Military Review English Edition July-August 2015 | Page 117
BOOK REVIEWS
At that point, the narrative takes on its most fascinating dimensions. Stout weaves together the recollections
of scores of pilots, enlisted men, and support crews into
a multifaceted recounting of the daily life on the base
and in the air. This color provides a counterpoint to the
serious events that drive the narrative, the recounting
of the 303rd’s missions over France and Germany. Stout
captures the clichéd truth about the hours of monotony—and the moments of terror—that composed the
bombing runs and the return home. He does not romanticize the hardships—shrapnel wounds, vomit, cowardice, and exploding fireballs occur in equal measure with
dogged determination and quick-thinking heroics. As the
reader follows these young crews along missions, through
their disappointments and triumphs, a sort of kinship
develops as the reader pulls for the men to make it back
across the English Channel one more time. All too often,
however, the wrenching realities of death in the sky jar
the reader into the realization that air combat was a very
personal and deeply tragic assignment. Though seventy
years have passed, the reader can still feel some hint of
the emotional devastation that was all too often part of
the wartime experience.
Stout’s work is a significant accomplishment in
that the author manages to tell the story of an entire
bomber group in a way that is both comprehensive
and intimate. Operations, tactics, arms, equipment,
and personnel are all covered in detail, yet without
obscuring the larger story. This work will introduce the
303rd’s story to a new generation, telling afresh the sacrifices and duties that thousands of young men faced
and, perhaps most importantly, reminding us that wars,
even in just causes, can require a high cost.
Jonathan E. Newell, Hill, New Hampshire
BAND OF GIANTS: The Amateur Soldiers
Who Won America’s Independence
Jack Kelly, Palgrave MacMillan, New York,
2014, 288 pages
T
he book TheBand of Giants is an enjoyable,
concise coverage of the American War for
Independence. At 288 pages, it may seem too
concise, but that is not the case. Through Kelly’s coverage, a novice on the American War for Independence
MILITARY REVIEW July-August 2015
becomes well educated. Those knowledgeable on the
topic are well reminded of how in doubt the outcome
of the war actually was—and the extraordinary personalities that eventually achieved an American victory.
The book covers two main themes rather well. First,
it depicts major actions with just enough detail to convey the main idea of how they were joined and why the
outcomes evolved as they did. Here, the reader needs a
warning: although the main title, Band of Giants, hints
of glowing accounts of American successes, the book’s
content is at odds with the title. Kelly explains the
battles well while making it clear that all ranks of the
American forces were, for the most part, pure novices
in the art of war.
That leads to the author’s second theme; he
shows Americans as something of a bumbling lot.
Kelly does not ridicule the Americans but highlights
their overall dearth of military experience. For
instance, he begins with a rather ghastly account of
how George Washington clumsily starts, it seems,
the French and Indian War. He also discusses how
Gen. Henry Knox learned about artillery from
books in his Boston bookstore; Nathaniel Greene
hailed from a Quaker family that ran a foundry;
and sharpshooting Daniel Morgan was, in reality, a
simple backwoods wagoner. The personal anecdotes
and excerpts of letters to family and fellow officers
illuminate the very human side of these men–so
much so that readers will squirm a little.
Kelly also repeatedly shows British strategists dealing significant blows to the Americans. More squirming will ensue; there are many significant blows. And
yet, it is American critical and creative thinking that
happily carry the day in some cases. The classic example
is Washington’s bold gamble at Trenton. The episode,
probably familiar to most readers to some degree, is
still a delight to read.
The book is indeed a broad sweep. Details of some
major engagements, and the people involved, are
condensed or abridged, if not altogether eliminated.
For example, Gen. Lee is present during the Battle of
Charleston, but little is provided as to what he does
there. This writing style results in the book being kept
short, interesting, and punchy. The level of detail of
both the people and the battles is just about right.
Regarding the title, the word “band” may seem
as a play on the recent Band of Brothers series. Toss
115