Scott McGaugh

I finished Scott McGaugh's, Brotherhood of the Flying Coffin: The Glider Pilots of World War II.

A very interesting book on a subject that I had only peripheral knowledge of. Those of us read on World War II know about the gliders and the glider pilots, but mostly that that were used for dropping supplied and pathfinders on D-Day.

A short book at 256 pages, I found it be an strong 4 star read. The focus of the book dealt with the development of the glider program after if was effectively used by the Germans in their invasion of Western Europe.

Gliders was a scratch and largely a crash program, the U.S. Army Air Corps, differentiated glider pilots from pilots in the motorized flight program and logistics, manpower and training requirements largely evolved separately. The United Stated went through various models of gliders before they settled largely on CG-4A glider. The glider went through multiple design changes during the course of the war, mostly to make them easier to land and stronger for the survival of the pilots and passengers.

The gliders were used largely 5times during the war. The invasion of Sicily which was considered a poor example of glider usefulness with such high casualty rate that the program was almost scrapped. Ultimately General Hap Arnold and General Eisenhower went forward with the program and with more training and design evolution were successfully used with a much lower than projected casualty rate in the "Operation Neptune" in the invasion on Normandy. The 3rd major deployment was in Operation Market Garden which was less then stellar use of the program often finding the pilots to engage as infantry after the landing until Market Garden was ended. The 4 significant deployment was augmentation tool to get much need supplies and personnel to the troops in Bastogne until the 3rd Army under Patton was able to break through. The last significant usage was in bridging the Rhein towards the end of the war. The glider program while successful was largely finished after World War II.

I would strongly encourage any interested in this under studied topic to to pick this up for greater understanding of the men who served and the mission they fulfilled.… (plus d'informations)

nonfiction/WWII history - detailed accounts of the rescue of the "Lost Battalion" by the 442nd Regiment (the Japanese-American 100th Battalion and attempts made by the other battalions, as well as battles leading immediately up to and following.

interwoven personal accounts of the action were easy to follow, even for someone who is not used to reading battle descriptions (though I may have struggled a little bit with that initial chapter; the rest of it was fine). Includes a number of b/w photos, mostly of the white soldiers (official army promo shots) but some of the Japanese soldiers taken before shipping out.

Also highly recommended, for a very interesting and more in-depth look at the Nisei and Issei experiences surrounding the time period, Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown.… (plus d'informations)

Competent biography about one of the few successful Union military staff members during the bloodiest war in US History. The U S Civil started as many wars do; with poor leadership, old tactics, new weapons, and lots of wounded and dead soldiers. With most of the major battles occurring within an area not far from our nation's Capital; the results of the carnage were highly visible. The care and well-being of soldiers were beyond neglect and mostly incompetent. Amateur levies were rushed to war with little or no thought of providing for their food, shelter, sanitation, or medical requirements.

A little-known military surgeon with very limited and small-scale casualty care experience is put in charge of the Army of the Potomac's medical needs just before the Battle of Antietam. The horrific numbers of casualties, nonexistent medical support, and senior officer indifference provide a scenario where anyone wounded was likely to die before he could receive care. And, far more likely to die of disease or the effects of malnutrition than from battle injuries.

Jonathan Letterman recovers and learns from this first experience to establish and implement a massive and quite successful restructuring of the military medical and nutritional support system. By Gettysburg, the casualties are still enormous but the soldiers involved are healthier and will receive adequate, for these times, enough care to survive. Ironically, Letterman succumbs, as did many Civil War veterans, at an early age due to the lingering effects of living the same lifestyle as did most Civil War soldiers.… (plus d'informations)