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BOOK REVIEW – I Will Hold: The Story of USMC Legend Clifton B. Cates, From Belleau Wood to Victory in the Great War

By James Carl Nelson, Caliber, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Captain Kevin M. Boyce, USMC The annals of American military history reveal a breadth of scholarly writings, encompassing the stories of countless heroes of war and the battles in which they fought.  These legends are often remembered for acts of heroism that imbue the

BOOK REVIEW – Letters of Seamen in the Wars with France, 1793-1815

Helen Watt and Anne Hawkins, eds., Boydell Press, Woodbridge, VA (2014) Reviewed by Lisa Vandenbossche Recent trends in contemporary criticism to recapture and understand the experiences of those from below have left scholars searching for artifacts and narratives from outside the upper ranks of society and leadership. In Letters of Seamen in the Wars with

BOOK REVIEW – The U.S. Navy: A Concise History

By Craig L. Symonds, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Jason W. Smith, PhD It is often a pleasure to read short books, and Craig Symonds’ The U.S. Navy: A Concise History does not disappoint. Symonds, professor emeritus at the United States Naval Academy, is an eminent scholar of naval history whose

BOOK REVIEW – Thinking Wisely, Planning Boldly: The Higher Education and Training of Royal Navy Officers, 1919-39

By Joseph Moretz, Helion & Company, West Midlands, UK (2014) Reviewed by CDR Benjamin Armstrong, PhD The years following the Great War have become something of a favorite of modern day military analysts in search of historical analogy. The development of innovative doctrine, the introduction and assimilation of new technologies, and struggles with fluctuating fiscal

BOOK REVIEW – WHAT REMAINS: Searching for the memory and lost grave of John Paul Jones

By Robert Hornick, University of Massachusetts Press Boston, MA (2017). Reviewed by William H. White There have been a plethora of volumes written about American Revolutionary War hero John Paul Jones; Hornick’s effort is not a biography of the man nor is it a recounting of his brilliance in battle. What Remains is an exquisitely

BOOK REVIEW – Letters From Your Loving Son: Wilson C. Lineaweaver, His Journey through the CCC and U.S. Navy Until His Death on the USS Bunker Hill in 1945

Edited by Thomas R. Lehman, CreateSpace (2017) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart Wilson C. Lineaweaver’s life might have been summed up as born 1919 and died 1945, except that his mother saved the over 200 letters he wrote home. These letters, passed down through the family, were recognized by Thomas Lehman, the editor of this

BOOK REVIEW – US Navy Escort Carriers 1942-45

By Mark Stille, New Vanguard Series, Osprey Publishing, New York, NY (2017) Reviewed by Michael F. Solecki There were three major types of aircraft carriers in World War II (WWII). The first, very expensive “fleet” carriers, were large, fast, heavily armored, and armed for self-defense, carried over 80 planes designed with major strike and long-range

BOOK REVIEW – Fortnight of Infamy: The Collapse of Allied Airpower West of Pearl Harbor

By John Burton, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2006) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Since Billy Mitchell’s sinking of the “Ostfriesland” in 1921, the US Army Air Force argued the case for the power of large bombers to defeat naval forces. At the beginning of WWII, British, German, Japanese, and Italian air forces shared this

BOOK REVIEW – U.S. Military Operations: Law, Policy, and Practice

Edited by Geoffrey S. Corn, Rachel E Van Landingham, and Shane R., Reeves, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Nathan Albright This book begins with a disclaimer that the views expressed within the publication are those of the respective authors of the chapters/essays and are not necessarily the views of any governmental

BOOK REVIEW – Instruments of Darkness: The History of Electronic Warfare 1939-1945

By Dr. Alfred Price, First published by William Kimber 1967, expanded 1977, revised 2005, reissued 2017 by Frontline Books, S. Yorkshire, England. Available from the USNI Press. Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Although Dr. Alfred Price died in January of 2017, it is entirely fitting that the first brilliant book by this superb analyst and

BOOK REVIEW – The Victory at Sea

By Rear Adm. William Sowden Sims, USN, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (1984) Reviewed by Lt. Cdr. William J. Rogers, USCG (Ret.) The centennial of the United States’ entry into the First World War provides an impetus for reviewing major events of the conflict and revisiting contemporary accounts. The Victory at Sea, Admiral William Sowden

BOOK REVIEW – The Leader’s Bookshelf

By Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret.) and Ancell, R. Manning, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2017) Reviewed by Cdr. Peter Mersky, USNR (Ret.) Advisory books like this are often difficult to organize and write, no matter who the author is. Post-publication comments always include books that were not noted for whatever reason the correspondent expresses,

BOOK REVIEW – Subs, Guns, Honor: Lt. W. H. Jaques of Little Boar’s Head, NH

By Thomas C. Clark, CreateSpace Independent Publishing (2017) Reviewed by Charles Bogart Who was Lt. William Henry Jaques and why write a book about him? How about the fact that in 1896, upon the election of William McKinley as President of the United States, W. H. Jaques was the odds-on favorite to be Assistant Secretary

A World War II Heroism Medal Lost and Found: The Saga of Ensign Lee Roy McDonnell’s Posthumous Navy and Marine Corps Medal

By Captain Todd Creekman, USN (Ret.) In early 2016, the Naval Historical Foundation received an unusual request from Ms. Brianna Tirado of San Diego, California.  While working in a county office there, Ms. Tirado came across a Navy medal in their “lost and found.” Nestled in a small red box was a Navy and Marine