Reviews Struggle For The Middle Sea: The Great Navies at ~r in the Mediterranean Theater, 19401945 by Vincent P. O'Hara (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2009, 360pp, illus, maps, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 978-159114-648-3, $34.95hc) Finding new approaches to the naval conflict during the Seco nd World War is rare, yet Vincent P. O'Hara has fou nd such a niche. Most works of this era concentrate on carrier warfare, exploits of ace submarine commanders, or marines storming ashore on some desolate atoll. In
Struggle for the Middle Sea, building on his earlier works
(The German Fleet at Work and The US Navy Against the Axis), the author focuses his crosshairs on surface naval actions, a relevant topic as the Mediterranean was the site for fifty-five such clashes, more than any other theater of operations, including the Pacific. O'Hara aims to shatter some of the most persistent myths of the naval war in the Mediterranean Sea, in particular the competency of the Italian Navy. Throughout his wo rk, h e demonstrates that not only did the Regia Marina fight well, but it accomplished its primary objective by keeping the Axis armies in Africa and the Balkans largely supplied and exercised control of the central Mediterranean until overwhelmed in May 1943. Other navies are showcased, including the Royal Navy, the United States Navy, the Marine Nationale, and even the Kriegsmarine, which fought thirteen surface actions and remained a threat until Germany surrendered in May 1945. For naval and maritime enthusiasts, Struggle for the Middle Sea provides insights and information on little-known battles, such as the Beta Convoy enco unter and the action off Sfax, Tunisia, while showcasing the efforts of many unheralded vessels and their crews. The battle to contro l the Mediterranean will remind the reader of the see-sawefforrwaged between theAmericans and the Japanese for the Solomon Islands, but on a grander scale. Yet, O 'Hara's stated attempt to provide a "comp lete history of the five-year naval war in the Mediterranean and Red Sea" falls short of its goal. SEA HISTORY 131, SUMMER 2010
His focus is on surface warfare, so battles such as the British attack on Taranto, the deployment of German Fliegerkorps X, and the introduction ofU-boats, are not covered in sufficient detail. One of the largest surface engagements of the campaign, between the Americans and French off Casablanca (which is recounted in an earlier work by O 'Hara, hence not covered extensively here), receives only a paragraph, while an entire chapter is devoted to the campaign against a handful ofltalian ships in the Red Sea. This unevenness should not detract from the detail that O'Hara brings to bear on the topic. Struggle for the Middle Sea includes an extensive array of charts, tables, and a timeline of battles. The author challenges preconceived notions concerning the performances of the French, Italian, British, American, and German navi es in this vitally strategic theater an d is a must for those enthralled with the finer details of the naval aspect of the Second World War.
an effort by the Cambodians to expand their territorial waters and that the US responded so strongly to the seizure because the capture of USS Pueblo off North Korea was still fresh in the public's memory. But all in all, he takes a hands-off approach, providing excerpts from the original documents rather than intervening with his own analysis. The result is a rich stew that provides the reader with the fascinating details of the confused situation in Southeast Asia in 1975, the response of the crew to the seizure of their vessel, and the consternation of the National Security Council as they argued abo ut how best to respond. More grim is the account of the poorly conceived rescue operation launched by the American military. Poor intelligence led the military to believe that the crew was held on Koh Tang Island by a handful ofl ightlyarmed troops. In reality, by the time the rescue operation was lau nched, the American seafarers were on their way back to their anchored ship and the island was SALVATORE MERCOGLIANO Central Carolina Community College heavily garrisoned. Although the seamen and Sanford, North Carolina the ship were successfully rescued, American casualties were high. Reminick's approach is useful in that he An Act ofPiracy: The Seizure ofthe Americanflag Merchant Ship Mayaguez in 1975 by essentially puts you among the crewmemGerald Reminick (1he G lencannon Press, bers as they are taken into captivity, gives Palo Alto, CA, 2009, 330pp, illus, notes, you a seat in the National Security Council biblio, index, ISBN 978- 1-889901-47-3; proceedings, and on the firing lin e as Marines fo ught to hold their landing zo nes. $22.95) The activities of the American mer- He does this by mining the considerable chant fleet in the twentieth century are not documentation in the National Archives, especially well documented, and accounts but he has also connected with veterans of its activities during the Vietnam conflict groups such as the "Koh Tang Beach C lub," are especially thin. One of the few who who have very generously allowed Reminick has ventured to resolve this shortage is to reproduce personal photos to illustrate Gerald Reminick, who has written, at last this book. The author clearly has an excellent count, no fewer than seven books dealing rapport with veterans, who surely sense his with American shipping. His latest effort respect for them. 1here are some weak elements to this contributes to the body of knowledge about the final act of the Vietnam conflict, work. The assertion on the back cover that the seizure of the Sea-Land container ship the "Mayaguez was the first American-flag SS Mayaguez off Cambodia in 1975 by the merchant ship taken by a foreign power since the American Revolutionary War" is Khmer Rouge. Reminick gen tly prods the reader pure bunkum. The appendices, one a short along to understand the complexity of the summary of the Vietnam War and the other situation. He provides some background, a short history of the American merchant such as the idea that the incident was really marine in wartime, might better have been 43