Moreover, in atomic warfare, static defense has need of depth to a greater degree than in the past. But continuity and depth of defense are not easily reconciled except by renouncing the principle of economy of forces.

The static defense of the atomic era must, therefore, be discontinuous-that is to say, constituted of spaced, autonomous, and systematically integrated elements. To these must be assigned the mission of barring passage to the enemy and, to a subordinate degree, the mission of slowing down and, if possible, halting the offense.

The static system may be deepened and strengthened during the course of action as the directions of effort of the enemy becomes apparent. Since it is obvious that whenever it is not possible to stop the enemy by means of a counterattack at the point of penetrations, it will be necessary to establish continuity by the utilization of reserves and of supplementary firepower.

The discontinuous concept of defense is indubitably superior to continuous because it is more in accord with the principle of the economy of forces and accommodates itself better to maneuver. Far from constituting a renunciation of

something we have acquired, it represents instead the recovery of something we had lost.

Empty spaces, whether in the tactical or the strategic domain, facilitate lateral maneuver on the part of the offense. Nevertheless, the space between strong points must not be such as to permit the enemy with impunity to make deep and substantial penetrations. These unoccupied areas must be watched and, if the need arises, defended. Above all, they must be regarded as elements of maneuver on the same basis as the strong points-although with different functions.

Based principally on maneuvered reaction, discontinuous defense requires substantial reserves, but it requires commanders of very prompt reflex, of initiative, and of rapid decision.

When has it ever been possible to wage war well without such commanders and such forces?

It is necessary, therefore, to prepare minds for discontinuous defense; a task that is neither easy nor rapid for the generations which have lived altogether or in part in the period of the two World Wars-both of them accommodated to continuous fronts.

NEGRO MILITIA AND RECONSTRUCTION. By Otis A. Singletary. 181 Pages. The University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas. $3.75.

BY MAJ HARRY H. JACKSON, Inf

Historian Otis Singletary has made an excellent contribution to United States military history in this short, well-written study. His subject was organized following the withdrawal of occupying Federal troops from the South after the Civil War. The Radical state governments recruited militias in an effort to maintain themselves in power. These state militias became a causal factor in the eventual overthrow of the Radical power in the South.

The organization of a politically partisan military force by the Radical governments was met by violent counteraction on the part of Southern Conservatives. The unrelenting Conservative hostility and hatred of the militia was at its core, according to the author, based on racial implications.

To destroy the Radical governments the Southern whites resorted to continued violence and bloodshed as an acceptable means of achieving their political ends. "Disbandment through extermination" was implied and practiced. The quasi-military assault on the militia combined by the failure of the Radical leadership to use all-out force against the Conservatives doomed the militia and the governments they supported.

This book sheds much needed light on one little studied aspect of the tragic Reconstruction era in the South.

MIGHTY STONEWALL. By Frank E. Var diver. 547 Pages. McGraw-Hill Book Co Inc., New York. $6.50.

BY MAJ CHARLES L. STEEL, JR., CE

This modern biography, depicting th full, complex, and yet controversial lif of the Confederate general who, with hi "foot cavalry," outfoxed, outmarched, and outfought the Federal forces all over th Shenandoah Valley, presents a vital par of the War Between the States.

Dr. Vandiver brilliantly portrays a com plete revaluation of both the personal and military aspects of the life of Thomas Jonathan Jackson based on newly uncov ered evidence. While Jackson's boyhood his West Point training, his early combat service in Mexico and Florida, and his years as a professor at Virginia Military Institute are described with an air of passion and intense interest, the military reader will find the highlights of the book centered in the Civil War chronicle. This portion of the book not only describes Jackson's superb capability for independent action by bringing to life the battlefields as seen by Jackson, but also details the system in use during the Civil War with respect to command, staff action, and supply and personnel problems.

Jackson's intense religious beliefs, developed after prolonged mature study, partly explain, what to others seemed aloofness and eccentricity during the stresses of combat.

No military library of the Civil War can be complete without this most recent product by Dr. Vandiver.

ING LEADER. By Group Captain J. E. nson. 292 Pages. Ballantine Books, New rk. $4.00. Paperbound $0.50.

COL J. C. WINCHESTER, British Army Wing Leader is the personal story of a nous British fighter ace who had 38 credited victories during World War II. e flew almost continuously as a Spitfire ot from the Battle of Britain until the d of the war in Germany. Later he served th the USAF in Korea and commanded Saber Jet wing in Germany. He now is rving as Deputy Director of Tactical Opations in the Air Ministry, London. His account of the air fighting in which e participated is modest, factual, and abrbingly interesting. To an airman this hould be a fascinating and instructive bok. To the soldier it presents a valuable escription of the life and mental attitude f officers of a sister service.

HE CAPTIVES OF KOREA. An Unfficial White Paper. By William Lindsay White. 347 Pages. Charles Scribner's Sons, ¡ew York. $4.95.

BY MAJ. CHARLES L. STEEL, JR., CE During the Korean war more than 10,000 Americans were captured by the Commuists. Of these, only slightly more than onehird survived the oriental version of capivity and returned to give to the free world a first-hand report of what may well e multiplied a thousandfold if the present 'cold war" erupts into world war III.

Mr. White has, after exhaustive research, been able to place under a single cover a tale so weird, so horrible that in places it resembles fantasy. Yet the facts presented are indisputable and the author portrays these facts in such a manner as to entice the reader to deduce the "cause and effect."

The military reader will find how discipline, esprit, and rigid training enhanced the chances of an American soldier to survive as a prisoner of war (POW). He also will see how easy it was for US Army of

ficers as custodians of the North Korean and Communist POW's to so relax control measures that enemy prisoners became the captors of an American general officer.

Finally, this chronicle depicts the fanatical rejection of communism by the North Korean and Chinese POW's. Of the 171,000 prisoners we captured, less than onehalf (83,000) chose to return behind the Bamboo Curtain.

The history presented so dramatically in this book not only belongs to the Korean war but to all of the Far East today, and hence the contents should be well digested.

A WATCHER ON THE RHINE. An Appraisal of Germany Today. By Brian Connell. 320 Pages. William Morrow & Co., New York. $4.00.

BY LT COL MITCHEL GOLDENTHAL, CE

This is a sobering appraisal of Germany today which thoroughly analyzes her emergence from pulverized ruin to once again being the balance wheel of Europe. Mr. Connell proves and demonstrates adequately his deep understanding and knowledge in his informative, brilliant report on the economic, social, and political forces molding the future of East and West Germany and, perhaps, even Europe.

The emotional, industrial, and political environment and background of Germany cleverly is captured by a spritely, lively writing style which is informative as well as interesting. For example, "In a Europe torn by rival ideologies, Germany has a foot in both camps, and by reason of her geographical position, industrial capacity, population, and technological ability is in a position to alter the fulcrum of European power politics at will. It is high time to consider the direction in which the conflicting forces in the country may tend."

Military readers have had a vitally deep interest in this subject. These readers will find this book extremely rewarding in prognosticating the influences on world strategy and politics of the new Germany.

THE CONQUEST OF THE ANTARCTIC. By Norman Kemp. 152 Pages. The Philosophical Library, Inc., New York. $4.75.

BY LT COL HAROLD E. BEATY, CE Man's inquisitiveness of the unknown and his desire to conquer the unconquered have spurred scientists and explorers to break the secrets of the frozen Antarctic Continent. During the International Geophysical Year, a more concerted effort is being made by several countries to conquer this forbidding land. The United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, and Russia have entered this continent with well-organized and well-equipped scientific parties.

Mr. Kemp of New Zealand gives a very brief background to antarctic explorations, but has gone into considerable detail in New Zealand's part in the preparation of the current expedition which is led by Sir Edmund Hillary, the conqueror of Mount Everest.

Although the author spends little time on developing personalities, the reader can gain a quick and accurate résumé of the history and problems of this frozen land. He has presented the historical material in a very interesting and refreshing style.

THE SIGNAL CORPS: THE TEST. By George Paynor Thompson, Dixie R. Harris, Pauline M. Oakes, and Dulany Terrett. 621 Pages. Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. $4.50.

BY LT COL ROBERT M. WALKER, Arty

Chronological in treatment, this second of three volumes on the history of the Signal Corps in World War II covers a span of 18 months from the "day of infamy" until mid-1943. Obstinate shortages of men, materials, production facilities, training establishments, and, most of all, time had to be overcome. Yet had this been all the story, it would not differ greatly from those of the other services whose

Study of the Administrative Problems i the Peninsula 1809-1814. By S. G. P. Ward 219 Pages. Oxford University Press, New York. $4.80.

BY MAJ HARRY H. JACKSON, Inf Oxford scholar S.G.P. Ward has writte an excellent introductory vehicle for thos interested in the background and func tioning of the British staff system. In ad dition, he has made a genuine contribution to the military library covering the Napo leonic Wars. The problem of bringing order out of the chaotic system of over lapping and conflicting organizations ad ministering the British Army operating in the peninsula is the main theme of this volume.

Against the background of the British operations in Portugal and Spain the structural development of the embryo Brit ish general staff system is analyzed. In addition to his investigation of British command and staff relationships in the Napoleonic Wars, Ward makes a brief but excellent survey of contemporary develop ments in the major European armies of that period. In contrast to Wellington's domination of his staff, the growing ascendancy of the continental staff officer as the alter ego of the commander is noted by the author.

UCLEAR WEAPONS AND FOREIGN OLICY. By Henry A. Kissinger. 455 ges. Harper & Brothers, New York. $5.00. BY COL HEWITT D. ADAMS, USMC The author has done a remarkable job presenting all sides of the most pressing ternational question which faces us, How to attain the objectives of the United cates in the nuclear age?" The book was ritten as the outgrowth of a panel called gether by the Council on Foreign Relaons to explore all factors in making and plementing foreign policy today. Dr. issinger, as study director of the panel, was instructed to write a book for which e alone was responsible but which repesented the discussions of the panel.

The book is not easy reading, both beause of the complexity of the subject and ecause the author belabors some points intil the reader grows weary of them. However, the reading is worth the effort or the logic of the arguments, the presntation of alternatives, and the timeliess of the content.

The following provocative statements appear in the book:

"The more powerful the weapons, however, the greater becomes the reluctance to use them."

"The growth of the Soviet nuclear stockpile is certain to widen the line between what is considered 'vital' and what is 'peripheral' if we must weigh each objective against the destruction of New York or Detroit, of Los Angeles or Chicago."

"Henceforth, technology can assist strategy primarily by developing new applications for existing weapons, by combining them more efficiently, and by developing subtler and more discriminating uses rather than by adding to their power and speed."

"Thus the argument that limited war may turn into a contest of attrition is in fact an argument in favor of a strategy of limited war."

"The previous analysis has shown that with a doctrine of limited war many of the long-cherished notions of traditional warfare have to be modified. They include the principle that wars can only be won by dominating the air space completely." "It is a strange doctrine which asserts that vital interests can be defended only by the most catastrophic strategy."

THE COMPACT HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY. By Fletcher Pratt. 347 Pages. Hawthorn Books, Inc., New York. $4.95.

BY CAPT ELBERT M. STEVER, USN

This is Fletcher Pratt's last book, completed only a few days before his death. It is the second in a series of compact histories of our Armed Services by various authors. The first, by Colonel Dupuy, dealt with the Army. Companion pieces on the Marines and Air Force are in preparation.

Readers who normally shy away from history as a form of voluntary reading should not let the title of this book scare them. Unlike the usual history text, dates and events are subordinated to the historical characters who have made those dates and events significant. The result is a lively narrative of the fortunes and misfortunes of the American Navy man from the days of the early privateers to the present.

Professional historians might raise an eyebrow at the way in which over 150 years of naval history have been compressed. However, those familiar with Fletcher Pratt's many other works know that he has a particular flair for condensation without any sacrifice in readability or historical accuracy.

From the Navy point of view, the author has told the Navy's story with remarkable understanding. This is the type of book that any Navy man would like to have written about his service.