Behind the Lines: The Oral History of Special Operations in World War II

By Russell Miller. St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 0-312-26642-1.

When Henri Diacono volunteered to join the secret British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in 1940, he never dreamed he would parachute into occupied France armed only with a pistol, a wireless set, a cyanide pill, and a dash of good luck.

The adventures of Diacono and many others are showcased in Russell Miller’s new book, Behind the Lines, about the British, French, and American men and women who operated in enemy-occupied countries conducting reconnaissance, raids, sabotage, subversion, and assassinations and organizing resistance groups during World War II. This well-presented oral history details the recruitment, training, and operations of SOE and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, forerunner of today’s Central Intelligence Agency) agents from 1940 to 1945.

Miller has written 11 other nonfiction books, including histories of the commandos and the resistance in World War II, as well as Nothing Less Than Victory (Quill, 1995), about D-Day. 

Miller highlights the early days of the SOE and OSS, when such supersecret agencies were struggling to organize amid governmental jealousies, political mistrust, and criticism that the “dirty tricks” of espionage were not part of civilized warfare. 

Most SOE and OSS agents were men and women who craved adventure, shunned traditional military conventions, or simply wanted to fight on their own terms. 

Agents tell of blowing up trains, tunnels, and bridges, ambushing supply convoys, operating clandestine radio stations, and employing clever propaganda and effective disinformation. They also reveal tricks for avoiding detection and for enduring harsh interrogation and relate the use of wacky gimmicks such as sleeve guns, itching powder, and exploding rats. The book includes chilling accounts of capture, torture, imprisonment, and escape. 

Focused on Western Europe and the Balkans, with brief reference to Burma and China, this colorful history vividly portrays the black arts of spying, sabotage, and subversion. Told with candor and humor, these tales reveal the secret side of war behind enemy lines.

Blood for Dignity: The Story of the First Integrated Combat Unit in the U.S. Army

By David P. Colley. St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 0-312-30035-2.

In March 1945, the men of 5th Platoon, K Company, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division were part of a bold social experiment resulting from desperate military necessity. They were an all-black platoon assigned to an all-white infantry company. And the segregated U.S. Army had never done that before.

In the last months of World War II in Europe, infantry manpower needs were great and thousands of black soldiers wanted to fight. But how could that be accomplished in a racially segregated army that did not believe black soldiers could fight at all?

Author David Colley’s new book, Blood for Dignity, explores the U.S. Army’s radical desegregation program that provided a fifth platoon of riflemen to an infantry company, adding manpower and firepower and allowing black volunteers to prove they could fight just as well as white soldiers. This is Colley’s third book, following The Road to Victory (Brassey’s, 2000), about the Red Ball Express.

Blood for Dignity joins the earlier works of authors such as Gail Buckley, Gerald Astor, and Vernon Baker as yet another fine testimonial to the loyalty and fighting qualities of America’s black soldiers in an era of often violent racial segregation and social change.

Colley focuses much of this story on the men of 5th Platoon, K Company, but he also includes the bigger picture of the Army’s manpower dilemma and its segregation policies, as well as the efforts of forward-thinking Army leaders who saw the wrong in segregation and the right in allowing black soldiers to fight alongside white soldiers. Colley describes the start of the 5th Platoon program, the recruitment of black soldiers from their segregated rear-area service and labor units, their six weeks of infantry training, and their assignment to platoons that would augment all-white infantry companies.

As Colley relates, the U.S. Army created 52 5th Platoons from an eager volunteer pool of black soldiers. Led by a white officer and a white platoon sergeant, the 5th Platoons were introduced to frontline infantry divisions during the fierce fighting at the Remagen bridgehead over the Rhine River in March 1945.

From the moment they arrived on the battlefield, black soldiers showed their white buddies and the Germans that they could fight—and fight well. The crucible of combat erased any thoughts of color differences between black and white soldiers. Racial tension might have existed in the rear areas and back home, but not in the frontline foxholes.

Colley includes numerous anecdotes of courage, battlefield action, sacrifice, leadership challenges, and humor as black and white infantrymen fought against the Germans at Remagen, the Ruhr pocket, and in Bavaria through March, April, and May of 1945. As soon as the war was over, however, the 5th Platoons were disbanded and the black soldiers were returned to their original segregated service and labor units. The experiment was indeed temporary, but its success had great impact on the eventual desegregation of the Army by presidential decree in 1948.

— Reviews by William D. Bushnell

NON-FICTION

Strategic Navigation: A Systems Approach to Business Strategy. By Lt. Col. H. William Dettmer, USAF-Ret.
Dettmer begins the book by introducing the conceptual framework of military strategy and maneuver warfare, which dates back over 2,300 years to the time of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. He first explains how the time-tested principles of war planning and military execution can be readily applied to non-military uses, such as commercial business, not-for-profit organizations, and government agencies, leading to considerable benefits in coherence and focus. Dettmer then introduces a logical, systematic tool set to help you translate the military strategy “template” into action, which can then be applied to nearly any industry or business type. 
ASQ Quality Press, 600 N. Plankinton Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202. (800) 248-1946. www.asq.org. ISBN 0-87389-603-3. 302 pp. $40.00 plus postage.

The Coast Guard in World War I: An Untold Story. By Capt. Alex R. Larzelere, USCG-Ret.
The U.S. Coast Guard suffered the highest percentage of losses of any American armed force in World War I, yet until now the extent of its involvement in the war remains little known. Larzelere, an experienced coast guardsman himself, made extensive use of such primary sources as personal journals and letters, cutter logs, reports of commanding officers, personnel records, and interviews to compile this historic, first-time account.
Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402-5034. (410) 295-1081. www.usni.org. ISBN 1-55750-476-8. 326 pp. $32.95 plus postage.

Hawaii’s World War II Military Sites: A Comprehensive Guide Focusing on Oahu. By Col. Charles A. Jones, USMCR.
In the sea books abut December 7th, Jones’ is unique in that it is part history book and part tour guide taking readers on step-by-step tours of the World War II sites on Oahu. If you go to Oahu, it assists you in finding the sites; if you cannot go to Oahu, it is the next best thing to being there. It is the best overall guide to December 7th and to the activities on Oahu during the remainder of the war.
Mutual Publishing, 1215 Center Street, Suite 210, Honolulu, HI 96816. (808) 732-1709. www.mutualpublishing.com. ISBN 1-56647-521-X. 250 pp. $14.95 plus postage.

Business and Corporate Aviation Management: On Demand Air Travel. By Cmdr. John J. Sheehan, USN-Ret. 
Corporate and charter aircraft bring benefits to businesses that use them effectively and efficiently. Getting started in this complex technical field can prove a bewildering experience for the uninitiated. Sheehan’s book offers executives, managers, and flight department personnel a solid background and insights into establishing and running aviation operations.
McGraw Hill Professional, 2 Penn Plaza, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10121-2298. (212) 904-5437. www.mcgraw-hill.com. ISBN 0071412271. 330 pp. $42.46 plus postage. 

World War II Mail from Switzerland to Great Britain, Canada & the United States. By Col. Charles J. LaBlonde, USAF-Ret.
This book is the culmination of 20 years of research in the postal archives of Switzerland, Britain, Canada, the USA, and the Red Cross in Geneva. Postal history consists of postal rates, mail routes, and all markings found on mail. This book addresses in depth all three aspects of the Swiss World War II mail. Throughout the war, Switzerland was partially, and eventually totally, surrounded by the Axis, yet the mail got out. The book is illustrated with over 230 pieces of actual mail from the period.
American Helvetia Philatelic Society, Available from the author: 15091 Ridgefield Ln., Colorado Springs, CO, 80921-3554; clablonde@aol.com. ISBN 0-9742619-0-4. 221 pp. $25.00 postpaid. 

Sketches From a Pilot’s Life. By Lt. Col. Curtis C. Truver, USAF-Ret.
Truver’s book is a collection of short stories taken from his 54 years of active flying, of which 25 years were in the Air Force, performing duty primarily as a jet fighter pilot. The stories are true and, if anything, understated. There is an old saying that “flying is hours and hours of boredom, punctuated by occasional moments of stark terror.” Truver’s flying was mostly in single pilot airplanes, in all kinds of climate and weather, and sometimes getting shot at while attempting to do severe damage to someone else–so his hours of boredom were few.
Trafford Publishing, 2333 Government St., Suite 6E, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 4P4. (250) 383-6864. www.trafford.com. ISBN 141200456-X. 81 pp. $11.95 plus postage.

FICTION

Forbidden Gates: A Long Ago Family’s Lust for Power. By Capt. James Jackson Lynch, USN-Ret.
King Edward the Confessor ruled England but was dominated by three great earls. Set in an age of violence, this story of Swegen Godwinson, heir apparent to the Earldom of Wessex, seeks to distill real life from the drama, passions, dreams, conflicts, and romance implied in recorded traditions and the limited reporting of the Anglo Saxon Chronicles. Historic and imagined characters are presented for what might-have-been in times when treachery and murder were the weapons of opportunity in the unending struggles for power. England’s freemen waited and wondered, apprehensive of an ever-threatening Norman feudalism and a return of the still-dangerous Scandinavian Vikings.
Xlibris Corporation, 436 Walnut Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106. (888) 795-4274. www.xlibris.com. ISBN 1-4010-6695-X. 366 pp. $19.54 plus postage.

Sins of the Fathers. By Maj. Virginia Kreimeyer, USAF-Ret.
Air Force Lt. Col. Leslie Johnson is plunged into the web of hatred among the Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian warring factions when she is sent to Zagreb, Croatia. Although a peace treaty has been signed, animosities manifest themselves in the downing of the Implementation Forces commander’s aircraft, carrying Fortune 500 CEOs as well as the admiral. Leslie must juggle intense media interest and monitor the aircraft incident investigation process, while averting attempts on her own life. In the midst of these chaotic days, Leslie encounters a stabilizing factor in Col. Roger Wilson and shares a few stolen moments with him. Survival and understanding the repercussions of the Balkan Wars and Croatia’s rise to independence becomes the focus of the two Air Force officers in this volatile environment.
iUniverse Inc., 2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512. (877) 823-9235. 
www.iUniverse.com. ISBN 0-595-27872-8. 150 pp. $12.95 plus postage.

The Jericho Sanction. By Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, USMC-Ret., and Joe Musser.
North’s latest book is set in Israel and Iraq and centers on a clandestine U.S. mission to find nuclear weapons. When main character Lt. Col. Peter Newman’s wife Rachel is kidnapped, Newman has to choose between continuing with his mission and rescuing his wife. As a personal crisis looms for Newman, a political crisis looms when Israel discovers the existence of Iraqi nukes. Israel plans a preemptive strike on Baghdad with a batch of Jericho weapons. If that happens, Newman knows Islamic terrorists will respond in kind, resulting in a Middle East war that could go global.
Broadman & Holman Publishers, 127 Ninth Avenue, North, Nashville, TN 37234. (615) 251-3948. www.broadmanholman.com. ISBN 0-8054-2551-9. 533 pp. $24.99 plus postage.

Lucky Ace. By Col. John C. Moat, USAF-Ret. 
Moat’s setting is the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. It covers the exploits of “Ace” Roberts who was, in his own words, “The Best Damn Fighter Pilot Ever Born.” He was both a Flying Tiger ace in P-40 Tomahawks and a Korean War Ace in F-86 Sabres. Ace almost meets his Maker while flying an X-99 experimental jet over California’s High Sierras. Read Lucky Ace to find out if this intrepid airman can escape his latest rendezvous with death.
1st Books Library, 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403. (800) 839-8640. www.1stbooks.com. ISBN 1-4107-4320-X. 590 pp. $24.95 postpaid.

Even the Elect. By Maj. Tom Spence, USMC-Ret.
Jim Nations is a respected doctor of biblical studies who believes he can win thousands to Christianity if he can show the world that blood found, preserved for 2,000 years beneath the site where Christ was crucified, contains only a single X chromosome. Kelly Justine is the archeologist that can deliver this evidence of human blood with no earthly father. Jim accepts Kelly’s invitation to join her at the Jerusalem dig site, but finds getting there to be a circuitous journey through Kelly’s other archeological dig sites where discoveries of countless vanishings of first century Christians are being revealed through secular accounts of those that remained. Although obsessed with getting to Jerusalem and fulfilling his life-long quest, Jim cannot ignore the evidence obtained enroute, that all of the prophecy in the bible has already been fulfilled–all of it.
1st Books Library, 2595 Vernal Pike, Bloomington, IN 47404. (800) 839-8640. www.1stbooks.com. ISBN 1-4107-4041-2. 350 pp. $22.50 plus postage.

Joint Task Force: Liberia. By Capt. David E. Meadows, USN.
A coalition of African novelists and Muslim extremists determine that the time has come to wipe American influences clean from the face of Africa. Their first target is an enclave of African-American expatriates living in Liberia. A joint task force of Naval and Army components is hastily assembled to liberate the trapped families. However, it’s going to take more than this force to calm a troubled continent.
The Berkley Publishing Group, 375 Hudson Street, NY, NY 10014. (212) 366-2385. www.penguin.com. ISBN 0-425-19206-7. 311 pp. $6.99 plus postage.

MEMOIRS

Dark Horse Six. By Col. Robert D. Taplett, USMC-Ret.
Taplett was the commander of one of the USMC’s most famed battalions, the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment, during the first year of fighting in Korea. His battalion’s radio call sign during the bitter fighting against the Chinese was “Dark Horse.” In military parlance, then, he was “Dark Horse Six.” Taplett has held some strong opinions of that first year’s combat in Korea, and after 50 years he has decided to tell his story. He wants the deeds of his Marines put into the record. 
Phillips Publications, P.O. Box 168, Williamstown, NJ 08094. (609) 561-4967. ISBN 0-932572-42-1. 272 pp. $29.95 plus postage.

All Good Men: A Lieutenant’s Memories of the Korean War. By Col. Robert F. Hallahan, USA-Ret.
The book chronicles the experiences of a young lieutenant from the time he joined the First Artillery Battalion to fight in the Korean War in August 1950 until he returned home in December 1951. 
iUniverse Inc., 2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512. (877) 823-9235. 
www.iUniverse.com. ISBN 0-595-28018-8. 210 pp. $28.95 plus postage.