Pioneers of Amphibious Warfare, 1898–1945

The planning that allowed for the successful amphibious landings at the end of World War II actually began during the 1880s as the Marine Corps sought to define its role in the new Steel Navy. Officers braved skepticism, indifference and outright opposition to develop an amphibious warfare doctrine, with each service contributing. From the 1898 war with Spain through the disastrous 1915 Australian landing to the successful World War II assaults in the Pacific and northwest France, this chronological history explores the successes and failures pivotal to the concept of amphibious warfare through the lives and careers of fourteen officers instrumental to its development. Profiles include General George S. Patton, Jr.; Rear Admiral Walter C. Ansel, USN; Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune, USMC; Admiral William Sims, USN; and Colonel Robert W. Huntington, USMC.

Leo J. Daugherty III is the Senior Command Historian for the United States Army Cadet Command in Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Leo J. Daugherty III

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 456
Bibliographic Info: 34 photos, maps, charts, appendix, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2009
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3394-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5352-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Preface      1

Part I: The Era of the Advanced Base Force, 1880–1918
1. Colonel Robert W. Huntington, USMC      7
2. Admiral William S. Sims, USN      36
3. Major General George Barnett, USMC      66
4. Major General Eli K. Cole, USMC      96

Part II: The Interwar Years, 1919–1940
5. Brigadier General Dion Williams, USMC      123
6. Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Austell Cunningham, USMC      134
7. Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune, USMC      158
8. Brigadier General Robert H. Dunlap, USMC      194
9. Colonel Ellis B. Miller, USMC      213
10. Major General John H. Russell, Jr., USMC      243

Part III: The War Years, 1941–1945
11. Lieutenant General Pedro del Valle, USMC      271
12. Rear Admiral Walter C. Ansel, USN      298
13. Lieutenant General Arthur G. Trudeau, USA      323
14. General George S. Patton, Jr., USA      359

Appendix: Amphibious Assault Plans      401
Chapter Notes      405
Index      437