Coral and Brass Holland M Smith Percy Finch Books
Download As PDF : Coral and Brass Holland M Smith Percy Finch Books
“The aim of this book is twofold first, that due credit be given to a gallant body of men, the United States Marine Corps, who in their path across the Pacific were faithful to their traditions and to their country; second, to point out the errors that were committed in World War II in such a manner that they will not be repeated in World War III — God forbid.”
Controversial at times, Smith never wavered in his dedication to the Marine Corps and dedicated his career in support of the men and women under his command.
Recipient of four Distinguished Service Medals, he initiated and supervised the training of U.S. Marines in the art of amphibious warfare and led them across the Pacific in one of the most phenomenal military advances of all times.
On many occasions, as the reader will see, he pugnaciously struggled with peers and superiors to be allowed to fight.
Although constantly in the public eye towards the latter years of the war, this memoir sheds light on Smith’s private opinions on the war, the mistakes that were made on the way to victory and the difficulties between the various factions of the U.S. forces.
These problems experienced particularly between the Marines, the Navy and the U.S. Army are closely examined in Smith’s memoir and he offers a unique insight into these clashes.
He unceasingly, oftentimes controversially, defends the strategic importance of amphibious warfare in WWII and criticizes Naval interference in Marine tactical decisions.
This autobiography also offers a glimpse of the man behind the intimidating facade, a man haunted by the sometimes unnecessary losses of Marine lives and the impact of his decisions in wartime.
"He maintains throughout a manifest and unshakable belief that the United States Marines are the best land fighters in the world, and takes natural pride in his role as their long-suffering and outspoken champion." The Alabama Review
"Smith's account if the Pacific War as he fought it from Tarawa to Iwo Jima is of first-rate historical importance."Foreign Affairs
Coral and Brass is an important first-hand account of a celebrated military tactician, a must-read for those interested in the U.S. Marine Corps, military strategy and WWII operations.
Holland McTyeire “Howlin’ Mad” Smith, (April 20, 1882 – January 12, 1967) was a general in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He is sometimes called the “father” of modern U.S. amphibious warfare. A lieutenant general when he was retired May 15, 1946 at the age of 64, he was promoted to general on the retired list for having been especially commended in combat. This book was first published in 1949. Following a long illness, General Smith died January 12, 1967 at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, California, aged 84.
Coral and Brass Holland M Smith Percy Finch Books
I did not have the greatest expectations for this memoir, for I figured it would just list a series of combat events like most other such books. I was surprised to see how thoroughly the General covered all aspects of the Pacific war as far as he knew those events, but I was equally surprised at how he named names of the villains on our side of the aisle. I had no idea how the Navy bigwigs and the Army bigwigs felt such disdain for the Marines. These were the real blood and guts young men of the Pacific island hopping campaign, but were often dismissed as mere numbers. It was extremely frustrating to read how road blocks were thrown up before the General as he tried to formulate modern amphibious assault tactics. It was due to him (primarily) that the Marines came into their own, and the basic amphibious tactics we use today are a direct outgrowth of General Smith's foresight and intelligence. To read how the Navy often would husband their cannon rounds instead of continuing the pounding of Tarawa and Iwo Jima was very aggravating. The General had a real admiration of mutual respect for the submarine service, who he felt suffered the same lack of respect that the Marines did. The book was very well written and I hated for it to come to an end. Highly recommended.Product details
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Coral and Brass Holland M Smith Percy Finch Books Reviews
General Holland Smith gives an unvarnished telling of the development of the United States Marine Corps into the finest amphibious assault force in the world from WWI through Iwo Jima. He does so with as much modesty as he can given his major role in that development. His candid opinions of General MacArthur, the Army fighting prowess in particular as well as the treatment of the Marines by some Navy Admirals including Turner and Spurance, while seen from a Marine's perspective, is insightful and entertaining. Especially since it was written down in the mid-1940s, before their canonization was completed by their biographers and post-war historians. Excellent insights into what went right and what went went wrong in the conduct of the war in the Pacific by one of the main prosecutors of the American strategy for that campaign.
Three cheers for the Red, White and Blue! Providing a bird's eye view of our military in action, this book helped me understand so much of what my dad talked about, and his sentiments for all those old warships and airplanes we visited growing up. My dad, a veteran of WWII, never talked much about the war, but he had an unmistakable fondness for his victories there, and an undeniable respect for those who served. His patriotism lives on, as does his memory since he has passed some 20 years ago.
Being educated through this book about how the Marines went through their growing pains to become a full fledged branch of our military was fascinating! At times I felt like Mr. Smith was a bit harsh in his telling of the story, particularly when he opposed or compared the Marines to other branches in the military, but it is easy to overlook since he had a front row seat in two world wars I will only read about.
Clearly, Mr. Smith also played a major role in the Marine Corps from it's infancy through today, helping this division of our military go through some major growing pains, all while fighting too many harrowing battles in both world wars. It is with great respect and honor that I salute Mr. Smith for sharing this amazing bit of history with us, and I sincerely hope many people will read this book, as it will provide new insight into making America great again. We truly are the greatest nation on earth!
This book is a very special read as one of the most famous commanding officers of the US Marine Corps wrote it shortly after the Second World War was over.
The book does a wonderful job of explaining the development of amphibious operations in face of the looming war with Japan. To some extent, some people saw the inevitability of this conflict. He also writes about the inter-service rivalry and how it affected the Marines.
There is a lot of very good information about the pre-history of the war as well as what was going on in the Pacific. It would make an excellent primer for anyone interested in larger details of the war. In fact, this book is a great place to start if you are just now starting to ready seriously about history.
The book is rather simply written and major concepts are underwhelming displayed with ease. For example, the author speaks of the invasion of Saipan with 800 amphibious vehicles landing tanks, tractors, and howitzers. In the next breath-taking sentence, he states they deployed 8,000 men in 20 minutes.
While I am historically well versed in the topic of world war two history; I was stunned at the ability of the navy and marines to deploy so much so quickly. I
It was clearly stated in this one paragraph why the US won the war. We did what was not considered possible.
This was not to say any invasion was easy. To the contrary, in fact; the Japanese were stout warriors committed to the cause and delivered hell and furry to the men making the landing. Saipan was no walk in the park by any means with over 2,500 casualties in the first twenty-four hours.
This is just one example of the big picture provided first-hand within this book. The book reminds us our lasting legacy and the fact that after World War Two there would forever be a United States Marine Corps...and the world would know and respect them.
If you enjoyed this book I would recommend reading "With the Old Breed," by EB Sledge as a first person perspective of the war, "Eagle Against the Sun The American War with Japan," by Ronald Spector. I would also recommend one of my favorite personal accounts with, "South from Corregidor." Why that book was not made into an epic movie with Burt Lancaster or Robert Mitcham is a mystery to me.
I did not have the greatest expectations for this memoir, for I figured it would just list a series of combat events like most other such books. I was surprised to see how thoroughly the General covered all aspects of the Pacific war as far as he knew those events, but I was equally surprised at how he named names of the villains on our side of the aisle. I had no idea how the Navy bigwigs and the Army bigwigs felt such disdain for the Marines. These were the real blood and guts young men of the Pacific island hopping campaign, but were often dismissed as mere numbers. It was extremely frustrating to read how road blocks were thrown up before the General as he tried to formulate modern amphibious assault tactics. It was due to him (primarily) that the Marines came into their own, and the basic amphibious tactics we use today are a direct outgrowth of General Smith's foresight and intelligence. To read how the Navy often would husband their cannon rounds instead of continuing the pounding of Tarawa and Iwo Jima was very aggravating. The General had a real admiration of mutual respect for the submarine service, who he felt suffered the same lack of respect that the Marines did. The book was very well written and I hated for it to come to an end. Highly recommended.
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