In O God of Battles, Homewood describes the submarine war, the carrier air war, the surface actions, and something of the politics of all three. To these already large subjects, he adds a poignant love story, a strong and complex dose of religious analysis, and a charming description of Irish and Polish ethnic groups in Chicago’s bustling early 20th century ward heeling days. It is a bit much to ask of any reader to take all aboard at once.
But in those parts having to do with the business ends of our wartime submarine boats, Homewood is on solid ground. He writes of it masterfully. Without question or cavil, he has been there. His descriptions of how to service and prepare torpedo tubes, how to ease a reload fish into a torpedo tube under combat conditions, and how to fire a warshot, cannot be beaten anywhere. His descriptions of how it feels to be under depth charge attack are vivid. No one who has not experienced this and all the other desperate factors he describes so fully: high humidity, reduced oxygen, soaring temperatures, a sinking submarine held on the razor’s edge of survival with slowly turning propellers and a steep up angle, can fully savor the truth behind his descriptive artistry. And remember that it all happens amid the insane crashes of successive charges of 500 pounds of high explosive detonated within feet of the other side of that precious pressure hull which stands between you and eternity. No one, except one who has been there, can know it in the truest sense, and only a few of those who know it can describe it.
If Homewood, one-time chief torpedoman’s mate, meant only to tell what it was like in the torpedo rooms, or in the control room during an emergency dive, or anywhere in a wartime submarine—as must have been at least part of his purpose—he has succeeded superlatively. He has given us a straightforward, true- to-life picture of what might be called the blue collar submarine world, the “lower deck” experience on patrol, and he pulls no punches.
But he meant to tell more than that, for he is an idealist. The sailors in the USS Tigerftsh wanted to come to grips with the enemy who had inflicted the supreme insult of Pearl Harbor. We all remember the cynics, officers and enlisted (fortunately few), whose only emotion was to put in their time and avoid the enemy. Such men railed against those who wanted to fight, for they sought no fights on their own, and it made them uneasy to be with those who felt the adrenaline flash when there was a chance to hurt the enemy. Although such men are forgotten today, Homewood reminds us of them, and promptly lays them aside again, as they should be. The men who are remembered best—who should be—are those like Dick O’Kane, Slade Cutter, Mush Morton, Sam Dealey, Red Ramage, Dusty Dornin, and Gene Fluckey, to name some of the great skippers of the war. These, and the others like them, were the prototypes for Mike O’Connor.
Michael O’Connor, Homewood’s putative hero, the fighting submarine captain nonpareil, had his counterparts in real life. Michael is bigger than life, but he embodies the ideals of all of us, even of those who had no zest for battle.
But what about the sailors who followed the Michael O’Connors and helped them? What about the men of any great ship who put their faith in their skipper and support him all the way when he needs them? Asking this question, suddenly it is clear who the real heroes of Homewood’s superlative novel are, for he has more than one: the anonymous chief petty officers, the unsung men of whom Homewood was one, who made the Navy what it was then, and who make it what it is today. They are the ones who make the ships go, the airplanes fly, and the missiles shoot. Without them, there is nothing.
Captain Beach was graduated from the Naval Academy in 1939 and served in World War II. He wrote the war novels Run Silent, Run Deep (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1955), Dust on the Sea (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972) and Cold is the Sea (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1978). He is also the author of Keepers of the Sea (Naval Institute Press, 1983).
The Sinking of the Belgrano
Desmond Rice and Arthur Cavshon.
London, England: Seeker and Warburg,
1984. £8.95 (Approx. $15.00).
Reviewed by Captain John Coote, Royal Navy (Retired)
It is a sad commentary on the media’s reliability as a record of events that once the media propogates a distorted or inaccurate account, it tends to remain on the record as factual, no matter how often it is denied. This book’s thrust is that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was hell-bent on a military solution to the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands and that “only unconditional surrender (sic) by the Junta could have prevented a killing war.” In mid-April 1982, President Ronald Reagan seemed to be close to sharing that view. When warned by Secretary of State Alexander Haig that the British stood firm on sovereignty and self-determination, he commented: “Maggie
wants a skirmish.”
The story goes that the obsolescent cruiser General Belgrano was patrolling a line southwest of the Falklands to intercept reinforcements arriving around Cape Horn. She was returning to her base and her future role as a static exhibit in a naval museum in response to two signals ordering all Argentinian naval forces to withdraw. At this point, the nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror, which had tailed her on many different courses for 30 hours, was ordered to sink her, which she did without further ado on 2 May, when she was more than 20 miles outside the declared Total Exclusion Zone (TEZ) and on a steady course at 12 knots.
In Britain, that is known as the Tam Dalzell line. It has been embraced with no obvious attempt at verification by the Left and by a small number of commentators in the press and on television not renowned for their support of any British military endeavor. Even the authors of The Sinking of the Belgrano describe Labour Member of Parliament Dalzell’s motivation as “obsessional.” They might have added that he did not point out that the Belgrano was capable of 30 knots and that her main armament of 15 six-inch guns once helped to sink a Japanese battleship in under half an hour. The presence of two escorting destroyers armed with Exocet missiles was acknowledged, in the sense that they should have been picked off in preference to the cruiser.
This book is as disturbing as it is deceptive. Its appendices and cross-references to the source of the most salient points in the narrative endow it with all the appearances of a scholarly and objective work. One is bound to notice the omissions. Of the 16 Argentinian contacts named in the Authors’ Notes, only two were above captain’s rank: one a retired paratroop general, the other a navy district commander. Neither the Navy commander-in-chief nor the flag officer in charge of operations in the South Atlantic was among them. The eyewitness who provided them with details of the Conqueror’s patrol is not identified even by rank, although he plainly did not have access to highly classified material.
There is an impressive suggested reading list, which presumably formed the bulk of the written source material. Incredibly, the Naval Institute Proceedings is not listed, even though its many articles on the campaign, reflecting all points of view, included a significant one in the March 1983 issue by Dr. Robert Scheina written with access to and sympathy toward reliable Argentinian sources. Dr. Scheina took a different line on the notion that the sinking of the Belgrano on 2 May touched off a fight to the finish which could have been avoided. He said flatly that “all hope of a negotiated settlement ended” with the bombing of Port Stanley runway by the Royal Air Force on 1 May, the same day that vicious air strikes were launched on British naval units, and more than 24 hours before the Belgrano was sunk.
The authors base their findings on a number of points: First, the Anglo-U. S. signal intelligence (Siglnt) organization was so efficient that it was inconceivable that the Junta’s orders for their fleet to return to base on 1 May were not intercepted, decoded, and delivered to British military chiefs within hours. There is no source reference quoted for the existence of these signals. My understanding is that they were never seen by anyone on the British side.
Second, their worst suspicions were aroused by the Ministry of Defense ducking any sensitive questions and denying the authors access to the Task Force Commander, Rear Admiral Sandy Woodward, or the Conqueror’s commanding officer, Commander Wreford-Brown. But, when the authors did their research, the top-ranking officer involved, Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin, formerly Chief of the Defense Staff, was already in retirement and free to speak his mind. He was readily available but states that he was never contacted. He has since given his version of events, differing from the authors on many important points. It must be remembered that he would have been inhibited by avoiding direct attribution to Siglnt sources.
Third, it is argued that President Fernando Belaunde of Peru had delivered a peace formula acceptable to both sides in plenty of time for the Conqueror to be warned off. The book offers no confirmatory evidence on this point. But the Foreign Secretary at the time, Francis Pym, emphatically denied it as recently as 16 April 1984 in a memorable BBC-TV documentary. On the same program, the Argentinian rear admiral in charge of operations in the South Atlantic, Juan Jose Lombardo, confirmed that the Belgrano was under orders to enter the TEZ and take part in a pincer movement against the British ships. Admiral Lombardo went on to say that he would have ordered any British ship found in a similar situation to the Belgrano to be sunk on sight.
How far the Belgrano was outside the TEZ and whether she was heading east or west seems to have been irrelevant. Admiral Lewin has now made it clear that the Argentinians were served notice a week previously that their ships and aircraft would be attacked wherever they were found, if their deployment could be construed as hostile,
It is time that the Dalzell line was buried at sea—without honors—and this book with it.
Captain Coote was a Royal Navy submariner who saw war service off Norway and in the Mediterranean and later held four sea commands, 1948-54. At age 38, he resigned to go into newspaper publishing at Fleet Street, ending as Deputy Chairman of Bcaverbrook Newspapers.
A Mariner’s Rules of the Road
William P. Crawford. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1983. 336 pp. Illus. $24.95 ($22.45).
Reviewed by Captain William I!. Hayler, U. S. Navy (Retired)
This new text on the rules of the road by Captain Crawford immediately invites a comparison to Farwell’s Rules of the Nautical Road, 6th edition, (Naval Institute Press, 1982) and with which the Navy is quite familiar. Although both texts cover the same subject, they vary widely in viewpoint and presentation and reflect the background of Captain Crawford on the one hand and Raymond Far- well and his successors on the other.
Captain Crawford received his master’s license in 1945 but left the sea to study law and received his degree as juris doctor. He then practiced admiralty law for almost 20 years prior to becoming head of the Crawford Nautical School in San Francisco which specializes in preparing merchant mariners for their licensing exams. By contrast, Captain Farwell spent his career on the faculty of the University of Washington as a professor of transportation and enjoyed a long career in the Naval Reserve. His most recent edition continues to reflect his experience and outlook.
While both books are thorough, the similarities disappear rapidly after that introductory statement. Farwell's presents a formal, classical, and labored presentation of the subject matter. Captain Crawford, on the other hand, gives an informal, “breezy” treatment. His book reflects the author's sense of humor, while Farwell's gives an impression of the cloistered scholar. Captain Crawford’s text will probably become the first reference of the younger merchant mariner but will remain largely unknown—to the Navy’s loss—on board naval vessels.
Captain Crawford’s treatment of the rules is simple and direct. After each rule, there is a discussion and interpretation of it. At the end of each chapter, there are ten multiple choice questions so that the reader can grade himself on his progress. After completion of the rules and their annexes, there is an extremely useful chapter entitled “Ready Reference” which includes the elementary mathematics of crossing situations and some comments on what Captain Crawford properly calls “Defensive Seafaring.” This chapter is worthy of the attention of all practical mariners, both Navy and Merchant Marine. The brief comment on military vessels is to the point, and any of us who have seen a merchantman poking his nose through a destroyer screen can only applaud:
“Mariners should remember that a naval exercise is not a sporting event- It often includes maneuvers which under other circumstances would be imprudent and in violation of the Rules of the Road . . . Stay Away!
A naval officer probably has little grasp, or interest, of the thoroughness with which the merchant mariner must prepare himself for his licensing examinations. This book helps him to do just that. I am reminded of a young friend of mine, a merchant marine officer, who was doing his two weeks active duty on board a fleet tug operating out of Charleston. The captain noted that my friend always went to the movies which were held topside. What the young reserve officer was too embarrassed to tell the captain was that he had discovered that the first watch officer was so ignorant of the rules of the road that he was afraid to turn in until the more experienced officer took over the midwatch.
Captain Crawford’s strength is his direct approach oriented to the watch officer. No text has everything, and this book is not a replacement for Farwell’s; for example, it does not have court citations, one of Farwell’s strengths, nor does it have an index which is a helpful if not necessary addition to any textbook. Captain Crawford has written a text. Far- well's is more properly a reference.
Captain Crawford’s book exudes the enthusiasm for his subject that is familiar to those who have been privileged to hear him speak. This book deserves a place in the library of all shipboard Navy libraries. The reviewer hopes that it will not gather dust.
Captain Hayler, a Master Mariner, is on the faculty of the California Maritime Academy, lie is the editor of the American Merchant Seaman's Manual (Cornell Maritime. 1981) and author of The Cornell Manual for Lifeboatmen and Able Seamen (Cornell Maritime Press, 1984).
A Junior Officer’s Reading List
By Lieutenant Michael N. Pocalyko, U. S. Navy
Professional reading, personal study, and an open mind can distinguish the front-running junior officer. But where does one start? This reading list presents a few suggestions and stresses two themes: personal leadership and an awareness of history and world affairs.
Being a Blue Sutler: The Division Officer’s Guide, The Bluejackets’ Manual, The Naval Officer’s Guide, and The Watch Officer’s Guide are indispensable publications that should be consulted frequently. All four are regularly revised and reissued as new editions by the Naval Institute Press.
As an officer relates to the welfare and morale of his men, the August/September 1980 special issue of All Hands entitled “Navy Rights and Benefits” is extremely helpful; it is available in reprint as publication NavPers 15885-D. For thoughtful reading, find The Armed Forces Officer (publication NavEdTra 46905 in the Navy), published by the Armed Forces Information Service, Department of Defense; it includes direct, fundamental propositions of leadership and an excellent bibliography.
Leadership by Principle and Example: Read anything by Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale, starting with “Moral Leadership” (Proceedings, September 1980, pp. 86-89). He also wrote “A Society of Fighting Fools and Thinking Cowards” for the Los Angeles Times (reprinted in the 9 November 1981 Navy Times), and “Taking Stock” in the Naval War College Review from 1978 to 1980. Of special interest are his comments in the July/August 1979 Naval War College Review detailing the four characters of a leader; moralist, jurist, teacher, and steward.
Clear the Bridge! The War Patrols of the U. S.S. Tang (Rand McNally, 1977), by Rear Admiral Richard H. O’Kane, tells the story of the legendary experiences of the USS Tang (SS-306) and is at once leadership, history, and tactical warfare philosophy as envisioned by her dynamic, equally legendary skipper.
Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1979) is a great book and is not just for or about aviators; it crystallizes important concepts about the modem military leader in personality terms. Likewise, William Manchester’s book Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War (Little, Brown and Co., 1980) not only treats the U. S. Marine Corps or World War II; it is universal in its portrayal of the intensity and commitment of the American fighting man. John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage (Harper and Row, 1956) is an essential book contributing to an understanding of the American ethic in our time.
Admiral Hyman G. Rickover’s thoughts on leadership are as important as those of any military or civilian leader’s in the 20th century, beginning with his “Thoughts on the Presidency” in the 21 February 1982 New York Times (condensed as “What It Takes to Be President” in the December 1982 Reader’s Digest). He also wrote “Thoughts on Man’s Purpose in Life . . . And Other Matters” (Proceedings, December 1974, pp. 67-72); and “Leadership” (Proceedings, January 1981, p. 82). Read as well “Leadership,” a 1949 Naval War College lecture by Douglas Southall Freeman printed in the March/April 1979 Naval War College Review, and the classic 1947 sociological/chain of command essay “The Navy Disbursing Officer as a Bureaucrat” by Ralph H. Turner (available in the 1973 McGraw-Hill Perspectives on the Social Order, edited by H. Laurence Ross).
Present-day reading of these next two all-time bestsellers has fallen off, but they nonetheless remain important books filled with permanent values to take to heart: Dale Carnegie’s How to Win
Friends and Influence People (Simon and Schuster, 1937) and Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking (Prentice-Hall, 1952). The tenets and specifics of naval leadership, intrepidity, and honor are all present in Admiral James D. Watkins’s “The Principle of Command” (Proceedings, January 1983, pp. 32-33), Commander John L. Byron’s “The Captain” (Proceedings, September 1982, pp. 39—45), and Commander Bernard D. Cole’s “XO!, XO! ... ,” (Proceedings, February' 1982, pp. 104-105). All three are required reading.
Writing: It is elementary that one learns to write by reading quality work and by doing a lot of writing. No junior officer should neglect The Elements of Style (Macmillan, 1978) by William Strunk and E. B. White, now in its third edition, or the Writing Guide for Naval Officers (publication NavPers 10009-A), a Navy book no longer in active distribution but available at many commands. Both books show the technical specifics of how to write well. Sheridan Baker’s The Practical Stylist (Harper and Row, 1981) is incisive, distinct, and deliberate in helping a writer put ideas into words, and. more importantly, onto paper.
Socialism, Communism, and the Soviet Union: For the basics, the paperback edition of The Communist Manifesto (The Washington Square Press, 1964) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels is a primary source and has an outstanding introductory essay by Francis B. Randall. To venture into the voluminous works of V. I. Lenin, the essays “Socialism and War” (1915), "The War Program of the Proletarian Revolution” (1916), and “The State and Revolution” (1917) are good starting places, and are in most libraries.
Admiral Sergei G. Gorshkov’s Red Star Rising at Sea (Naval Institute Press, 1974) is valuable, and includes U. S. Navy perspectives authored by our senior officers. The Soviet Navy’s perceptions of itself are best presented in Captain
First Rank G. A. Ammon, and others, The Soviet Navy in War and Peace (1981), offered in English translation by Progress Publishers, Moscow, and readily available in the United States (it identifies “Admiral Arleigh Burke, U. S. Navy Reserve” as a “bourgeois military historian”).
Norman Polmar’s A Guide to the Soviet Navy, (Naval Institute Press, 1983) now in its third edition, is an excellent reference and teaching book. In the political dimensions of 20th century world affairs, Jose Ortega y Gasset's The Revolt of the Masses (Norton, 1932), Richard M. Nixon’s The Real War (Warner Books, 1980), and Jeanne Kirkpatrick’s Dictatorships and Double Standards: Rationalism and Reason in Politics (Simon and Schuster, 1982) all relate to the developing nations’ attraction to socialism, and the communist entrenching in the world dominion.
Sea Stories and War Stories: One of the most personal forms of literature is fiction, and much fiction has been written from which the naval leader can learn. U. S. Navy novels and collections of short stories which entertain as well as present important truths about dealing with people include those of Herman Wouk—The Caine Mutiny (Doubleday, 1951), The Winds of War (Little, Brown and Co., 1971), War and Remembrance (Little, Brown and Co.. 1978); James A. Michener—Tales of the South Pacific (Random House, 1947), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (Random House, 1953); Captain Edward L. Beach—Run Silent, Run Deep (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1955), Cold Is the Sea (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1978); Darryl Ponicsan— The Last Detail (Dial Press, 1970), Cinderella Liberty (Harper and Row, 1973); and James H. Webb—A Sense of Honor (Prentice-Hall, 1981). Other books of fiction which deserve a naval officer’s attention for the same reasons are war novels—especially Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms (Scribner’s, 1929) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (Scribner’s, 1940), John Dos Passos’s Three Soldiers (Houghton Mifflin. 1964 [paper]), Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead (1948), and John M. Del Vecchio’s The 13th Valley (Bantam, 1982).
Prisoners of War and Resistance: To understand the experience of prisoners of war from the gut and as naval leaders perceived it, read Rear Admiral Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr.’s When Hell Was in Session (Reader’s Digest Press, 1976) and Captain James A. Mulligan’s The Hanoi Commitment (RIF Marketing, 1981). For a lyrical and historical look at a prisoner in World War I who later became a famous poet, e. e. Cummings’s The Enormous Room (Liveright, 1950 [reprint]) is a telling memoir. The philosophy and practice of organized resistance are best related in Mohandas K. Ghandi’s NonViolent Resistance (Schocken, 1961 [reprint]) and Martin Luther King. Jr.’s Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (Harper and Row, 1958).
Classics: Some of the best and most powerful wardroom discussions stem from the established philosophers and analysts of the human condition. To scratch the surface of the timeless classics still presenting provoking ideas today, read Aristotle’s Ethics (some editions are entitled Nicomachean Ethics), Plato’s Republic, and The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. As a concept and morality of living, The Enchiridion by Epictetus has gained a certain popularity among military officers. Karl von Clausewitz’s On War (Penguin, 1968 [reprint]) is also a classic, relating politics and war.
Religion: It is not unreasonable to assume that an American naval officer today is, to some extent, the product of a Christian or Jewish religious background. Therefore, in addition to drawing on its profound moral and ethical aspects, some study of the Bible can help place world cultural motivations in their places, especially in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Religious tensions there and the importance of the Moslem culture put the Koran on this list. The best survey of religion and its influences on state policy in the Arab world is Politics and Change in the Middle East: Sources of Conflict and Accommodation (Prentice-Hall, 1982) by Roy R. Andersen, Robert F. Seibert, and Jon G. Wagner. For an understanding of Far East Buddhism, Alan W. Watts’s The Spirit of Zen (Grove, 1958) is the premier volume.
Naval History, Strategy, and Maritime Affairs: For a full grasp of U. S. sea power, the key work is still Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783, reprinted in several editions and abridgements. To see naval genius develop and operate, find Nelson the Commander (B. T. Batsford, 1972) by Geoffrey M. Bennett, an in-depth study, including tactics, of the finest naval leader in any age. Samuel Eliot Mori- son’s The Two Ocean War (Little, Brown and Co., 1963) shows the genesis of today's global commitment by the United States while presenting the historical points of World War II. Gordon W. Prange’s At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor (McGraw-Hill, 1981) is foremost among the many histories of the “day which will live in infamy,” and the lessons it presents about preparedness, diplomacy, and national security are interesting.
The best statement concerning today’s most important naval alliance is the essay “Preserving the Atlantic Alliance” by Admiral Harry D. Train, II, in the January 1981 Proceedings. “America’s Grand Strategy: Patterns, Problems, and Prescriptions” is an essential subject, and Robert E. Osgood provides a clear treatment in the September/October 1983 Naval War College Review. The Honorable John F. Lehman, Jr.’s “Nine Principles for the Future of American Maritime Power,” (Proceedings, February 1984, pp. 46-51) will contribute greatly to a fundamental understanding of the forces and motivations of our current national naval strategy and its implementation.
The most resonant explanation of post- Vietnam strategy and its outgrowth from that conflict is contained in Colonel Harry G. Summers, Jr.’s On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War (Presidio, 1982). For clear point and counterpoint views on the Soviet Navy, the October 1982 Proceedings special issue entirely devoted to Soviet naval subjects is highly recommended.
Current Events: Each week, read either Time, Newsweek, or U. S. News and World Report. Keep a sense of balance with the Wall Street Journal and either The New York Times or the Washington Post (especially during deployment). Read the local paper—the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot and the San Diego Union are standards of excellence—including the local news and civilian views on the Navy. Pay particular attention to the editorial pages and the commentaries.
Keep abreast of domestic and foreign affairs by reading and understanding educated viewpoints, both conservative and liberal, on contemporary issues. To that end, National Review and Commentary (conservative) and The Nation and The New Republic (liberal) are highly charged publications. Foreign Affairs and The Wilson Quarterly have reasoned, academic essays on matters of world importance. Regular reading of Defense, All Hands, the Navy Times, and Proceedings will aid one’s military understanding.
Neither this nor any other reading list can be complete or all-encompassing- and no junior officer can reasonably be expected to find time for dedicated reading of all the books, magazines, essays- and articles recommended here. This reading list is offered as a stimulus for study and wardroom discussion.
Lieutenant Pocalyko is a naval aviator in his postgraduate education tour at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
By Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, U. S. Navy
ES Combat Fleets of the World 1984-85: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament
Jean Lavayle Couhat, Editor. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1984. 1,035 pp. Illus. Ind. Tables. $84.95 ($67.96).
This fifth English language edition of the French Flottes de Combat has been expanded to more than 1,000 pages and updated to include the latest in ship, aircraft, and weapons data. Covering nearly 150 navies of all sizes and varying importance, entries are alphabeti
cal by nation, from Albania to Zanzibar. An index of ships by name is included, and there are keyed drawings of the more important ship- types showing the locations and appearance of systems that are merely listed in similar publications. New entries of note include a detailed description of the post-Falklands Conflict Royal Navy, U. S. progress toward the promised 600-ship Navy, and the latest on the growing Soviet Navy.
Command of the Sea: The History and Strategy of Maritime Empires
Clark G. Reynolds. Malabar, FL: Robert E.
Krieger Publishing Co., 1983. 646 pp. Bib. Ind. Maps. $39.00 ($35.10) (two-volume set).
In this update of his original one-volume work with the same title, Mr. Reynolds has expanded his treatise on the great thalassocracies of history into this two-volume rendition. He recognizes the axiomatic nature of von Clausewitz’s contention that “geography is the bones of strategy” and traces the rise and fall of maritime empires from the ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians to a prophetic look at World War III. An unusual map supplement is available separately which provides “strategic projections”—unconventional maps that are not necessarily true-north oriented and which emphasize the geographical factors that make a particular theater of war or trade route important.
Commercial Diving Manual
Richard Lam and Rex Whistler. North Pomfret,
VT: David and Charles, Inc., 1984. 453 pp. Illus. Ind. Tables. $32.00 ($28.80).
Written by two British divers, this book is suitable for trainees and experienced divers alike. Part I deals with basic diving skills and theory such as underwater physiology, decompression principles, and the various types of diving equipment. Part II covers the skills a diver must use in commercial work, including salvage techniques, use of tools and explosives, and underwater photography. The coverage includes both surface-supplied and self-contained (scuba) systems.
A Dictionary of Soldier Talk
John R. Elting, Dan Cragg, and Ernest Deal. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1984. Bib.
Append. $35.00 ($31.50).
This dictionary is for the person who doesn't know that a “chickenplate,” in unofficial military language, is a flak jacket. There are words and phrases here, more than 3,000 in all, that one cannot find in Webster’s. The terms range from official to obscene, and the scope is ancient to modem. The origin, period of use, and definition is provided for every word or phrase in a useful and often humorous manner. Many are accompanied by etymologies and examples. An appendix of Navy and Marine terms is provided for sea goers.
Fighting Armies (Three Volumes)
Richard A. Gabriel. Editor. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1983. 704 pp. Bib. Ind. Tables. $95.00 ($85.50) $35.00 per volume ($31.50).
What makes Fighting Armies different from other studies of the world's combat forces is the use of qualitative assessment factors such as troop morale, codes of ethics, and quality of leadership. The usual quantitative elements like numbers of troops and weapons are included as well, but this work’s real strength is the extensive study and the contributors’ firsthand experience. Volume I covers the armies of the member-nations of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Volume II is subtitled Antagonists in the Middle East and assesses the combat capability of the Arab-Israeli protagonists (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Israel) as well as Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Morocco, and Libya. The ongoing conflict between Iran and Iraq, and the current situation in Lebanon place particular value on this volume. The final volume, Nonaligned, Third World, and Other Ground Armies, analyzes the major powers of Southeast and South Asia as well as Zimbabwe, South Africa, Cuba, and Yugoslavia.
The General: MacArthur and the Man He Called ‘Doc’
Roger Olaf Egeberg. New York: Hippocrene Books Inc., 1983. 242 pp. Illus. Ind. Maps.
$12.95 ($11.65).
This is the firsthand account of General Douglas MacArthur’s personal physician, aide-decamp, and friend during the last two years of World War II. It is a fresh look at General MacArthur, not without the greatness of the man and the times, but with the added dimension of intimacy that could only be rendered by someone who was as close to the general as Dr. Egeberg was. Written with humor and candor, the doctor's feelings about the general are not hidden, but final judgment is left to the reader. William Manchester, author of the definitive MacArthur biography, American Caesar (Little Brown and Co., 1981), has praised this new work as well as including many of Dr. Egeberg’s recollections in his own book.
Inevitable Revolutions: The United States in Central America
Walter LaFeber. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1983. 357 pp. Bib. Ind. Maps. $18.95 ($17.05).
For more than 200 years, the five countries of Central America have been characterized by illiteracy, hunger, and violence. Why have they been unable to rectify this deplorable situation? Dr. LaFeber presents a convincing case that the answer lies in a profitable coalition between U. S. business and the rich and powerful Central American families who control the coffee, banana, and mineral assets in their countries. This coalition is beneficial to the parties involved but does nothing for the peasant masses. He further avers that . . no part of the world is more vital to the United States.” Former ambassador to El Salvador, Murat Williams, calls this book “the best book on Central America in over 100 years.”
Manned Spaceflight Log
Tim Fumiss. Boston, MA: Jane’s Publishing Co., 1983. 160 pp. Illus. Ind. Tables. $11.95 ($9.85).
Starting with the epic flight of Yuri Gagarin, first man into space, and ending with the April 1983 flights of the Challenger I and Soyuz T-8, this book is a mission-by-mission account of every manned flight that has exceeded an alti-
tude of 50 miles. Each flight is covered by photographs, data, and a narrative description. It is a source for quick reference as well as a fascinating chronological account of the exploits of those with “the right stuff.”
Marine Painter’s Guide
Jack Coggins. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1983. 170 pp. Illus. Ind. $25.95 ($23.35).
This is not another book on the basics of drawing or painting. It is a specialized treatment on the specifics of marine art with individual chapters devoted to such subjects as “Masts and Rigging,” “Docks, Piers, and Pilings,” and “Gulls.” Different types of materials such as paints, brushes, and easels are covered as well as detailed discussions of sail construction and the properties of waves and foam. The proper rendition of reflections, the most difficult problem facing the marine artist, is explained fully. Mr. Coggins brings 50 years of experience as a marine artist to writing this book.
Military Leadership: In Pursuit of Excellence
Robert L. Taylor and William E. Rosenbach, Editors. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1984. 253 pp. Bib. Tables. $27.50 ($24.75) (hardcover) $15.50 ($13.95) (paper).
This collection of essays by a wide variety of authors looks at leadership from many perspectives. Recognizing that leadership is both art and science, the editors contend that leadership can be taught and learned through careful study of both leaders and leadership. The orientation is practical, and the authors are both civilian and military. There are four major subdivisions ranging from an exploration of the basic concept of leadership to a treatment of the ever-present argument of leadership versus management.
Military Manual of Self-Defense: A Complete Guide to Hand-to-Hand Combat
Anthony B. Herbert. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1984. 239 pp. Illus. Append. $19.95 ($17.95).
Using a series of descriptive drawings and concise explanations, this book provides step- by-step instructions on the science of self-defense. Potential situations from disarming an enemy soldier to thwarting a would-be rapist are covered. The book is divided into two sections, one for armed and one for unarmed selfdefense situations. The armed section addresses weapons ranging from rifle bayonets to combs and car keys. There is an appendix which describes the physical and medical implications of the various types of blows described in the text.
Military Threats: A Systematic Historical Analysis of the Determinants of Success
Peter Karsten, Peter D. Howell, and Artis Frances Allen. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984. 166 pp. Bib. Ind. Append. Tables. S29.95 ($26.95).
Why do some threats of the use of military power succeed and others fail? Are the gains sought worth the degree of risk incurred in such situations? These and other questions are addressed in this unusual treatise which statistically analyzes a significant number of actual threat situations to extract meaningful determinants and conclusions supported by hard data. The statistical analysis itself is covered in detail, supported by several appendices, and the conclusions are then applied to six historical cases as a test for validity. The study ends with a concluding look at the “Solidarity” situation in Poland and the Falklands Conflict.
Soviet Power: The Kremlin’s Foreign Policy—Brezhnev to Andropov
Jonathan Steele. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983. 287 pp. Bib. Ind. $19.95 ($17.95).
Mr. Steele, a British correspondent, contends that a careful study of the recent history of Soviet foreign policy reveals the motives behind that policy and predicts future patterns of action. He discusses the Soviet Union's xenophobia and preoccupation with preventing encirclement. He describes the Soviet Union as a kind of ‘ ‘third world superpower’ ’ and for substantiation cites, among other situations, their failure in the Middle East, their tarnished image as a result of the Afghanistan invasion, and the impact of an expensive arms race on an economy already fraught with a multiplicity of problems. His conclusions do not, however, ignore the “great staying power” and the “iron will.”
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