From Whaleboats to Amphibious Warfare: Lt. Gen. "Howling Mad" Smith and the U.S. Marine Corps (review)

Anne Cipriano Venzon, a longtime researcher and writer in the field of Marine Corps history, assumed a challenging task when she took on a new biography of General Holland M. "Howling Mad" Smith. Although beloved or respected by nearly all Marines, he earned his nickname with well-targeted tirades against those who did not measure up to his high standards. He became a controversial figure as a corps commander during World War II, giving rise to a major interservice spat when he relieved an Army general commanding the 27th Infantry Division during the battle on Saipan. He added fuel to that fire soon after the war when he penned an autobiography full of blistering attacks on the Army, the Air Force, and even the Navy. In addition to Smith's own version of events, another historian published a biography of the general in the 1980s, so Venzon had to work in an already crowded field.

Despite these challenges, she has created a valuable study that provides new information on Smith's career and yields a more balanced insight into his character and contributions than anything previously available. Her account bears no indication of bias or a predetermined evaluation, she lets the story unravel as the facts dictate. Among her new findings is an incident in 1912 when then-lieutenant Smith became drunk and disorderly while traveling on a train on official business. Only the intervention of his politically connected father prevented a court martial or immediate dismissal. The event takes on added importance in light of a better known instance of Smith being arrested for drunken driving and striking a pedestrian in 1943. In sorting out the competing positions on the Saipan relief, the author notes that there was some truth on both sides of the ensuing argument. In the end, she makes a good case that Smith did what he thought was right, although it was perhaps not the best decision and it did cause later problems not only for him but for interservice relations, as well.

Venzon's thesis is evident in her title and she effectively ties Smith's lengthy career to the concurrent development of the art of amphibious warfare by the Marine Corps. Her more valuable insight, however, comes in thoroughly developing his personality, despite the difficulty of ferreting out his true nature given that he was a very private individual. Perhaps the strongest part of the book comes in the final few pages, where his accomplishments and temperament are cogently summarized.

The only potential shortfall of the volume is its length. At 136 pages of text, it covers most events in a succinct fashion. Although she certainly does not ignore the context of institutional or world events, she seems to have made a conscious (and probably astute) decision to assume that most readers already will be well aware of the more intricate elements of these subjects or will be able to easily obtain additional details from other readily available resources. There is, for example, an entire book devoted to the Saipan relief. Someone unfamiliar with the Marine Corps or twentieth-century warfare might miss a great deal if they read this volume in a vacuum, but for typical readers, her economical approach likely will be appreciated.