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Rather she correctly identifies him as a brilliant seaman and navigator who, like many “pint-sized” characters in history, most likely was paranoid. Compounded by his being really bad at administration and management, both of which he proved repeatedly in Bounty and later as governor general of Australia, it is no wonder he failed miserably in his career. His constant need for perfection rendered him unable to cope with any who fell short—and most did. The foregoing relatively minor criticism aside, I would most surely recommend this book to any with an interest in early Pacific history or in Australia. It is certainly a worthy addition to any library and a most enjoyable read. William H. White Rumson, New Jersey American Amphibious Warfare: The Roots of Tradition to 1865 by Col. Gary J. Ohls, USMC (Ret.) (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2017, 274pp, biblio, illus, notes, index, isbn 978-1-6824-7088-6; $39.95hc) A definition of amphibious warfare is an organized landing from watercraft of armed forces ashore to accomplish an assigned mission ashore. This type of action was not a novel twentieth century military tactic. Famously performed during World War II, it was nonetheless an important element of the ancient conflicts between Athens and Sparta during the Peloponnesian Wars. Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar went on to effectively invade enemy strongholds by landing troops from ships in some of their successful conquests. Historian and retired US Marine Corps officer Gary Ohls brings this tactic more up-to-date by documenting examples of amphibious warfare found in early American army and naval history through the Civil War period. He then examines and analyzes several major battles and a few related minor ancillary skirmishes to demonstrate how the strategy evolved through generations of warfare. Dr. Ohls writes that success in this endeavor requires an agreement of command, operational unity, an element of surprise, integration of naval and land assault forces in cooperation, naval gunfire support, a dependable and maneuverable troop delivery system, task organized forces, and operational coherence followed by
timely logistical support. Adding to this complex formula, commanders must overcome problems between inter-service officers with outsized egos in search of glory, difficult battle terrain, unpredictable and sometimes adverse weather, faulty intelligence, and unanticipated demanding defenses. As a result, amphibious warfare is among the most difficult of combat tactics to conduct with success. Ohls delves into the amphibious assaults in the pre-revolutionary North American theater of operations and later those occurring during the Revolutionary War. The earliest of these forays was when the British landed American troops to fight for the crown at the successful battles at Louisbourg, on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Next came a series of Revolutionary War battles in which troops were transported by water to engage in battle or evacuate before a devastating defeat. These latter amphibious operations, somewhat in reverse, were the strategic retreat by the British from Boston and the series of evacuations of American forces from New York. In Ohls’s examination, they are enumerated and compared against tactical principles or the ideal model for amphibious warfare. This detailed narrative of a series of military events, followed by thoughtful studious critiques, is repeated in each subsequent chapter. These include the Battle at Yorktown, the Barbary Wars in North Africa, the Chesapeake incursion during the War of 1812, the Mexican-American campaigns, and finally the conquest of Fort Fisher in 1865. In a postscript, Dr. Ohls puts the preceding chapters into perspective, describing the post-Civil War uses of amphibious warfare up to the twenty-first century and projecting into the future. The author presents a host of specifics of the encounters listed above that are rarely addressed from a unique amphibious warfare academic perspective. The narrative is skillfully handled, transporting the reader to each battleground and outlining the problems that each landing faced. This fascinating survey of American amphibious warfare serves as an outstanding resource for armed services historians and is highly recommended for both military and maritime historians. Louis Arthur Norton West Simsbury, Connecticut
6/5/12
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