This html article is produced from an uncorrected text file through optical character recognition. Prior to 1940 articles all text has been corrected, but from 1940 to the present most still remain uncorrected. Artifacts of the scans are misspellings, out-of-context footnotes and sidebars, and other inconsistencies. Adjacent to each text file is a PDF of the article, which accurately and fully conveys the content as it appeared in the issue. The uncorrected text files have been included to enhance the searchability of our content, on our site and in search engines, for our membership, the research community and media organizations. We are working now to provide clean text files for the entire collection.
May 1921 Proceedings—In liis new hook, The Art of Fighting, reviewed this month, Bradley Fiske is not pleased with the way things are going. Pacifism, which he detests, has again reared its ugly head. Having carefully examined 5,000 years of recorded history, Fiske has concluded that there never was a bad war or a good peace. “The influence of war on history has not only been favorable to civilization, but essential to it.” The lesson of Rome prevails: when it became “overcivilized and effete,” it neglected the military arts. “If we neglect the military arts, the barbarians (or anarchists or Bolshevists) may triumph over us—and probably will.” (When he died in July 1942, he may have gone out smiling, since pacifism was once again a dirty word and Bolshevism wasn’t doing so hot either.)
The example of the Royal Navy in World War I helps him shoot down a whole covey of quail with one shot. It was not as ready as it should have been because: “the military was subordinate to civil authority,” and thus the Navy was headed by an inexperienced civilian who “made two bloody mistakes” a naval officer like Germany’s Tirpitz would not have made. The lout in question, of course, was Winston Churchill, serving as a metaphor for Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels, who had canned Fiske in 1915.
May 1941 Proceedings—“Old men dream dreams, young men see visions.” The visions 22-year-old French artist Alfred Robida first saw during the siege of Paris and the subsequent Reign of Terror (1871) haunted him for the remaining 56 years of his life. Sentenced to die, he passed through a door and, while guards and prisoners turned right toward the execution wall, Robida, unnoticed, turned left (as Communards are wont to do)—and survived. As we learn in “Prophet of the Blitzkrieg,” the drawings he published as founder and editor of a humor magazine in the 1880s “startled, entertained and horrified his readers with war prophesies so fantastic that no one considered him anything but a mischievous wit.”
These were among the truths he presented in jest: 24 years before Kitty Hawk, he foresaw a wartime sky filled with aircraft and a skyline protected by antiaircraft guns; he visualized huge submarines, prowling singly or in wolf packs; and he also predicted battlefield television, tanks, germ warfare, poison gas, gas masks, and field pieces for firing gas shells.
Which of his dark dreams actually came true, to kill one of his sons and seriously wound another in World War I? Does it really matter?
May 1961 Proceedings—Pensacola should display Captain David Nash's article, “Those Wonderful Naval Aviators,” in a hermetically sealed glass case—illuminated by an eternal flame, and guarded around the dock by Marine sentries. Those who come to worship at naval aviation’s shrine in Florida will laugh and cry over Nash’s heartfelt tribute, published this month in conjunction with naval aviation’s 50th anniversary. Everybody knows that a po’ hoe is an impoverished prostitute in Georgia, but a po’ hoe in the Japanese POW Camp at Cabanatuan, in the Philippines, was one with a broken handle—needing repair or replacement by Nash and a handful of all-thumbs ersatz carpenters.
On 21 September 1944, he and his fellow craftsmen heard the hum in the east and his hope that these were U.S. aircraft was soon confirmed. Their hearts soared as a wing-waggling Navy fighter shot down a Japanese transport plane directly over their camp. Later they were herded on board a transport ship bound for Japan, and were attacked by U.S. dive bombers in Subic Bay. They prayed that the Oryoku Maru would be blown out of the water— their only hope of escape. And their prayers were answered, by those wonderful naval aviators.
Clay Barrow
Publisher: Captain James A Barber. Jr, USN (Ret)
Periodicals and Seminars: Director Fred H Rainbow p
Proceedings!Naval HistoryiNaval Review: Editor-in-Chief. j' ceedings/Naval Review. & Executive Editor. Naval History. Fred H R0' bow; Editor-m Chief. Naval History & Senior Editor. Naval Review. r° Stillwell; Managing Editor. John G Miller. Art Director, LeAnn Bauer, n duction Manager. Dolores G Matney, Associate Editors. Melissa McNitt. Brendan M Greeley. Jr . Fred L Schultz, Anne Collier & L'n O'Doughda, Assistant Editor. Russell Brown. Notebook Editor. May Beth Straight; Contributing Editors. Captain Douglas M Norton. US- Major Edward F. Palm, USMC. Lieutenant Christopher A. Abel. USD • A. D. Baker III. & Lieutenant Commander Thomas Cutler, USN (Re,.'j Consulting Editor. Jack Sweetman, Administrative Assistant, Jacqueiy L. Day. Senior Secretary. Eve Secunda; Secretary, Ann Allen. Editor Assistant/Secretary. Joanne Patmor e Advertising Department: 225 Park Avenue, New York, N Y 10io^ (212) 697-2844. FAX (212) 682-1421. Director. James E Burke; ProflUJ
M
BOARD OF CONTROL
President: Admiral Frank B. Kelso II, USN Vice President: Rear Admiral Virgil L. Hill, Jr, USN.
Executive Director: Captain James A. Barber, Jr. USN (Ret.) Directors: Vice Admiral H. B Thorsen. USCG, Rear Admiral J U jay lor. USN. Rear Admiral K Myatt. USNR. Major General M P ^au iean USMC; Captain T Stephen Todd, USN. Captain Austin E. Chapma • USN; Commander Eric C. Moore. USN; Lieutenant Kevin A. Boree • USN.
Executive Staff: Executive Assistant, Janice E. Beitler, Administrate0 Assistant. Margie A. Cordle
EDITORIAL BOARD
Chairman: Vice Admiral H B Thorsen, USCG Members: Rear Admiral J D Taylor. USN; Rear Admiral K USNR; Major General M P Caulfield. USMC. Captain T S Todd. U~ • Captain A E. Chapman, USN. Commander E C Moore. USN, Lieut ant K. A. Boreen, USN tion Manager. Mary Alice Thompson, Advertising Coordinator. Emma Fortes. Eastern Rep , Dean P Kelly. West Coast Rep . Dwight E Jenna ’ 777 Silver Spur Road. Palos Verdes Peninsula. CA 90274, (213) 3/ 3810, FAX: (213) 541-8342
Oral History: Director. Paul Stillwell; Special Assistant!Indexe • Linda O'Doughda, transcriber Joanne Patmore
Library & Photographic Services: Director. Patty M Maddocks- Photo Editor, Linda Cullen, Sales Research Specialist, Dorothy E Sap’ pington; Bookstore Manager/Photo Sales Assistant, Virginia Schultz. Photo Archivist, Mary Beth Straight, Certificate SalesICalligrapher. Shir ley Horton.
Seminars: Deputy Director, Gordon W. Keiser; Assistant Semin# Coordinator. Judy McCarthy
Membership & Communications: Director, Claudia Zacharias- Membership Promotion Manager. Nancy H Kunkel. Capital Campaw] Director. Lee Hoithaus; Development Researcher, Susan B Sweeney- Development Assistant. Donna M Bell. Advertismg/Public Relations Coordinator. Jennifer Paytas. Administrative Assistant. Carol Carbaun- Clerk Typist. Helen McMickle
Naval Institute Press: Press Director. Thomas F Epley
Books: Editorial Director. Thomas F Epley. Manager ol Acquisitions' Paul Wilderson. Acquisitions Editor. Mark Gatlin; Managing Editor. Mary Lou Kenney, Senior Manuscript Editor, Carol Swartz; Subsidiary Rignls Editor. Jennifer Lee. Import Book Coordinator, Patricia A SappingtoH- Manuscript Editor, Anthony F Chiffolo; Production Editor. Deborah C Farrell; Assistant Acquisitions Editor. Shannon Becker. Design and P'0' duction Manager, John Cronin, Senior Book Designer. Pamela Schnitter. Book Designer. Karen White, Production Coordinator, Charles E Vance- Administrative & Editorial Assistant. Sandra Kalme; Secretary & Administrative Assistant. Jean C Tyson.
Marketing: Director. Jim Sutton. Assistant Marketing DirectorlPnnl Program Manager. Tom Harmsh; PublicitylCopy Manager. Susan At tigiani, Administrative & Promotion Assistant. Judy Bray Advertising1 Direct Mail Manager. Maureen Peterson, Exhibits Manager. Peter Gookin, Secretary. Elizabeth Lewis
Financial Operations: Director Mary Kay Meilunas Personnel: Officer, Barbara A Brown. Mailroom Manager. Georg0 W. Belt, Receptionist!Secretary, Holly Wills Accounting: Director, Jerry O Sears; Assistant Director. Jeanne horn Accounts Payable & Inventory Costing & Control. Julie Lamp- Credit&CoHection Manager, Joan Wald; Payroll & Ermge Benefits Man ager & Cash Sales. Jane Rice, Accounts Receivable. Ruth Easterling1 Accounts Receivable!Data Entry Clerk. Lori A McMillian. Accounting Clerk. Tammy Barber
Support Operations: Director. Gordon W Keiser. Clerical Assistant Sharon Eldridge. Receptionist. Tanje Quarto.
Information Services: Director. James W. Patterson. Systems Ana lyst, Lee Johnson. Programmer. Jim Jews; Training Coordinator. Maureen Pease. Systems Coordinator/PC Technician, Linda Miller; Computer Operator. Michele Carroll
Circulation: Director, Charles P Mitchell; Assistant Director. Jac quelyn Turner New Member Representative. Shirley Pecsek; Process mg & Billing Assistant. Pat Marcheskie; Data Entry Operator!Member ship Records, Susan Baldwin
Customer Service: Customer Service Manager. Susan Thompson Assistant Customer Service Manager, Judith Macauley. Customer Set vce Representative. Carolyn Davies Special Order Books. Robyn Ju- han, Data Entry Operator, Carolyn M Adams. Office Assistant. Bonte Engelmeyer
Warehouse: Warehouse Manager. Bob Lemire, Assistant Manager - Reginald HerndorreaCy Shippmg Clerk' Harry Schriefer. Shipping Clerk.
CURRENT CIRCULATION: 114,261
business Offices- Annapolis. MU 21402. Phone (301) 268- 6110_FAX. (301) 269-7940 Published monthly by the U S Naval Insti tU.te^5vCOn?'C S po5age Pa,d at the Post Office in Annapolis, MD. & at additional mailing offices. Memberships for USNI (including Proceed mgs &Nawl Review) are as follows: Domestic (including U S. posses- S'ons & APO & FPO addresses) 1 yr $28.00. 3 yrs $69 00 Foreign. Surface Delivery (ail countries) 1 yr $40 00; 3 yrs $105 00 Air Delivery £r®anlantJ- ^eian(J- UK & USSR only) 1 yr $65 00. 3 yr5 $168 00 Clothuourid Naval Review issue, in lieu of paperbour d edition. availaD.e lor an additional $6 00 each year See last page for single copy & subscription prices © 1991 by USNI