Monday, April 7, 2014

FOUR CAME HOME by Carroll V. Glines

A book review by J C Sullivan


"As a veteran and military historian, I am a lifelong admirer of the courage of General James "Jimmy"  Doolittle and his Tokyo Raiders. 'Four Came Home' is an epic from another era, a time when our nation openly honored such men as these.

The planning, the mission and the aftermath - their captivity, torture and eventual release at the end of the war, is a tribute to their faith. In addition, I also learned of the incredible bravery of their rescuers, the men who parachuted into Japan at the immediate end of hostilities. They risked being shot by still-hostile Japanese armed forces.

A life-long student, I am delighted to have learned more about these men and recommend their true story to other Americans and military historians. This book has been added to my militaria library. 

THUNDER BELOW by Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey

A book review by JC Sullivan

"Military historians and others will find the story of the USS Barb and her commander, Eugene Fluckey, to be a one of both warfare and leadership. Captain Fluckey was a natural leader and a brilliant submarine commander who earned the undying loyalty of his shipmates and peers in the U.S. Navy.

A recepient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, his risks were calculated. His crew were the only American military men to land on Japanese soil during WWII. The exploits of the Barb's war patrols are unparalelled."

Per Wikipedia, "In November 1943, he attended the Prospective Commanding Officer's School at the Submarine Base New London, then reported to Commander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet. After one war patrol as the prospective commanding officer of the USS Barb (SS-220), (her seventh), he assumed command of the submarine on April 27, 1944. Fluckey established himself as one of the greatest submarine skippers, credited with the most tonnage sunk by a U.S. skipper during World War II: 17 ships including a carrier, cruiser, and frigate.

In one of the stranger incidents in the war, Fluckey sent a landing party ashore to set demolition charges on a coastal railway line, destroying a 16-car train.[2] This was the sole landing by U.S. military forces on the Japanese home islands during World War II.

Fluckey ordered that this landing party be composed of crewmen from every division on his submarine and asked for as many former Boy Scouts as possible, knowing they would have the skills to find their way in unfamiliar territory. The selected crewmen were Paul Saunders, William Hatfield, Francis Sever, Lawrence Newland, Edward Klinglesmith, James Richard, John Markuson, and William Walker. Hatfield wired the explosive charge, using a microswitch under the rails to trigger the explosion.

Fluckey was awarded the Navy Cross four times for extraordinary heroism during the eighth, ninth, tenth, and twelfth war patrols of Barb. During his famous eleventh patrol, he continued to revolutionize submarine warfare, inventing the night convoy attack from astern by joining the flank escort line. He attacked two convoys at anchor 26 miles (42 km) inside the 20 fathom (37 m) curve on the China coast, totaling more than 30 ships. With two frigates pursuing, Barb set a then-world speed record for a submarine of 23.5 knots (44 km/h) using 150% overload. For his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity, Fluckey received the Medal of Honor.

  Barb received the Presidential Unit Citation for the eighth through eleventh patrols and the Navy Unit Commendation for the twelfth patrol.
His book, Thunder Below! (1992), depicts the exploits of his beloved Barb. "Though the tally shows more shells, bombs, and depth charges fired at Barb, no one received the Purple Heart and Barb came back alive, eager, and ready to fight again."[2]

The following was sent by Brad May, author unknown.
S.S. Barb: The Sub That Sank A Train.

In 1973 an Italian submarine named Enrique Tazzoli was sold for a paltry $100,000 as scrap metal. The submarine, given to the Italian Navy in
 1953 was actually an incredible veteran of World War II service with a heritage that never should have passed so unnoticed into the graveyards ofthe metal recyclers. The U.S.S. Barb was a pioneer, paving the way for the first submarine launched missiles and flying a battle flag unlike that of any other ship. In addition to the Medal of Honor ribbon at the top of the flag identifying the heroism of its captain, Commander Eugene "Lucky"Fluckey, the bottom border of the flag bore the image of a Japanese locomotive. The U.S.S. Barb was indeed, the submarine that "SANK A TRAIN".

July, 1945 (Guam) Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz looked across the desk at Admiral Lockwood as he finished the personal briefing on U.S. war ships in the vicinity of the northern coastal areas of Hokkaido, Japan. "Well, Chester, there's only the Barb there, and probably no word until thepatrol is finished. You remember Gene Fluckey?" "Of course. I recommended him for the Medal of Honor," Admiral Nimitz replied. "You surely
 pulled him from command after he received it?"

July 18, 1945 (Patience Bay, Off the coast of Karafuto,Japan) It was after 4 A.M. and Commander Fluckey rubbed his eyes as he peered over the
 map spread before him. It was the twelfth war patrol of the Barb, the fifth under Commander Fluckey. He should have turned command over to another skipper after four patrols, but had managed to strike a deal with Admiral Lockwood to make one more trip with the men he cared for like a father, should his fourth patrol be successful. Of course, no one suspected when he had struck that deal prior to his fourth and whatshould have been his final war patrol on the Barb, that Commander Fluckey's success would be so great he would be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Commander Fluckey smiled as he remembered that patrol. "Lucky" Fluckey they called him. On January 8th the Barb had emerged victorious from a
 running two-hour night battle after sinking a large enemy ammunition ship. Two weeks later in Mamkwan Harbor he found the "motherlode".. more than 30 enemy ships. In only 5 fathoms (30 feet) of water his crew had unleashed the sub's forward torpedoes, then turned and fired four from the stern. As he pushed the Barb to the full limit of its speed through the dangerous waters in a daring withdrawal to the open sea, he recorded eight direct hits on six enemy ships. Then, on the return home he added yet another Japanese freighter to the tally for the Barb's eleventh patrol, a score that exceeded even the number of that patrol.

What could possibly be left for the Commander to accomplish who, just three months earlier had been inWashington, DC to receive the Medal of
 Honor? He smiled to himself as he looked again at the map showing the rail line that ran along the enemy coastline. This final patrol had been promised as the Barb's "graduation patrol" and he and his crew had cooked up an unusual finale. Since the 8th of June they had harassed the enemy,
destroying the enemy supplies and coastal fortifications with the first submarine launched rocket attacks. Now his crew was buzzing excitedly
 about bagging a train.

The rail line itself wouldn't be a problem. A shore patrol could go ashore under cover of darkness to plant the explosives...one of the sub's 55-pound scuttling charges. But this early morning Lucky Fluckey and his officers were puzzling over how they could blow not only the rails, butalso one of the frequent trains that shuttled supplies to equip the Japanese war machine. Such a daring feat could handicap the enemy's war effort for several days, a week, perhaps even longer. It was a crazy idea, just the kind of operation "Lucky" Fluckey had become famous...
 orinfamous...for. But no matter how crazy the idea might have sounded, the Barb's skipper would not risk the lives of his men. Thus the problem..how to detonate the charge at the moment the train passed without endangering the life of a shore party. PROBLEM? Not on CommanderFluckey's ship. His philosophy had always been "We don't have problems, only solutions".

11:27 AM "Battle Stations!" No more time to seek solutions or to ponder blowing up a train. The approach of a Japanese freighter with a frigate
 escort demands traditional submarine warfare. By noon the frigate is layingon the ocean floor in pieces and the Barb is in danger of becoming the hunted.


6:07 PM Solutions! If you don't look for them, you'll never find them. And even then, sometimes they arrive in the most unusual fashion. Cruising slowly beneath the surface to evade the enemy plane now circling overhead,the monotony is broken with an exciting new idea. Instead of having a crewman on shore to trigger explosives to blow both rail and a passing train, why not let the train BLOW ITSELF up. Billy Hatfield was excitedly explaining how he had cracked nuts on the railroad tracks as a kid, placing the nuts between two ties so the sagging of the rail under the weight of a train would break them open. "Just like cracking walnuts," he explained. "To complete the circuit (detonating the 55-pound charge) we hook in a micro switch ...between two ties. We don't set it off, the TRAIN does." Not only did Hatfield have the plan, he wanted to be part of the volunteer shore party.

The solution found, there was no shortage of volunteers, all that was needed was the proper weather...a little cloud cover to darken the moon for the
 mission ashore. Lucky Fluckey established his own criteria for the volunteerparty: ...No married men would be included, except for Hatfield, ...The party would include members from each department, ...The opportunity would be split between regular Navy and Navy Reserve sailors, ...At least half of the men had to have been Boy Scouts, experienced in how to handle themselves in medical emergencies and in the woods. FINALLY, "Lucky " Fluckey would lead the saboteurs himself.

When the names of the 8 selected sailors was announced it was greeted with a mixture of excitement and disappointment. Among the disappointed was Commander Fluckey who surrendered his opportunity at the insistence of his officers that "as commander he belonged with the Barb," coupled with the threat from one that "I swear I'll send a message to ComSubPac if you attempt this (joining the shore party himself)." Even a Japanese POW beingheld on the Barb wanted to go, promising not to try to escape.

In the meantime, there would be no more harassment of Japanese shipping or shore operations by the Barb until the train mission had been accomplished.The crew would "lay low", prepare their equipment, train, and wait for theweather.

July 22, 1945 (Patience Bay, Off the coast of Karafuto,Japan) Patience Bay was wearing thin the patience of Commander Fluckey and his innovative
 crew. Everything was ready. In the four days the saboteurs had anxiously watched the skies for cloud cover, the inventive crew of the Barb had built their micro switch. When the need was posed for a pick and shovel to bury the explosive charge and batteries, the Barb's engineers had cut up steel platesin the lower flats of an engine room, then bent and welded them to create the needed tools. The only things beyond their control were the weather....and time. Only five days remained in the Barb's patrol.

Anxiously watching the skies, Commander Fluckey noticed plumes of cirrus clouds, then white stratus capping the mountain peaks ashore. A cloud
 cover was building to hide the three-quarters moon. This would be the night.

MIDNIGHT, July 23, 1945 The Barb had crept within 950 yards of the shoreline. If it was somehow seen from the shore it would probably be
 mistaken for a schooner or Japanese patrol boat. No one would suspect an American submarine so close to shore or in such shallow water. Slowly the small boats were lowered to the water and the 8 saboteurs began paddling toward the enemy beach. Twenty-five minutes later they pulled the boats ashore and walked on the surface of the Japanese homeland. Having lost their points of navigation, the saboteurs landed near the backyard of a house. Fortunately the residents had no dogs, though the sight of human AND dog's tracks in the sand along the beach alerted the brave sailors to the potential for unexpected danger.

Stumbling through noisy waist-high grasses, crossing a highway and then stumbling into a 4-foot drainage ditch, the saboteurs made their way to the
 railroad tracks. Three men were posted as guards, Markuson assigned toexamine a nearby water tower. The Barb's auxiliary man climbed the ladder, then stopped in shock as he realized it was an enemy lookout tower....an OCCUPIED tower. Fortunately the Japanese sentry was peacefully sleepingand Markuson was able to quietly withdraw and warn his raiding party.

The news from Markuson caused the men digging the placement for the explosive charge to continue their work more slowly and quietly. Suddenly,
 from less than 80 yards away, an express train was bearing down on them. Theappearance was a surprise, it hadn't occurred to the crew during the planning for the mission that there might be a night train. When at last it passed, the brave but nervous sailors extracted themselves from the brush into which they had leapt, to continue their task. Twenty minutes later the holes had been dug and the explosives and batteries hidden beneath fresh soil.

During planning for the mission the saboteurs had been told that, with the explosives in place, all would retreat a safe distance while Hatfield made
 the final connection. If the sailor who had once cracked walnuts on the railroad tracks slipped during this final, dangerous procedure, his would be the only life lost. On this night it was the only order the saboteurs refused to obey, all of them peering anxiously over Hatfield's shoulder to make sure he did it right. The men had come too far to be disappointed by a switch failure.

1:32 A.M. Watching from the deck of the Barb, Commander Fluckey allowed himself a sigh of relief as he noticed the flashlight signal from the beach
 announcing the departure of the shore party. He had skillfully, and daringly, guided the Barb within 600 yards of the enemy beach. There wasless than 6 feet of water beneath the sub's keel, but Fluckey wanted to be close in case trouble arose and a daring rescue of his saboteurs became necessary.

1:45 A.M. The two boats carrying his saboteurs were only halfway back to the Barb when the sub's machine gunner yelled, "CAPTAIN! Another train coming up the tracks!" The Commander grabbed a megaphone and
 yelled through the night, "Paddle like the devil!", knowing full well that theywouldn't reach the Barb before the train hit the micro switch.

1:47 A.M. The darkness was shattered by brilliant light and the roar of the explosion. The boilers of the locomotive blew, shattered pieces of the engine blowing 200 feet into the air. Behind it the cars began to accordion into each other, bursting into flame and adding to the magnificent fireworks display. Five minutes later the saboteurs werelifted to the deck by their exuberant comrades as the Barb turned to slip back to safer waters. Moving at only two knots, it would be a while before the Barb was into waters deep enough to allow it to submerge. It was a moment to savor,the culmination of teamwork, ingenuity and daringby the Commander and all his crew. "Lucky" Fluckey's voice came over the intercom. "All hands below deck not absolutely needed to maneuver the ship have permission to come topside." He didn't have to repeat the invitation. Hatches sprang open as the proud sailors of the Barb gathered on her decks to proudly watch the distant fireworks display. The Barb had "
 SUNK " a Japanese TRAIN!

On August 2, 1945 the Barb arrived at Midway, her twelfth war patrol concluded. Meanwhile United States military commanders had pondered the
 prospect of an armed assault on the Japanese homeland.

I COULD NEVER BE SO LUCKY AGAIN by Gen. James H. (Jimmy) Doolittle

A Book Review by JC Sullivan


This is the autobiography of a man who grew up in California and Alaska. Short ini stature, he made up for his lack of height with courage, guts, bravado and an indomnitable spirit.

Over the years of his career, both in and out of the service, he eventually acquired an engineering degree that made him the best of pilots AND engineers. What he is best known for, by my generation that is, is his leadership early in the war when he led his men on a bombing flight to Japan.  


Flying from the deck of the USS Hornet in april, 1942, his was the first of 16 B-25 medium bombers to lift off the deck. The mission, although inflicting minimal damage, raised the spirit of the American people, our first victory since Pearl Harbor. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions.

According to Wikipedia, "Doolittle was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on January 2, 1942, and assigned to Army Air Forces Headquarters to plan the first retaliatory air raid on the Japanese homeland. He volunteered for and received General H.H. Arnold's approval to lead the top-secret attack of 16 B-25 medium bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, with targets in Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya. After training at Eglin Field and Wagner Field in northwest Florida, Doolittle, his aircraft and flight crews proceeded to the McClellan Field, California for aircraft modifications at the Sacramento Air Depot, followed by a short final flight to Naval Air Station Alameda, California for embarkation aboard USS Hornet. On April 18, all the bombers successfully took off from the Hornet, reached Japan, and bombed their targets. Fifteen of the planes then headed for their recovery airfield in China, while one crew chose to land in Russia due to their bomber's unusually high fuel consumption. As did most of the other crewmen who participated in the mission, Doolittle's crew bailed out safely over China when their bomber ran out of fuel. By then they had been flying for about 12 hours, it was nighttime, the weather was stormy, and Doolittle was unable to locate their landing field. Doolittle came down in a rice paddy (saving a previously injured ankle from breaking) near Chuchow (Quzhou). He and his crew linked up after the bailout and were helped through Japanese lines by Chinese guerrillas and American missionary John Birch. Other aircrews were not so fortunate. Although most eventually reached safety with the help of friendly Chinese, four crewmembers lost their lives as a result of being captured by the Japanese and three due to aircraft crash and/or while parachuting. Doolittle went on to fly more combat missions as commander of the 12th Air Force in North Africa, for which he was awarded four Air Medals. The other surviving members of the raid also went on to new assignments".

Doolittle was a colorful, daredevil of a man. The book makes for interesting reading and allows us to see what molded the man into who he became.

WITH THE OLD BREED by E. B. SLEDGE


A book review by JC Sullivan

Although I read the book some time ago, it’s a curious note that I write this review Memorial Day weekend, 2013. I cannot share the writer’s life as a U.S. Marine but I can certainly tell you about this diary. It was unusual for an enlisted man to document his WWII training and combat experiences during that time, as if he somehow knew he would survive.
Like so many others who have experienced life-changing combat, E(ugene) B(ondurant) Sledge’s nightmares were a part of his post war life. “But time heals, and the nightmares no longer wake me in a cold sweat with a pounding heart and racing pulse.”
The story he’s documented focues on two Pacific campaigns, Peleliu and Okinawa and the role of  Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, First Marine Division. In writing the story he said he fulfilled an obligation long felt for his comrades.  “None came out unscathed.”

Moviemaker Ken Burns wrote “A classic…in all the literature of the Second World War, there is not a more honest, realistic or moving memoir. This is the real deal, the real war;  unvarnished, brutal, without a shred of sentimentality of false patriotism, a profound primer on what it actually was like to be in that war.”


Sledge returned home to Mobile, Alabama after the war to earn a Ph.D and became a Professor of Biology at the University of Montevallo there. There’s not much I can add about the book except to tell you about it - others have done so between its covers. I can only add that it’s a powerful telling of courage, carnage, brutality and redemption.




TO HELL AND BACK by Audie Murphy


A book review by JC Sullivan

Perhaps you’ve seen the movie by the same title in which Audie Murphy, America’s most highly-decorated WWII soldier, portrayed himself.  I did and was impressed with it. It was my introduction to who he was. However, I later read the book on which the movie was based and found it to be much more interesting because of the details of his life and military experiences that were not in the movie.
Why, you might ask, am I reviewing a book published in 1949? Aren’t book reviews for newly-published books? Yes, they are, of course. But I am doing it because of my belief that new generations must be aware of the sacrifices that have been made by flesh and blood individuals.
Murphy, who died with five others in a 1971 plane crash in Virginia, had been the recipient of America’s Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Service Cross and the Legion of Merit. He was not aware of his specific hero status until he returned from the war in 1945. At that time he wrote “War is a nasty business to be avoided if possible and to be gotten over with as soon as possible. It’s not the sort of job that deserves medals.” Asked if he remembered the specifics for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor he replied, “Like a nightmare.”

Born dirt poor in north Texas, his alcoholic sharecropper father Emmet disappeared early on in his life and his mother died when he was sixteen. He became a sharpshooter, helping to feed his family with squirrel and rabbit he had shot. When World War Two broke out he attempted to enlist in the Marines but was declined due to his youth and slight stature.

According to Times writer Paul Houston, “A friend once calculated that the slightly built Murphy had killed, wounded or captured 240 Germans.” The autobiography is full of dialogue that one would expect from GIs bantering back and forth amongst themselves as they trudged the roads and fields of Italy, France and Germany. The dialogue is so realistic it is as if he actually had total recall of those days.
The fact that he actually survived the war is unimaginable. Three Purple Hearts confirms that. He relates being in southern France when a mortar shell fell as he was attempting to call a jittery newcomer private to the front. When he awoke from the explosion the private and his sergeant were both dead.

 In another specific act of the war he single-handedly sought out a sniper that was killing GIs from a hidden vantage. They spotted each other simultaneously and Murphy was quicker on the trigger. He described the face of the German as evil.
Throughout the chapters of the book Murphy’s fondness for his fellow infantrymen of the 3rd Infantry Division is evident. He dedicated the book, for example, to Private Joe Sieja, KIA, Anzio and Lattie Tipton, KIA, France. Men such as Kerrigan, Snuffy, Novak and Horse Face were brought to life by Murphy’s remembrances. He wept after Brandon foolishly stood up and was killed, having believed the entire enemy in the immediate area had been eliminated.

Weall know that Murphy went on to a post-war movie career but that’s a story for another writer.

Sullivan is an internationally-published writer residing in northeast Ohio. He is a veteran of U.S. Army service with the 2nd Armored Division in the U.S. and Europe.  He has visited Murphy’s gravesite in Arlington National Cemeter and took the picture of his final resting place.

DOGFACE CHARLIE by Patrick M. McLaughlin



DOGFACE CHARLIE

A book review by JC Sullivan

Robert (OB) O'Brien's September, 1985 funeral in Florida began an unforeseen chain of events that reverbate to this day.  Only two of his military comrades attended his funeral. Patrick (Mac) McLaughlin and John (OC) O'Connor. Both had served with him in Vietnam in the “Big Red One”, the First Infantry Division.  Although Mac had been in touch with OB in the intervening years since their respective separation from the Army, they had disconnected with others with whom they had served. “Only John O'Connor and I attended OB's funeral,” said McLaughlin, “but if we had been able to notify the others, many would have come to pay tribute to a fallen brother and offer condolences to his wife and son.”
Out of that sad trip to Florida, and more than forty years since they had seen others from the unit, the idea of a reunion was spawned. Tom Mercer, another Dogface Charlie veteran, took a leadership role and searched intensely for others. Eventually many with whom they had served were located. Planning moved ahead and a joyful reunion was held in Tennessee. Out of it came the idea of a book of their various experiences. That idea became Dogface Charlie.

This book is the story of individual American men of courage who sweated, bled, cried, prayed and killed. They lived through emotionally intense moments, unlike any of us will ever feel. They are the ones who survived the hell that was Vietnam. After World War II, Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy was asked if he remembered the battle action that earned him America’s highest award. He replied, “Like a nightmare.”

Veterans, especially combat veterans, are most comfortable discussing their “war stories” with other veterans about what they’ve lived through. Outside of veteran circles, who’s going to know who’s legitimate and who’s not? After all, we’ve all seen phonies who have “stolen valor.”

The reminiscences in this book are just that – legitimate war stories from legitimate veterans. It’s as if we outsiders are eavesdropping on their conversations about what happened to them. If they told these stories to civilians about what they actually went through many would think they were making them up. It's just that - they are incredible stories of humanity, bravery, friendship and they’re almost unbelievable. Readers of Dogface Charlie will come away with a larger measure of respect for these men for the horrors they never talked about. Until now.

The chapters in this book have been contributed by the men of Dogface Charlie, family members of those who did not return and those who did return. I had chills go throughout my body while reading about the death of fellow Buckeye Kim Deeter. His sister Dalene described a dream their father had on the night of Kim's death. He awoke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Kim was standing at the foot of their bed.  “Oh my God, Dad, I'm going to die” he told his father. He blinked and when he opened his eyes, the apparition (Kim) was no longer there. Later, when his remains were returned to St. Mary’s, Ohio, his Dad viewed them. He saw the wounds on Kim, just where he had seen them in his “dream.”  

Sgt. Mac, now a Cleveland attorney, penned several chapters in the book, one being ‘The Price of a Smile.” It describes his encounter with a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) machine-gunner in an irrigation ditch on a rubber plantation. “He waited until my eyes met his; pleased by the shock he saw in my face...his smile was big and sinister.”  McLaughlin vividly describes how in a split second his life flashed before his eyes. He thought of what his mother’s reaction to his death would be and yet somehow managed to survive the moment while the smirking NVA machine-gunner did not. 

After finishing the book I came away with several distinct impressions. The men who have contributed to this book were very street smart; they learned quickly in the jungle of Vietnam. Their contributions in the emergence of this book, the idea of which came from one of their reunions, have been a catharsis for many them. Those who have suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for years have experienced somewhat of a healing in finally having a platform to speak of their noble contributions in the war - to their comrades and to their nation.

 Perhaps Bob O'Brien’s demons might have been purged if he had contributed to the book. But, then again, he did.  He inspired it, in an unlikely fashion.

Reviewer's Notes. The book can purchased at the First Division Museum, Cantigny Park, IL or on Amazon.com or other on-line booksellers. 
Sullivan is a resident of northeast Ohio and is an internationally-published writer. He is a U.S. Army veteran of the 2nd Armored Division who served in KY, TX, CA, AZ and  USAEUR. His writing credits are  too numerous to mention but include the Irish Echo Newspaper, Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine and, Irish America Magazine.