The Big Yankee: The Life Of Carlson Of The Raiders


Book Description

Includes 12 Illustrations This biography is the story of one of the most impressive figures to emerge from World War II. Evans F. Carlson is a living war hero who has won a place in the hearts of thousands of Americans through his courage, his humanity, and his grasp of the issues of war and peace. It is the story of Carlson the soldier and of Carlson the great American who has struggled against prejudice, complacency and ignorance to realize his vision of democracy in our military organizations and in the world at large. Here is the picture of the magnetic military leader who built up the revolutionary Raider Battalion on the principles of “Gung-Ho” and led it into the first land encounter with Jap forces. But underneath the superefficient soldier and planner of battles is the American looking for a way to fulfill the promise of our tradition. Carlson was raised in New England; he ran away from home, entered the Army, was sent to Europe, learned about guerilla warfare in Nicaragua and Asia. His first visit to China opened his eyes to the struggle men were still making to achieve democracy. He lived and fought with the Eighth Route Army. He tried to tell the world what he had learned about military democracy and the threat of Japanese fascism. Officialdom, however, was not ready for his message and he had to resign from the Marine Corps to bring his warning to the American people. Time proved his predictions true, and after 1941 he rejoined the Marines and organized the famous Raider Battalion, which put in practice what he had learned in China and all that he believed about American democracy. Michael Blankfort was in the Marine Corps himself and got to know Colonel (now Brigadier General) Carlson there. He has written this biography through this personal knowledge of Carlson and through conferences with his family and close friends and enthusiastic veterans who served with him.




Conduct And Support Of Amphibious Operations From United States Submarines In World War II


Book Description

The U.S. Navy is building Virginia class submarines, and recently completed the conversion of four Ohio class submarines from Trident Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN’s) to Guided Missile Submarines (SSGNs). The Virginia class is the first nuclear powered fast attack submarine (SSN) that shipyards designed with SOF capability without requiring conversion. The SSGN conversion of the first four Ohio class submarines included substantial SOF capability. These construction and conversion projects represent a significant investment in SOF and amphibious capabilities, and they follow a long line of submarine conversions that began early in World War II. By analyzing three World War II operations, this monograph argues that knowing what actually happened in amphibious operations conducted and supported by American submarines in World War II provides valuable insight about the scope of capabilities, challenges and benefits of submarines for these kinds of missions in naval warfare. The first operation is an amphibious raid on Makin Atoll. The second involves the amphibious landings on the northwest Africa coast as part of Operation Torch. The final operation includes the landings on Attu Island in the Aleutian chain.




Americans and Chinese Communists, 1927–1945


Book Description

No detailed description available for "Americans and Chinese Communists, 1927-1945".




World War II [5 volumes]


Book Description

With more than 1,700 cross-referenced entries covering every aspect of World War II, the events and developments of the era, and myriad related subjects as well as a documents volume, this is the most comprehensive reference work available on the war. This encyclopedia represents a single source of authoritative information on World War II that provides accessible coverage of the causes, course, and consequences of the war. Its introductory overview essays and cross-referenced A–Z entries explain how various sources of friction culminated in a second worldwide conflict, document the events of the war and why individual battles were won and lost, and identify numerous ways the war has permanently changed the world. The coverage addresses the individuals, campaigns, battles, key weapons systems, strategic decisions, and technological developments of the conflict, as well as the diplomatic, economic, and cultural aspects of World War II. The five-volume set provides comprehensive information that gives readers insight into the reasons for the war's direction and outcome. Readers will understand the motivations behind Japan's decision to attack the United States, appreciate how the concentration of German military resources on the Eastern Front affected the war's outcome, understand the major strategic decisions of the war and the factors behind them, grasp how the Second Sino-Japanese War contributed to the start of World War II, and see the direct impact of new military technology on the outcomes of the battles during the conflict. The lengthy documents volume represents a valuable repository of additional information for student research.




By Water Beneath the Walls


Book Description

A gripping history chronicling the fits and starts of American special operations and the ultimate rise of the Navy SEALs from unarmed frogmen to elite, go-anywhere commandos—as told by one of their own. “Deeply researched, well organized, and incredibly engaging . . . This is our legacy with all the warts, the challenges, and the heroics in one concise volume.”—Admiral William H. McRaven, #1 New York Times bestselling author and former commander, United States Special Operations Command How did the US Navy—the branch of the US military tasked with patrolling the oceans—ever manage to produce a unit of raiders trained to operate on land? And how, against all odds, did that unit become one of the world’s most elite commando forces, routinely striking thousands of miles from the water on the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, even Central Africa? Behind the SEALs’ improbable rise lies the most remarkable underdog story in American military history—and in these pages, former Navy SEAL Benjamin H. Milligan captures it as never before. Told through the eyes of remarkable leaders and racing from one longshot, hair-curling raid to the next, By Water Beneath the Walls is the tale of the unit’s heroic naval predecessors, and the evolution of the SEALs themselves. But it’s also the story of the forging of American special operations as a whole—and how the SEALs emerged from the fires as America’s first permanent commando force when again and again some other unit seemed predestined to seize that role. Here Milligan thrillingly captures the outsize feats of the SEALs’ frogmen forefathers in World War II, the Korean War, and elsewhere, even as he plunges us into the second front of interservice rivalries and personal ambition that shaped the SEALs’ evolution. In equally vivid, masterful detail, he chronicles key early missions undertaken by units like the Marine Raiders, Army Rangers, and Green Berets, showing us how these fateful, bloody moments helped create the modern American commando—even as they opened up pivotal opportunities for the Navy. Finally, he takes us alongside as the SEALs at last seize the mantle of commando raiding, and discover the missions of capture/kill and counterterrorism that would define them for decades to come. Now required reading throughout the US special operations community, By Water Beneath the Walls is an essential history of the SEAL teams, a crackling account of desperate last stands and unforgettable characters accomplishing the impossible—and a riveting epic of the dawn of American special operations.




Encyclopedia of World War II


Book Description

A reference to the ideological, military, political, biographical, and social topics surrounding World War II, which is often considered the pivotal event of the twentieth century.










An Annotated Bibliography of the United States Marines in Guerilla-type Actions


Book Description

The following lists selected bibliographies of accounts of Marine activities in guerrilla, anti-guerrilla, and small war operations. The entries are restricted to those actions in which Marine units or individual Marines participated or to writings by Marines for Marine Corps use.--Abstract.




American Military Leaders


Book Description

A comprehensive collection of biographies of the most prominent military leaders in American history. American Military Leaders contains over 400 A–Z biographies of individuals such as Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, who ended hundreds of years of tradition by allowing women to serve on Navy ships; and, Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, whose rules of clandestine warfare are still followed by the U.S. Special Forces. Coverage centers on the outstanding generals, sergeants, fighter aces, militiamen, theorists, doctors, and nurses who make up America's military history. This volume presents their backgrounds, contributions, and significance to America's fortunes in war. This title also cites works for further research, includes a list of leaders organized by their military titles, and a comprehensive index.