American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann-the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces, by Mike Guardia
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American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann-the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces, by Mike Guardia
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A main selection of the Military Book Club and a selection of the History Book Club With his parting words, “I shall return,” General Douglas MacArthur sealed the fate of the last American forces on Bataan. Yet one young Army Captain named Russell Volckmann refused to surrender. He disappeared into the jungles of north Luzon where he raised a Filipino army of more than 22,000 men. For the next three years he led a guerrilla war against the Japanese, killing more than 50,000 enemy soldiers. At the same time he established radio contact with MacArthur’s headquarters in Australia and directed Allied forces to key enemy positions. When General Yamashita finally surrendered, he made his initial overtures not to MacArthur, but to Volckmann. This book establishes how Volckmann’s leadership was critical to the outcome of the war in the Philippines. His ability to synthesize the realities and potential of guerrilla warfare led to a campaign that rendered Yamashita’s forces incapable of repelling the Allied invasion. Had it not been for Volckmann, the Americans would have gone in “blind” during their counter-invasion, reducing their efforts to a trial-and-error campaign that would undoubtedly have cost more lives, materiel, and potentially stalled the pace of the entire Pacific War. Second, this book establishes Volckmann as the progenitor of modern counterinsurgency doctrine and the true “Father” of Army Special Forces—a title that history has erroneously awarded to Colonel Aaron Bank of the European Theater of Operations. In 1950, Volckmann wrote two army field manuals: Operations Against Guerrilla Forces and Organization and Conduct of Guerrilla Warfare, though today few realize he was their author. Together, they became the US Army’s first handbooks outlining the precepts for both special warfare and counter-guerrilla operations. Taking his argument directly to the army chief of staff, Volckmann outlined the concept for Army Special Forces. At a time when US military doctrine was conventional in outlook, he marketed the ideas of guerrilla warfare as a critical force multiplier for any future conflict, ultimately securing the establishment of the Army’s first special operations unit—the 10th Special Forces Group. Volckmann himself remains a shadowy figure in modern military history, his name absent from every major biography on MacArthur, and in much of the Army Special Forces literature. Yet as modest, even secretive, as Volckmann was during his career, it is difficult to imagine a man whose heroic initiative had more impact on World War II. This long overdue book not only chronicles the dramatic military exploits of Russell Volckmann, but analyzes how his leadership paved the way for modern special warfare doctrine. Mike Guardia, currently an officer in the US 1st Armored Division is also author of Shadow Commander, about the career of Donald Blackburn, and an upcoming biography of Hal Moore.
American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann-the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces, by Mike Guardia - Amazon Sales Rank: #704863 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-11-24
- Released on: 2015-11-24
- Format: Kindle eBook
American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann-the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces, by Mike Guardia Review "Historians of the Philippine campaign have largely ignored Volckmann, focusing instead on conventional forces under MacArthur. Fortunately for Mr. Guardia, a serving Army officer, Volckmann kept a rudimentary diary for much of the period, describing how he managed to put together his "private army," one that waged arguably the most successful guerrilla campaign of the entire war. . . . Mr. Guardia argues, convincingly, that Volckmann deserves the title of 'father' of Special Forces." - The Washington TimesThis is a book anyone wanting to learn more about guerrilla warfare in the Philippines during World War II Japanese occupation should find interesting. For military history buffs and students of guerilla warfare, it's a must read. - Gun Week"...an interesting, thought-provoking and well-written read..." - Defenceweb South Africa ..."a masterful job of revealing an unknown chapter of World War II." - MilitaryCorrupttion.com"Russell W. Volckmann is one of the extraordinary men you have probably never heard of...Using official archives and drawing on contemporary accounts and interviews with Volckmann's family, Mike Guardia, a U.S. Army officer, uncovers the remarkable life and career of this most secretive of men...The revelations in this book is certain or at the very least should force a revision of our understanding of Douglas MacArthur and the Philippines campaign, as well as the evolution of post-war thinking." - Tucson Citizen
About the Author Mike Guardia is an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the US Army, he served six years on active duty as an armor officer. He is the author of the widely acclaimed Hal Moore: A Soldier Once . . . And Always, the first-ever biography chronicling the life of Lieutenant General Harold G. Moore, whose battlefield leadership was popularized by the film We Were Soldiers, starring Mel Gibson. Guardia has been nominated twice for the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award and is an active member in the Military Writers Society of America. As a speaker, Guardia hosts the lecture series “Hal Moore: Lessons in Leadership,” which is available for presentation at schools, businesses, and civic organizations worldwide. He has given presentations at the US Special Operations Command and the International Spy Museum. His work has been reviewed in the Washington Times, Armchair General, ARMY magazine, defenceWeb, and Miniature Wargames UK. Guardia holds a bachelor of arts and master of arts in American history from the University of Houston. He currently lives in Texas.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Long Overdue! By Daniel Allen Butler When Mike Guardia signed my copy of "American Guerrilla," he quipped "I hope you don't find this too dry, Dan." Well, I can say with complete assurance that I didn't find the book the least bit dry. For his "first time out of the box," this is a happy confluence where the author's style matches remarkably well with his subject. Mike's writing is sharp, concise, and spare--even terse at times--in many ways a reflection of the focus of his book, Russell Volckmann. Volckmann was a no-nonsense sort of soldier, one who no one would have ever characterized as "colorful" (in the sense that George Patton was "colorful"), a professional whose focus was on his mission. What makes Volckmann worthy of attention, of a dedicated biography, is just what his mission was and how well he succeeded in its accomplishment.Let me make this clear from the outset: this book is MILITARY history, not a soft biography. It's going to have a strong appeal to serious military historians, particularly those with a strong interest in World War Two in the Pacific, and the development of special operations. It almost requires at least a conversant knowledge of the Pacific War, and the more the reader knows about the war in the Philippines, the better, as Guardia does not devote a great deal of time to the larger context of Volckmann's guerrilla war on Northern Luzon. Nor does he waste time and space on detailed descriptions of "settings" for the action he describes. And in a surprising way, this is a strength for this book. Guardia's devotion to using primary sources frequently allows Volckmann to speak for himself, and the terse, sparse entries in his diaries and after action reports do more to create an "atmosphere" for the war he was waging than any amount of second hand prose could accomplish.And it was an incredible war: Volckmann was one of a handful of American officers who refused to accept the surrender of United States forces in the Philippines in April 1942. Instead, Volckmann moved to the northern end of the island of Luzon, the main island of the Philippine archipelago, and began a systematic, methodical war of guerrilla resistance to the Japanese occupation. There were firefights, ambushes, betrayals, manhunts, all part of an endless succession of small-unit actions and intelligence gathering efforts that endlessly preyed on the Japanese garrisons. The military value of these operations was small, but their morale effects were incalculable, as they were a constant reminded to the Philippine people that the United States had not broken faith with them, but remained committed to their liberation. They bolstered the Filipinos' willingness to continue to resist, and aid the Americans however they could, rather than accept subjugation to the Japanese. At the same time, the intelligence gathered by Volckmann and the organization he built around was invaluable to General MacArthur, his staff, and subordinates in planning the operations meant to liberate the Philippines, and once American troops were ashore, in defeating Japanese forces in the field. The sum of Volckmann's guerrilla war was that it unquestionably hastened the Japanese capitulation in the Philippines while at the same time saved American lives.Guardia devotes the last two chapters of "American Guerrilla" to establishing his assertion that Volckmann, rather than some other U.S. Army officers who were accorded the title, deserves to be remembered as "the father of American Special Forces." I believe here he falls briefly into the snare that besets apologists for Robert McClure and Aaron Bank, who claim that same distinction for them. Each of the three men made critical contributions to development of Special Forces strategy ("what we're going to do"), tactics ("how we're going to do it"), and doctrine ("why we're doing what we're doing"), and thus none can claim sole credit. Guardia argues forcibly not to deny the credit due to McClure and Bank, but rather to assure that Volckmann be given the recognition he deserves, but which, outside of professional soldiers and dedicated military historians, has been denied him. If Guardia overstates his case, as some other reviewers assert, it can be reasonably suggested that he does so in order to at least guarantee himself a hearing over the clamor of the near-apotheosis of McClure and Bank. In particular he indirectly makes a very telling point that Volckmann's three years of actual combat experience as a guerrilla gave the doctrinal ideas which he (Volckmann) developed out of them a validity and legitimacy that McClure, who never led a unit in the field and never saw combat, lacked.There are some nits to pick with "American Guerrilla." Given the frequency of geographical references in the text, sometimes the maps do not provide enough information, and there seems to be some sort of problem with the notes in the last two chapters. Personally, I do believe that Guardia does Gen. MacArthur a disservice when he asserts that MacArthur "abandoned" the American forces in the Philippines, when in fact MacArthur was ordered out of the islands by President Roosevelt, who deceived the General into believing he would be leading a powerful relief force back to the Philippines-it wasn't until MacArthur arrived in Australia that he discovered that no such relief force existed. Nor does Guardia mention how Maj-Gen. Jonathan Wainwright was double-crossed by the Japanese into surrendering ALL of the American forces in the Philippines rather than the only those with whose command MacArthur had entrusted him.All-in-all, however, "American Guerilla" is well worth the time spent reading it. The carping of critics who have their own sentimental or professional reasons for denigrating Guardia's work can and should be ignored. Guardia has brought back into bright daylight the life and career of a genuine American hero, one who was among the handful of true innovators in modern warfare, and above all a man whose example as an officer and a leader deserve to be not simply recognized, but emulated as well. "American Guerilla" is a worthy addition to any World War Two or Special Forces library.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Important New WW2 History By Fire Chief Stan Over the last year I have read and in some cases re-read a number of books by various authors on the history of the USA in WW2.This one is among the best and it is the only one that relates this important story, the story of this relatively obscure army officer who contributed so much to the US war effort. The book which is a relatively easy read is well researched, organized, informative and very interesting. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this historic struggle.Stan Pratt
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. 2-1/2 stars By Rock The book was a bit too vague for my taste. It was written about somebody by somebody who had little or no direct contact with Volkmann. One of the biggest drawbacks I found was the lack of maps pertaining to the current situation in the story. The biggest fail was two photos taken of maps from the Army museum that showed his travels. It's a photo of a map on a wall in the museum. You cant make out anything. There are two pages of maps early on in the book during the retreat towards Bataan but you have to use a magnifying glass to read the words.I was expecting something more along the lines of "They Fought Alone", the story of Col. Wendell Fertig on Mindanao. There is very little detail in this book. I am pretty sure most of it came from his diary entries. As of this posting, I've read 3/4 of the book and I am having a hard time getting back to it to finish it. I've read two other books since I put this one down.More like 2-1/2 stars.
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American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann-the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces, by Mike Guardia
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American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann-the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces, by Mike Guardia
American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann-the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces, by Mike Guardia
American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann-the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces, by Mike Guardia
