Donald L. Caldwell

If I was rating this strictly as military history I'd have given this work a higher rating, as Caldwell has pulled together a strong account of the U.S. Provisional Tank Group sent to the Philippines in 1941. Also, as a community history, it's pretty good, and one presumes that Caldwell drew on materials the late Iris Chang pulled together for her own proposed book on the 192nd Tank Battalion.

Where I mark Caldwell down is that there are places where he needed to be more forthright about his own political and strategic perspective, seeing as he ultimately considers the American defense of the Philippines to have been a worthless sacrifice. In the bigger picture that's a defensible position which is hard to argue with. However, I expect the argument to be actually be made; throwaway snide comments about the American strategic leadership of the time and taking umbrage at how "supposed isolationists" were pilloried for their position doesn't cut it.… (plus d'informations)