S2 Actual reading list

Besieged: The Epic Battle For Cholm

Jason D. Mark

Kampfgruppe Scherer’s outstanding feat of arms was one of Germany’s most famous military achievements during the Second World War. With only a few thousand men from all branches of the service, including mountain troopers, elderly reservists, police officers, navy drivers, SS partisan hunters and supply troops, Generalmajor Theodor Scherer was ordered to hold Cholm in the face of a superior enemy force. That Scherer and his men prevailed is now an historical fact but analysis of daily radio traffic and combat reports reveals that the pocket’s survival was precarious; at times, even senior commanders doubted if it could be saved. On several occasions the Soviet onslaught looked poised to inflict the death blow but somehow the exhausted men of Cholm grimly clung to a few resistance nests upon which a new line was anchored. General Scherer, a popular leader and inspiration to all his soldiers, despaired many times and was forced to continually plead for more men, more supplies and more aerial support. Urgent demands by other sectors meant Kampfgruppe Scherer was drip-fed just enough supplies and reinforcements to stay alive until, eventually, a relief force forged a permanent link and freed the exhausted survivors. After a catastrophic winter of setbacks and resounding defeats for the Wehrmacht, the General and his men were lauded as heroes and recognised with an arm shield that marked them as “Cholmkämpfer,” men of exceptional courage who had prevailed despite overwhelming odds. Primary sources have been utilised for the first time to present this battle in a detailed day-by-day format, from the forlorn days of January and February to liberation in early May.

Pacific Express: The Critical Role of Military Logistics in World War II (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII, Vol. 3)

William L. McGee

Under one cover, an edited collection of the best works by noted military historians on the importance of military logistics in World War II. *** PACIFIC EXPRESS IS ON THE MARINE CORPS COMMANDANT'S PROFESSIONAL READING LIST FOR LOGISTICS FOR ALL OFFICER AND ENLISTED MARINES, WHETHER ACTIVE DUTY OR RESERVE. *** In PACIFIC EXPRESS, award-winning World War II military historian William L. McGee acts as editor gathering together the best writings on military logistics in WWII. Consider this: In World War II, 16.1 million men and women served in the U.S. Armed Forces. For every individual who served in combat, ten individuals served in a support role. McGee profiles many of the major components of the “Pacific express”: * U.S. Navy Seabees and U.S. Marine Corps Engineers - who built the Advance Bases. * U.S. Navy crews - who manned the amphibious force and Fleet’s floating mobile Service Squadrons throughout the vast reaches of the Pacific. * U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Naval Armed Guard - who manned and defended the thousands of War Shipping Administration cargo ships, transports, and tankers to “Deliver the goods!” * U.S. Army and civilian (civil service) Transportation Corps personnel - who operated most of the Army’s large and small vessels, but were seldom covered by the consumer-oriented media during WWII. * U.S. Coast Guardsmen - who manned hundreds of U.S. Army and Navy long-haul vessels and thousands of battle-loaded amphibious landing ships and craft. IN THE AUTHOR'S WORDS “I’ve dedicated PACIFIC EXPRESS to the men and women – military and civilian – who served in logistical support roles for the front line combat personnel in WWII. The story of the vital logistics services supporting the U.S. Armed Forces operating in the Pacific is told - proof positive that warfare is not all blazing combat.” –William L. McGee 560 pp, 111 b&w photos, 7 maps, 21 figures/tables/charts, appendix, notes, bibliography, index, Paperback 6" x 9" OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIES Vol. I, THE AMPHIBIANS ARE COMING! Emergence of the 'Gator Navy and its Revolutionary Landing Craft Vol. II, THE SOLOMONS CAMPAIGNS, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville, Pacific War Turning Point WHAT READERS ARE SAYING … ■ A very polished and professional volume covering a major and relatively unheralded part of World War II … I’m sure the author will receive widespread acclaim for providing the quality and quantity of naval history in PACIFIC EXPRESS. –David H. Grover, CDR USNR (Ret), and author of "U.S. Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II" ■ Bill McGee’s account of amphibious operations in the Pacific and of the supply effort needed to support all operations there is meticulously researched and told with the skill of a born storyteller. PACIFIC EXPRESS and the other volumes in the series will make a proud addition to anyone’s library. -Gordon Smith, Chairman, Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum ■ The editors have woven historical facts with firsthand accounts to create a behind-the-scenes look at military logistics in World War II. —C.A. Lloyd, Chairman, USN Armed Guard Veterans Association WWII ■ Besides providing statistics, Bill McGee provides a personal touch with interviews and references to persons who were actually there. -Jim Higman, Merchant Marine Engineer (Ret) and editor of "California Central Coast U.S. Navy Armed Guard & Merchant Marine Vets WWII" ■ Bill McGee hits another home run with PACIFIC EXPRESS. My time served in the South Pacific in WWII springs to life as I hear the bow doors open and the ramp fall on Pacific soil … Reading this book brings back memories and tears to this eighty-plus year old LSM sailor. -Royce N. McNeill, USS LSM-LSMR Association ■ With PACIFIC EXPRESS, Bill McGee secures his title of “Godfather of amphibious operations history.” This Volume III in his series anchors Volumes I and II as essential reading and reference for military history. –Joe Flynn, California Director and Member National Board, USS LCI National Association ■ Although about WWII, much of what is written in PACIFIC EXPRESS applied when I served on the USS HELENA (CA-75) during the Korean War and afterward. Bill McGee does a through job of explaining military logistics in ways we can understand. -Dave Brouchoud, USS Helena (CA-75), Jan 1952–May 1955 ■ Just finished reading Bill McGee’s third volume in his Amphibious Operations series and it certainly passes inspection. –Ron Swanson, Editor, Flotilla, LCT Flotillas of World War II

Eating for Victory: Healthy Home Front Cooking on War Rations

Jill Norman

Food rationing was introduced in England in January 1940 after supply ships were attacked by German U-boats. The first food items to be rationed were butter, sugar, bacon, and ham, though restrictions were also eventually placed on meat, fish, jam, biscuits, cheese, eggs, and milk. In response, the Ministry of Food produced a series of "Eating for Victory" pamphlets that advised the general public on how to cope with these shortages. Designed to lift spirits in a time of shortage, these jolly leaflets contained a variety of recipes and cooking advice ranging from how to make steamed and boiled puddings and hints on how to reconstitute dried eggs. For all the hardship that rationing brought, the food restrictions resulted in many people eating more healthily than ever before. A nostalgic look back at one of the most difficult and yet healthiest times in history, this quaint collection is also a relevant guide to good eating today.

Japan Prepares for Total War: The Search for Economic Security, 1919-1941

Michael A. Barnhart

Cornell University Press · 1991

The roots of Japan's aggressive, expansionist foreign policy have often been traced to its concern over acute economic vulnerability. Historian Michael Barnhart tests this assumption by examining the events leading up to World War II in the context of Japan's quest for economic security. Drawing on a wide array of Japanese and American sources, this is the first English-language book on the war's origins to be based on research in archives on both sides of the Pacific. Barnhart focuses on the critical years from 1938 to 1941 as he investigates the development of Japan's drive for national economic self-sufficiency and independence and the way in which this drive shaped its internal and external policies. He also explores American economic pressure on Tokyo and assesses its impact on Japan's foreign policy and domestic economy. He concludes that Japan's internal political dynamics, especially the bitter rivalry between its army and navy, played a far greater role in propelling the nation into war with the United States than did its economic condition or even pressure from Washington. Japan Prepares for Total War sheds new light on prewar Japan and confirms the opinions of those in Washington who advocated economic pressure against Japan. At a time of growing interest in U.S.-Japanese economic relations, this book will be stimulating and provocative reading for scholars and students of international relations and American and Asian history.

One Hundred Years of Sea Power: The U. S. Navy, 1890-1990

George W. Baer

Stanford University Press · July 1, 1996

A navy is a state's main instrument of maritime force. What it should do, what doctrine it holds, what ships it deploys, and how it fights are determined by practical political and military choices in relation to national needs. Choices are made according to the state's goals, perceived threat, maritime opportunity, technological capabilities, practical experience, and, not the least, the way the sea service defines itself and its way of war. This book is a history of the modern U.S. Navy. It explains how the Navy, in the century after 1890, was formed and reformed in the interaction of purpose, experience, and doctrine.