Spring 2018 Edition

March 2018

In this Spring 2018 issue of Army History, with a layout not unlike the Winter 2018 issue, we present two pieces covering actions of the Army during World War II and the Vietnam War. Once again, while both are article-length contributions, the second of these is another “preview chapter” from a recently published Center of Military History (CMH) volume.

In the first article, author Christopher L. Kolakowski argues that the fighting in north Burma during 1944 foreshadowed the coming of what we would now consider “modern warfare” in the latter half of the twentieth century and even into the twenty-first. The Allied campaign in Burma saw the establishment of outposts that would be more commonly known during the Vietnam War as firebases, the widespread use of indigenous troops, adaptation to difficult terrain, and a refinement of insurgency and counterinsurgency tactics.

The second article is an excerpt from a recent CMH publication, Combat Operations: Staying the Course, October 1967 to September 1968, by Erik B. Villard. Chapter 2, Opening Moves: Battles North and West of Saigon, examines the planning for a new American and South Vietnamese dry Spring offensive and the numerous battles that took place in the final months of 1967 through January 1968. Some of the actions covered in this chapter include Operations Shenandoah II and Yellowstone, as well as the battles at Loc Ninh, Caisson VI, and Firebase Burt.This issue also contains an Army Art Spotlight featuring the work of Sgt. Howard Brodie. In his sketch, Under Fire, Brodie, an artist for Yank magazine, captured the raw emotions shared between two soldiers while fighting in Germany in early 1945.

In his Chief’s Corner, Mr. Charles Bowery discusses the efforts under way to revise the regulations that govern the Army’s history programs. AR 870–5, Military History: Responsibilities, Policies, and Procedures, was last updated over a decade ago and AR 870–20, Army Museums, Historical Artifacts, and Art, has not been amended for almost twenty 2018s.

Mr. Jon Hoffman, in his Chief Historian’s Footnote, follows up on his piece from the previous issue, elaborating further on CMH’s new standard operating procedure for writing books at CMH.

In addition, this issue contains eight excellent book reviews, a brief update on the construction of the National Museum of the United States Army, and a farewell to a member of the CMH team who passed away on 14 October 2017.

Bryan J. Hockensmith
Managing Editor