Military Review English Edition January-February 2017 | Page 141

BOOK REVIEWS

forewarned that it contains graphic detail of the horrors
of war, death of close friends, stories of survival at all
costs, and extraordinary courage. The book highlights the
extraordinary brotherhood of the military at war, where
service members are literally fighting for their own survival and that of their brothers on their left and right.
The volume of casualities associated with every
battle highlighted in the book is staggering. The number
of casualities suffered by the 94th Bomb Group, who
took part in the bombing campaign against Germany,
was shocking. In all, 163 aircraft and 1,453 airmen were
missing, wounded, or killed. During eighty-one days of
fighting, Okinawa was secured, but at a cost of 65,000
wounded, dead, or missing; 26 ships sunk and 368 damaged; and 768 aircraft lost. After the infamous Battle of
the Bulge, American losses totaled 8,607 dead, 47,139
wounded, and 21,144 missing or captured. Finally, the
U.S. Marine 4th Infantry Division suffered 9,098 men
dead or wounded in their victory over the Japanese on
the island of Iwo Jima. All told, the total amounted to
one-half the division’s strength.
Simmons does not pull any punches as he dutifully
transcribes the vivid memories of these rank-and-file
heroes. He graphically describes the intensity, gore, and
lethality of war. There is a historical context with every
vignette. This allows readers to understand the significance of the battle in relation to the overall success and
eventual termination of the war. The human dimension
of leadership, personal survival, fear of the unknown,
and selfless service is humbling. No doubt, the lingering
effects on the individuals are overwhelming.

Col. Michael R. Martinez, U.S. Army, Retired,
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

WENDELL FERTIG AND
HIS GUERRILLA FORCES IN
THE PHILIPPINES

Fighting the Japanese Occupation,
1942-1945

Kent Holmes, McFarland,
Jefferson, North Carolina, 2015, 244 pages

K

ent Holmes, retired Central Intelligence
Agency officer and senior intelligence ser
vice member, gives an extensively researched

MILITARY REVIEW  January-February 2017

account of an American commander’s activities and
problems of command in Wendell Fertig and His Guerrilla
Forces in the Philippines: Fighting the Japanese Occupation,
1942-1945. Holmes provides a sequential analysis of
Fertig’s background, the operational environment,
guerilla development, the enemy situation, the guerilla
situation, logistics, intelligence, and Fertig’s leadership and
responsibilities. He does so to evaluate Fertig’s leadership, ultimately asserting that Fertig’s guerillas were the
largest and best-organized guerilla group, provided the
best intelligence coverage, and were one of two groups
whose major operational capabilities contributed to the
liberation of the Philippines. Holmes points out that
Fertig was later one of the architects of U.S. Army Special
Forces. In addition to the special operations community, this book should
appeal to intelligence
professionals, Pacific
theater aficionados,
and anyone who seeks
a better understanding
of leadership in the
complex environments
of irregular, hybrid, or
guerrilla warfare.
The book’s examination spans the gamut
from the tactical to
the strategic aspects
of guerrilla warfare. It
contains observations on network dynamics and the
challenges of mediating among a complex system of
sometimes-rival groups. Interwoven in early chapters are Fertig’s principles of guerrilla warfare, which
Holmes then lists at the book’s end. While the book
provides examples of the integration of tactics and
operational-level psychological operations, the descriptions of tactical engagements are not extensively
detailed. However, there are ample illustrations of
unconventional logistics and communications and of
the priority of intelligence over direct action in support of conventional operations. Regarding the latter,
Holmes expertly conveys the strategic implications
of guerrilla activities concerning the naval battles and
the Allied counterattack to retake the Philippines. He
notes the contribution that Fertig’s guerilla intelligence on Mindanao provided to the first battle of the
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