Journal of Military History
Vol. 89, No. 2
April 2025
Articles
“‘Lest it be conquered by the wind’: The early evolution of VOC fortifications on Dutch Formosa (c. 1620–1650),” Geert van der Tier and Tristan Mostert, 281–306
Fort Zeelandia is prominent in debates about European fortress design and the establishment of European power overseas. Some argue that Zeelandia confirms notions of a specific European military advantage in the early modern period. Yet the evolution of Zeelandia’s design has been insufficiently studied in this context. This paper uses archival sources on Dutch Formosa to examine the construction of Zeelandia and the other colonial forts on southwestern Formosa up to c. 1650 and contextualizes developments in colonial fort-building by the VOC throughout Asia. It delineates a shift away from European convention towards a style better adjusted to local demands, which requires reconsideration of the terms of the discussion.
“‘Early Impressions are Lasting’: Mess Attendants and Their Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, 1845–1942,” Samuel Limneos, 307–37
From its founding in 1845, the United States Naval Academy employed African Americans as attendants in the midshipmen’s mess. While midshipmen misused rank to lampoon and exploit their mess attendants, some messmen suffered brutal treatment. In response, Naval Academy leadership used the midshipmen’s interactions with their mess attendants to inculcate the navy’s principle of hierarchy, the cornerstone of the discipline, restraint, and decorum that Annapolis training was designed to imprint upon the fierce concept of traditional honor desired in its graduates. Despite the shame attached to breaking the principle, naval hierarchy, exacerbated by prejudice and regulatory limitations, gave rise to a stark subculture of exploitation and abuse between midshipmen and messmen. That subculture, and the impressions midshipmen formed about their mess attendants at Annapolis, contextualizes the service’s history of racialized retention and the occupational roles available to African Americans, especially as the academy’s white officer-graduates rose to senior leadership in the interwar and World War II navy.
“The Battle Against the Dolchstoßlegende: Counterpropaganda and Cultural Memory in the German Jewish Veterans’ Newspaper Der Schild, 1922–1938,” Elisabeth Fondren and David D. Perlmutter, 338–68
During and after World War I, the Prussian military, right-wing nationalists, and Nazi propagandists stirred up hate against Jewish soldiers and veterans by withholding information, creating conspiracy theories, and reinforcing negative stereotypes. This article explores how German Jewish frontline veterans fought back, via publicity, to refute the anti-Semitic stab-in-the-back myth (Dolchstoßlegende) by regularly publishing facts and statistics, framing their collective identity around honor, and diversifying news content. Through a systematic content analysis of the 1922–1938 issues of the German-language periodical Der Schild (published by the Reichsbund jüdischer Frontsoldaten), this study reveals how Jewish veterans engaged in early forms of counterpropaganda by publishing facts, archival documents, statistics, photographs, verified testimonies, and eyewitness accounts. Historical records show that the “big lie” of “German Jewish cowardice” during World War I was simultaneously disproven but also incited earlier than the hate-politicking and race-baiting of Adolf Hitler and the nascent National Socialists. We argue that German Jewish Frontkämpfer countering destructive propaganda in the pages of Der Schild can be understood as fulfilling patriotism for their fatherland as much as their military service did.
“The Visiting Forces Act and the Anglo-Canadian Command Relationship: The Unhappy Case of British Guiana, 1942–44,” Serge Marc Durflinger, 369–96
During the Second World War, Canadian interests in British Guiana were essential for the Commonwealth war effort, since the colony’s extensive facilities for mining bauxite, the key ingredient in aluminum smelting, were Canadian owned and operated. This article examines the eventual dispatch to British Guiana of a small number of Canadian soldiers on British imperial service as a case study of wartime Anglo-Canadian military relations, addressing the nature of the Anglo-Canadian command relationship in the colony from the perspective of the Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) Act, 1933. It explores military jurisdictional disputes in an imperial-dominion-colonial context and demonstrates the misunderstandings that arose between a Dominion seeking to preserve the national character of its overseas forces and British colonial authorities bent on simply absorbing the Canadians into British Guiana’s existing military structure.
“Battle Exhaustion and Manpower Conservation: Canadian Army “Human Salvage Operations” in Northwest Europe, 1944–45,” Andrew L. Brown, 397–423
Canada raised an army for the Second World War that proved almost too large to sustain. Yet the army overcame the challenge and kept all its formations in Europe fighting until the German surrender. Scholars have assessed how the army managed to sustain its combat power, for instance, by deploying conscripts, remustering soldiers from overborne trades into the understrength infantry, and employing women to free men for operations. This article explains that another way the army sustained its fighting capacity was by finding meaningful employment for battle-exhausted soldiers who could no longer fight but could work in support roles behind the forward area.
“Limited Success: An Analysis of South Korea’s Pacification Operations During the Vietnam War,” Hosub Shim, 424–55
This article explores pacification operations led by the Republic of Korea Forces in Vietnam (ROKFV) during the Vietnam War. By examining U.S. military documents, South Korean sources, and participant testimonies, it revisits the strategic approaches and controversies surrounding their actions. The article analyzes the ROKFV’s impact on the broader goal of pacifying South Vietnam, situating their efforts within the context of the time. It illuminates the complexities of pacification and the crucial role of cultural understanding in counterinsurgency operations. Ultimately, it concludes that the ROKFV’s efforts were marked by successes in securing areas and limitations in winning hearts and minds, reflecting the inherent challenges of military-led pacification in a contested space.
Book Reviews:
The Price of Victory: A Naval History of Britain: 1815–1945, by N. A. M. Rodger, reviewed by Howard J. Fuller and by John R. Satterfield, 456–59
Three Faces of Sun Tzu: Analyzing Sun Tsu’s Art of War, A Manual on Strategy, by Scott A. Boorman, reviewed by Peter Lorge, 459–61
Muhammad’s Military Expeditions: A Critical Reading in Original Islamic Sources, by Ayman S. Ibrahim, reviewed by H. Morgan Nix, 461–62
The House of War: The Struggle Between Christendom and the Caliphate, by Simon Mayall, reviewed by Lucas McMahon, 463–64
Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China, by Jack Weatherford, reviewed by Timothy May, 464–66
Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire, by Herald van der Linde, reviewed by Xia Boyu[QY1] , 466–67
Infantry in Battle 1733–1783, by Alexander Burns, reviewed by Jonathan Abel, 468–69
Leuthen, by T. G. Otte, reviewed by Scott Madere, 469–71
Balancing Strategy. Sea Power, Neutrality, and Prize Law in the Seven Years’ War, by Anna Brinkman, reviewed by Gabriela A. Frei, 471–72
This Fierce People: The Untold Story of America’s Revolutionary War in the South, by Alan Pell Crawford, reviewed by James R. Arnold. 472–74
The Soldiers Fell like Autumn Leaves: The Battle of the Wabash, the United States’ Greatest Defeat in the Wars against Indigenous Peoples, by Rick M. Schoenfield, reviewed by Blake McGready, 474–76
The Soldier’s Reward: Love and War in the Age of the French Revolution and Napoleon, by Jennifer Ngaire Heuer, reviewed by Karen Hagemann, 476–78
Garden of Ruins: Occupied Louisiana in the Civil War, by J. Matthew Ward, reviewed by Joel R. Barnes, 478–79
A Day in September: The Battle of Antietam and the World it Left Behind, by Stephen Budiansky, reviewed by Donald B. Connelly, 480–81
The Civil War in the Age of Nationalism, by Niels Eichhorn and Duncan A. Campbell, reviewed by Ethan S. Rafuse, 482–83
An Ornament to His Country: The Life and Military Career of Benjamin Franklin Davis, by Sharon A. Murray, reviewed by Arnold Blumberg, 483–84
Losing Hearts and Minds: Race, War, and Empire in Singapore and Malaya, 1915–1960, by Kate Imy, reviewed by Jialin Christina Wu, 485–86
Family Mourning After War & Disaster in Twentieth-Century Britain, by Ann-Marie Foster, reviewed by Megan E. Kelleher, 486–88
Nursing Shifts in Sichuan: Canadian Missions and Wartime China, 1937–51, by Sonya Grypma, reviewed by Lars Peter Laamann, 488–90
Breaking the War Habit: The Debate Over Militarism in American Education, by Seth Kershner, reviewed by David Kieran, 490–91
Fortress Britain, 1940: Britain’s Unsung and Secret Defences on Land, Sea, and in the Air, by Andrew Chatterton, reviewed by Nicholas Sambaluk, 492–93
The German Way of War on the Eastern Front, 1941–1943: A Lesson in Tactical Management, by Jaap Jan Brouwer, reviewed by Timothy Heck, 494–95
Settler Militarism: World War II in Hawai’i & the Making of US Empire, by Juliet Nebolon, reviewed by Bohan Zhang, 495–97
The American Homefront During WWII: Blackouts, Ration-books and Rosie the Riveter, by C. D. Peterson, reviewed by Michael Fung, 497–98
Home Front Battles: World War II Mobilization and Race in the Deep South, by Charles C. Bolton, reviewed by G. Kurt Piehler, 499–500
Mobilizing the South: The Thirty-First Infantry Division, Race, and World War II, by Christopher M. Rein, reviewed by Barry M. Stentiford, 501–2
Critical Connections: The University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge from the Dawn of the Atomic Age to the Present, by Lee Riedinger, Al Ekkebus, Ray Smith, and William Bugg, reviewed by John C. Hanley, 502–4
Yukikaze’s War: The Unsinkable Japanese Destroyer and World War II in the Pacific, by Brett L. Walker, reviewed by Michael F. Solecki, 504–6
The US Eighth Air Force in World War II: Ira Eaker, Hap Arnold, and Building American Air Power, 1942–1943, by William J. Daugherty, reviewed by Frank A. Blazich Jr., 506–7
Resistance and Liberation: France at War, 1942–1945, by Douglas Porch, reviewed by Stephen A. Bourque, 508–10
From Incarceration to Repatriation: German Prisoners of War in the Soviet Union, by Susan C. I. Grunewald, reviewed by Nina Janz, 510–12
The “Rape” of Japan: The Myth of Mass Sexual Violence during the Allied Occupation, by Brian P. Walsh, reviewed by Ruth Lawlor, 512–14
Casting the Shadow: Mickey Marcus’s 200 Days of Destiny, by Steven L. Ossad, reviewed by Fred L. Borch, 514–16
To Run the World: The Kremlin’s Cold War Bid for Global Power, by Sergey Radchenko, reviewed by Nicholas A. Eckenrode, 516–18
Charting America’s Cold War Waters in East Asia: Sovereignty, Local Interests, and International Security, by Kuan-Jen Chen, reviewed by Leander Seah, 518–19
Ujamaa’s Army: The Creation and Evolution of the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, 1964–1979, by Charles G. Thomas, reviewed by Tim Stapleton, 520–21
The Dhofar War: British Covert Campaigning in Arabia 1965–1975, by Stephen James Quick, reviewed by M. T. Howard, 522–23
Soldier’s Paradise: Militarism in Africa after Empire, by Samuel Fury Childs Daly, reviewed by Charles Estep, 523–25
What Really Went Wrong: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East, by Fawaz A. Gerges, reviewed by John M. Hinck, 525–27
The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero, by William Sturkey, reviewed by Titus Firmin, 527–29
Corps Competency? III Marine Amphibious Force Headquarters in Vietnam, by Michael F. Morris, reviewed by Bruce Zellers, 529–30
The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the United States and the Middle East 1979–2003, by Steve Coll, reviewed by Gates Brown, 531–32
Ireland and Argentina in the Twentieth Century: Diaspora, Diplomacy, Dictatorship, Catholic Mission and the Falkand Crisis, by Dermot Keogh, reviewed by Robert H. Clemm, 532–33
The Last Thirty Seconds: A Brief History of the Evolution of Hit-To-Kill Technology, by David K. Stumpf, reviewed by Kenneth P. Werrell, 534–35
Expectation of Valor: Planning for the Iraq War, By Kevin C. M. Benson, reviewed by Timothy M. Gilhool, 535–36
Bombing to Provoke: Rockets, Missiles, and Drones as Instruments of Fear and Coercion, by Jaganath Sankaran, reviewed by Jeremy Black, 536–38
BOOKS RECEIVED: 539–40
RECENT JOURNAL ARTICLES: 541–47
The Price of Victory: A Naval History of Britain: 1815–1945, by N. A. M. Rodger, reviewed by Howard J. Fuller and by John R. Satterfield, 456–59
Three Faces of Sun Tzu: Analyzing Sun Tsu’s Art of War, A Manual on Strategy, by Scott A. Boorman, reviewed by Peter Lorge, 459–61
Muhammad’s Military Expeditions: A Critical Reading in Original Islamic Sources, by Ayman S. Ibrahim, reviewed by H. Morgan Nix, 461–62
The House of War: The Struggle Between Christendom and the Caliphate, by Simon Mayall, reviewed by Lucas McMahon, 463–64
Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China, by Jack Weatherford, reviewed by Timothy May, 464–66
Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire, by Herald van der Linde, reviewed by Xia Boyu[QY1] , 466–67
Infantry in Battle 1733–1783, by Alexander Burns, reviewed by Jonathan Abel, 468–69
Leuthen, by T. G. Otte, reviewed by Scott Madere, 469–71
Balancing Strategy. Sea Power, Neutrality, and Prize Law in the Seven Years’ War, by Anna Brinkman, reviewed by Gabriela A. Frei, 471–72
This Fierce People: The Untold Story of America’s Revolutionary War in the South, by Alan Pell Crawford, reviewed by James R. Arnold. 472–74
The Soldiers Fell like Autumn Leaves: The Battle of the Wabash, the United States’ Greatest Defeat in the Wars against Indigenous Peoples, by Rick M. Schoenfield, reviewed by Blake McGready, 474–76
The Soldier’s Reward: Love and War in the Age of the French Revolution and Napoleon, by Jennifer Ngaire Heuer, reviewed by Karen Hagemann, 476–78
Garden of Ruins: Occupied Louisiana in the Civil War, by J. Matthew Ward, reviewed by Joel R. Barnes, 478–79
A Day in September: The Battle of Antietam and the World it Left Behind, by Stephen Budiansky, reviewed by Donald B. Connelly, 480–81
The Civil War in the Age of Nationalism, by Niels Eichhorn and Duncan A. Campbell, reviewed by Ethan S. Rafuse, 482–83
An Ornament to His Country: The Life and Military Career of Benjamin Franklin Davis, by Sharon A. Murray, reviewed by Arnold Blumberg, 483–84
Losing Hearts and Minds: Race, War, and Empire in Singapore and Malaya, 1915–1960, by Kate Imy, reviewed by Jialin Christina Wu, 485–86
Family Mourning After War & Disaster in Twentieth-Century Britain, by Ann-Marie Foster, reviewed by Megan E. Kelleher, 486–88
Nursing Shifts in Sichuan: Canadian Missions and Wartime China, 1937–51, by Sonya Grypma, reviewed by Lars Peter Laamann, 488–90
Breaking the War Habit: The Debate Over Militarism in American Education, by Seth Kershner, reviewed by David Kieran, 490–91
Fortress Britain, 1940: Britain’s Unsung and Secret Defences on Land, Sea, and in the Air, by Andrew Chatterton, reviewed by Nicholas Sambaluk, 492–93
The German Way of War on the Eastern Front, 1941–1943: A Lesson in Tactical Management, by Jaap Jan Brouwer, reviewed by Timothy Heck, 494–95
Settler Militarism: World War II in Hawai’i & the Making of US Empire, by Juliet Nebolon, reviewed by Bohan Zhang, 495–97
The American Homefront During WWII: Blackouts, Ration-books and Rosie the Riveter, by C. D. Peterson, reviewed by Michael Fung, 497–98
Home Front Battles: World War II Mobilization and Race in the Deep South, by Charles C. Bolton, reviewed by G. Kurt Piehler, 499–500
Mobilizing the South: The Thirty-First Infantry Division, Race, and World War II, by Christopher M. Rein, reviewed by Barry M. Stentiford, 501–2
Critical Connections: The University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge from the Dawn of the Atomic Age to the Present, by Lee Riedinger, Al Ekkebus, Ray Smith, and William Bugg, reviewed by John C. Hanley, 502–4
Yukikaze’s War: The Unsinkable Japanese Destroyer and World War II in the Pacific, by Brett L. Walker, reviewed by Michael F. Solecki, 504–6
The US Eighth Air Force in World War II: Ira Eaker, Hap Arnold, and Building American Air Power, 1942–1943, by William J. Daugherty, reviewed by Frank A. Blazich Jr., 506–7
Resistance and Liberation: France at War, 1942–1945, by Douglas Porch, reviewed by Stephen A. Bourque, 508–10
From Incarceration to Repatriation: German Prisoners of War in the Soviet Union, by Susan C. I. Grunewald, reviewed by Nina Janz, 510–12
The “Rape” of Japan: The Myth of Mass Sexual Violence during the Allied Occupation, by Brian P. Walsh, reviewed by Ruth Lawlor, 512–14
Casting the Shadow: Mickey Marcus’s 200 Days of Destiny, by Steven L. Ossad, reviewed by Fred L. Borch, 514–16
To Run the World: The Kremlin’s Cold War Bid for Global Power, by Sergey Radchenko, reviewed by Nicholas A. Eckenrode, 516–18
Charting America’s Cold War Waters in East Asia: Sovereignty, Local Interests, and International Security, by Kuan-Jen Chen, reviewed by Leander Seah, 518–19
Ujamaa’s Army: The Creation and Evolution of the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, 1964–1979, by Charles G. Thomas, reviewed by Tim Stapleton, 520–21
The Dhofar War: British Covert Campaigning in Arabia 1965–1975, by Stephen James Quick, reviewed by M. T. Howard, 522–23
Soldier’s Paradise: Militarism in Africa after Empire, by Samuel Fury Childs Daly, reviewed by Charles Estep, 523–25
What Really Went Wrong: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East, by Fawaz A. Gerges, reviewed by John M. Hinck, 525–27
The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero, by William Sturkey, reviewed by Titus Firmin, 527–29
Corps Competency? III Marine Amphibious Force Headquarters in Vietnam, by Michael F. Morris, reviewed by Bruce Zellers, 529–30
The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the United States and the Middle East 1979–2003, by Steve Coll, reviewed by Gates Brown, 531–32
Ireland and Argentina in the Twentieth Century: Diaspora, Diplomacy, Dictatorship, Catholic Mission and the Falkand Crisis, by Dermot Keogh, reviewed by Robert H. Clemm, 532–33
The Last Thirty Seconds: A Brief History of the Evolution of Hit-To-Kill Technology, by David K. Stumpf, reviewed by Kenneth P. Werrell, 534–35
Expectation of Valor: Planning for the Iraq War, By Kevin C. M. Benson, reviewed by Timothy M. Gilhool, 535–36
Bombing to Provoke: Rockets, Missiles, and Drones as Instruments of Fear and Coercion, by Jaganath Sankaran, reviewed by Jeremy Black, 536–38
BOOKS RECEIVED: 539–40
RECENT JOURNAL ARTICLES: 541–47
