Intelligence in War: Knowledge of the Enemy from Napoleon to Al-Qaeda

By John Keegan. Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. ISBN 0-375-40053-2.

Wartime intelligence often is overemphasized and overrated, and mere “foreknowledge is no protection against disaster,” claims John Keegan in his most recent book.

A renowned British military historian, Keegan has written 16 books, including The Face of Battle (Penguin, 1976) and The Book of War (Viking, 1999). With Intelligence in War, he uses eight wartime case studies to argue that there is no such thing as perfect intelligence, that intelligence does not automatically lead to victory, and that “decision in war is always the result of a fight, and in combat willpower always counts for more than foreknowledge.”

Keegan is a thoughtful writer who lays out his premise carefully using detailed battle analysis. He’s also an entertaining writer who offers hilarious and irreverent observations of his own experiences with American and British intelligence services.

While certainly not dismissing the value of intelligence in wartime, Keegan argues that how intelligence is used often is more important than its content. With each case study, Keegan provides a detailed background of events, as well as the development of intelligence collection and transmission methods of the era. He shows how in some cases intelligence contributed greatly to victory while in others it did nothing to avoid defeat.

The case studies range from Adm. Horatio Nelson’s pursuit of the French fleet in the Mediterranean in 1798 to the Falklands War in 1982, with some fascinating selections in between. The best example of a commander using local and tactical intelligence is Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s amazing campaign against superior Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862. The studies about wireless technology in World War I and codebreaking and radio technology in the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II reveal the increased reliance on technology to gather intelligence.

Best, however, is the riveting chapter on the Battle of Crete in 1941. The Allied commander of the Commonwealth forces defending Crete had accurate, reliable intelligence on the date, time, place, and order of battle of the impending German assault, and he outnumbered his attackers. Yet he still lost the battle.

Although Keegan barely mentions the two Gulf Wars and the current war on terrorism, he still offers exciting history well told.

They Marched into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967

By David Maraniss. Simon & Schuster, 2003. ISBN 0-7432-1780-2.

Memories of the Vietnam War still are painful for many Americans. Nearly 30 years later, soldiers and civilians alike vividly remember an unpopular war that threw American society and government into turmoil, creating dissent and division that persist today.
 
Author David Maraniss’ stunning new book, They Marched into Sunlight, is a remarkable history of three separate events occurring in October 1967, events that signaled an American defeat, marked a dramatic rise in antiwar sentiment, and spelled the end of a presidency.

Maraniss is an associate editor at The Washington Post. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has written four other books, including biographies of Bill Clinton and Vince Lombardi. With this well-crafted effort, he has written one of the best books about Vietnam since Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway’s We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young (Random House, 1992).

This is a true story of soldiers, students, and politicians caught up in a war most did not understand and even fewer wanted to fight. Maraniss focuses on an Army infantry battalion fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, a violent student antiwar protest on a midwestern college campus, and the nation’s leadership torn between war escalation and peace negotiation. The pivotal events involving these three groups occur Oct. 17–18, 1967, with the author providing suspenseful buildup and poignant aftermath.
The Black Lions of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division are a mixture of Army professionals, draftees, and volunteers. While conducting a search-and-destroy mission in the Long Nguyen Secret Zone, two understrength companies and the battalion headquarters are ambushed by a well-entrenched Viet Cong regiment. As Maraniss relates, the battle is a tragic nightmare of close combat and death, and the American unit is mauled severely.

On the same day the Black Lions are fighting for their lives in Vietnam, students on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison are protesting the war and the maker of napalm, Dow Chemical Co. Student activists, school officials, onlookers, and police collide, first in a clash of wills, then in a bloody flurry of tear gas, rocks, bottles, and nightsticks. The violence of the student antiwar movement had begun.

Maraniss also cleverly describes the dilemma in the White House, as President Lyndon Johnson and his advisors agonize over what to do about a war they fear (but will not openly admit) they are losing and how to save a faltering and increasingly impotent presidency. Maraniss offers insight into presidential discussions about trying to win the war and explore peace options at the same time.

Providing a compelling mosaic of these passionate events and the people involved, Maraniss reveals how each event was a defeat and how the Army, the public, and the leadership never really understood how things suddenly had changed or why. He portrays a wounded, distraught first sergeant crying, “They killed all my boys”; a student protest leader who later became the mayor of Madison, Wis.; and a president who would not seek reelection.

The book’s vivid description and imagery, as well as the memories it stirs up, will distress some readers. Still, Maraniss does a masterful job with a difficult subject, offering hope and understanding of a painful chapter in American history.

— Reviews by William D. Bushnell

Member Books

NON-FICTION

The Family of Ronald W. Reagan. By Lt. Cmdr. Curt J. Gronner, USNR-Ret.
This is the detailed genealogy of the family of the 40th U.S. president, Ronald Reagan. The work is divided into 13 parts, one each for President Reagan’s paternal line. Gronner presents each line in Register style, followed by a kinship report that states the relationship of every person in the allied family to its head. An informative introduction explaining how this project evolved, as well as a complete name index at the back, round out the publication.
Clearfield Company Inc., 200 E. Eager Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. (410) 625-9004. www.genealogical.com. ISBN 0-8063-5224-8. 282 pp. $31.95 plus postage.

 

FICTION

Plateau of Chains. By Capt. George P. Sotos, USN-Ret.
After ordering an investigation into the background of Commander John A. Lucas for suspected treason, Rear Adm. Adelide Lord uncovers Lucas’ culpability in an unreported wrongful death of a naval officer. However, because the investigation also places Admiral Lord in jeopardy, it is dropped completely, only to resurface 15 years later prior to Lucas’ appointment to a prestigious White House job.
1st Books Library, 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403. (800) 839-8640. www.1stbooks.com. ISBN 1-4140-4034-2. 347 pp. $27.50 postpaid.

Killer of Presidents. By 1st Lt. Mike Cohen, AUS-Ret.
When a division president of a giant textile corporation is found murdered, Matt Harris, smeared head to toe with the dead man’s blood, is the obvious suspect. When a new president is appointed and he, too, is murdered, circumstances again nail Matt Harris. Shunned now by former friends, gawked at by former strangers, Matt adds these new indignities to carryovers from before: lacking a proper Upper Westchester pedigree, Matt was always, in the eyes of the parents of Peg DeWitt, a less than ideal suitor for their daughter. Now, with his burgeoning status as an unindicted assassin, well, is this a guy you’d want for a son-in-law? Here is a swiftly moving story with characters whose company you will enjoy, suspenseful sequences that will surprise you again and again with bust-out-loud laughter–a book you will want to read again.
Xlibris Corp., 436 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. (215) 923-4686. www.xlibris.com. ISBN 1-4010-9932-7. 176 pp. $20.99 plus postage.

Burden of Proof. By Lt. Cmdr. John G. Henry, USN-Ret.
When a freak explosion on the U.S. Navy spaceship Michaelson takes out most of Forward Engineering, an investigation is ordered. It would seem that a chief petty officer–who was killed in the accident–broke regulations by making difficult repairs alone and caused the conflagration himself. But the ship’s legal officer, Lt. Paul Sinclair, learns of evidence that points to a cover-up involving a rising star in the officer corps who may have ordered dead man to work alone. But all of the evidence is circumstantial, and the suspect is the son of a powerful vice admiral. Now, pressured from all sides, Sinclair must risk his name, his naval career, and his future to find the truth and see justice done.
Ace Books, 375 Hudson Street, NY, NY 10014. (800) 788-6262. www.penguin.com. ISBN 0-441-001147-0. 293 pp. $6.50 plus postage.

MEMOIRS

Prodigals: A Vietnam Story. By Col. Richard Taylor, USA-Ret.
This combat memoir traces Taylor’s first tour in Vietnam (1967-68), when he was assigned to advise an ARVN infantry battalion working in the IV Corps. He barely survived Tet, and then served on an advisory team staff. For the next two years, Taylor eared a Ranger tab, served on a division staff, met his wife, and married her days before returning to Vietnam. During his second tour (1970-71), Taylor assumed command of Bravo Company, 1/7 Cav, and excelled as a commander and leader.
Casemate Publishers, 2114 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083. (610)-853-9131; fax (610)-853-9146. www.casematepublishing.com. ISBN 1-932033-19-X. 360 pp. $32.95 plus postage.

A Sailor’s Story. By Capt. Allan P. Slaff, USN-Ret.
Slaff has topped his long and distinguished career in the Navy by being a great storyteller. Relive his adventures on both sea and land – in famous battles and small pleasures, in personal triumphs and personal disappointments – in this book awash with salty humor and unabashed opinion.
Hobblebush Books, 17A Old Milford Road, Brookline, NH 03033. (603) 672-4317. www.hobblebush.com. ISBN 0-9636413-9-5. 226 pp. $25.95 postpaid.

Before I Forget: Selected Memories Preserved by One Who Has Lived a Full Life. By Lt. Col. Robert M. Boyles II, USAR-Ret.
Boyles has documented some of his most vivid and mostly humorous recollections. With advancing age, a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, and a failing memory he has written down the memories that he wishes to preserve.
Trafford Publishing, Suite 6E, 2333 Government Street, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 4P4. (866) 638-6884. www.trafford.com. ISBN 141201169-8. 152 pp. $14.99 plus postage.

It Had to Be You: Memoir of a Navy Wife. By R.J. Howard.
Stunning in both truth and restraint, Howard has created an elegant memoir–a triumph! She captures the powerful spirit of an age, a people and an America now lost. Author of Power Steering, she has recorded her life as an adventure.
Elderberry Press, 1393 Old Homestead Drive, Second floor, Oakland, OR 97462-9506. (571) 459-6043. www.elderberrypress.com. ISBN 1-93085-993-7. 112 pp. $13.95 plus postage.

An Ace of the Eighth: An American Fighter Pilot’s Air War in Europe. By Lt. Col. Norman “Bud” Fortier, USAF-Ret.
A collection of Fortier’s WWII experiences as a member of the 355th Fighter Group, 354th Fighter Squadron, in the Eighth Air Force stationed in England. He flew 113 combat missions from September 1943 to May of 1945. In addition to mission descriptions, Fortier’s memoirs provide an insight of what life was like on a typical fighter air base during that period.
Ballantine Books, 1745 Broadway, NY, NY 10019. (800) 733-3000. www.ballentinebooks.com. ISBN 0-89141-806-7. 350 pp. $6.99 plus postage.

Brown Shoe/Black Shoe: Memoirs Of Two Air Forces, Two Wars And One Military Occupation. By Lt. Col. Troy Thompson Jr., USAF-Ret.
A narrative of moments memorable to the author as he went from college student to Army basic training; followed by training as a flight Navigator; then training to become a crew member on B29’s and flying B-29 combat missions over Japan in WWII.
Xlibris Corporation, 436 Walnut Street, 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106. (888) 795-4274. www..xlibris.com. ISBN 1-4134-2713-8. 252 pp. $21.99 plus postage.

No Bended Knee: The Battle for Guadalcanal. By Gen. Merrill B. Twining, USMC-Ret.
One of the most difficult campaigns in the long and valorous history of the United States Marine Corps, “Guadalcanal,” said Japanese Maj. Gen. Kawaguchi, “is not the name of an island. It is the name of the graveyard of the Japanese army.” Twining, as an operations officer of the First Marine Division, saw and recounts a campaign in which a semi-trained and underpowered division was flung into battle, prevailing against not only the Japanese, but a host of adversaries including the jungle, tropical disease, supply lines, and human error.
Ballantine Books, 1745 Broadway, NY, NY 10019. (800) 733-3000. www.presidiopress.com. ISBN 0-89141-826-1. 258 pp. $7.50 plus postage.