Preparing for Victory: Thomas Holcomb and the Making of the Modern Marine Corps, 1936-1943 (Leatherneck Original)
David Ulbrich's aptly named Preparing for Victory presents the only full biography of General Thomas Holcomb, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps from 1936 through 1943. By inspiration and hard training Holcomb transformed the marines from a police force aboard naval ships and in banana republic interventions into division-sized units of elite assault troops that executed War Plan Orange against Japan in World War II, never losing a battle. Holcomb's legacy is a Marine Corps that remains the premier expeditionary arm of United States military power Edward S. Miller, author of War Plan OrangeCombat veteran, progressive manager, military politician, strategic visionary, and habitual publicist,Thomas Holcomb turned out to be the right man to guide the U.S. Marine Corps through a rushed expansion. He succeeded in shaping it into the amphibious offensive force that proved its worth in a string of island invasions from Guadalcanal to Okinawa. David Ulbrich s Preparing for Victory fills a major gap in the historical literature on World War II, the Marines, and the growth of the American military profession. Ulbrich s thorough research, much of it based on previously untapped sources, paints a compelling portrait of this shrewd and energetic commandant as a transformative figure in the evolution of the Marine Corps. --Gregory J. W. Urwin, author of Victory in DefeatThis comprehensively researched and convincingly presented volume places Holcomb at the vital center of Marine Corps effectiveness in World War II. His progressive management style, his mastery of logistics and administration, and his foresight in the technological and organizational aspects of amphibious assault were essential contributions to victory in the Pacific, and to the nature and character of the Corps as an institution --Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and RommelSelected as the June 2011 Book of the Month byLeatherneckPreparing for Victoryis a well-researched and detailed Naval Institute Press book in the Leatherneck Original series that tells of the challenges and successes during Gen Hol­comb s time. . . . The author has successfully portrayed Gen Holcomb as a visionary leader, shrewd publicist, progressive thinker, meticulous planner and a courageous combat leader. Due to his facility for staying out of the limelight, he often is overlooked as a transformative figure in the Marine Corps. This classically crafted biography will go far toward gaining Gen Holcomb his rightful place in the history of our Corps. --Leatherneck, June 2011This comprehensively researched and convincingly presented volume places Holcomb at the vital center of Marine Corps effectiveness in World War II. His progressive management style, his mastery of logistics and administration, and his foresight in the technological and organizational aspects of amphibious assault were essential contributions to victory in the Pacific, and to the nature and character of the Corps as an institution --Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel