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American Commando: Evans Carlson, His WW II Marine Raiders, and America's First Special Forces Mission
Before the Green BeretsÂ…Before the Navy SEALsÂ…Before the Army RangersÂ…There was the Long Patrol.
November 1942: in the hellish combat zone of Guadalcanal, one man would make history.
Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson was considered a maverick by many of his comrades—and seen as a traitor by some. He spent years observing guerrilla tactics all over the world, and knew that those tactics could be adapted effectively by the Marines.
Carlson and an elite fighting force—the 2nd Raider Battalion—embarked upon a thirty-day mission behind enemy lines where they disrupted Japanese supplies, inflicted a string of defeats on the enemy in open combat, and gathered invaluable intelligence on Japanese operations on Guadalcanal. And in the process they helped lay the foundation for Special Forces in the modern military.
Here for the first time is a riveting account of one man, one battalion, and one mission that would resonate through the annals of military history.
November 1942: in the hellish combat zone of Guadalcanal, one man would make history.
Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson was considered a maverick by many of his comrades—and seen as a traitor by some. He spent years observing guerrilla tactics all over the world, and knew that those tactics could be adapted effectively by the Marines.
Carlson and an elite fighting force—the 2nd Raider Battalion—embarked upon a thirty-day mission behind enemy lines where they disrupted Japanese supplies, inflicted a string of defeats on the enemy in open combat, and gathered invaluable intelligence on Japanese operations on Guadalcanal. And in the process they helped lay the foundation for Special Forces in the modern military.
Here for the first time is a riveting account of one man, one battalion, and one mission that would resonate through the annals of military history.
337 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2009
24 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 25, 2017
Fascinating reading for me, as my father was a member of Carlson's Raiders. I knew a little about them, but when I think about the training and how they had to live/fight, it gives me chills to think about what he went through. He died when I was 5, so this gave me a little more insight into what he was like as a man. A hero in my eyes.
July 21, 2020
Before WW2, the subject of this book, Evans Carlson, served tours of duty in Nicaraugua, where he observed guerilla tactics of the Sandino rebels, and later in China where he observed the Chinese Communist forces against the invading Japanese. These tours formed the basis of his philosophy of fighting during World War II, where he promoted guerilla tactics against the Japanese. Carlson was given command of the Marines Second Raider Battalion, and his most famous achievement was the Long Patrol in the jungles of Guadalcanal. The Second Raider Battalion's achievements were incredible against incredible obstacles, like the terrain, the rain, the insects, and tropical diseases.
The author also documents the Japanese torture and atrocities against US soldiers and Marines when they captured them alive. The Japanese have never admitted the extent of their war crimes, nor have they ever been held accountable for them.
Carlson's achievements in company and platoon organization, his use of fire teams, and use of heavily armed small teams have never been fully recognized, but they have been copied by modern Marine organizations.
At the same time, Carlson's misguided infatuation with the Chinese Communists, his publishing of two books supporting them, and active support for them caused other Marines to label Carlson a communist and hurt his career.
The author also documents the Japanese torture and atrocities against US soldiers and Marines when they captured them alive. The Japanese have never admitted the extent of their war crimes, nor have they ever been held accountable for them.
Carlson's achievements in company and platoon organization, his use of fire teams, and use of heavily armed small teams have never been fully recognized, but they have been copied by modern Marine organizations.
At the same time, Carlson's misguided infatuation with the Chinese Communists, his publishing of two books supporting them, and active support for them caused other Marines to label Carlson a communist and hurt his career.
April 25, 2022
The first half is pretty slow and seems to drag. Fortunately, it picks up for the second half. All in all, it's a good story and worth the effort to learn more about this esteemed unit that existed for about 1 year in WWII. A pet peeve of mine that the author violates throughout the book (and the editors allow) is referring to platoon sergeants as Platoon Sergeant 'name' as if it were a rank. Platoon sergeant is a position and not a rank! What is their rank? Staff sergeant? Gunnery Sergeant? If you are going to write a book about the military, make sure you use the correct rank, refer to it appropriately, and abbreviate it appropriately for the branch. It's the little things that count. If you can't get the little things right, how can we expect you to have the big things right?
April 18, 2018
Fascinating Subject but...
I found the pacing of the book to be off, detailed where it could have been sparse, thin where it should have been in-depth. While the raiders are undoubtedly important, on the long patrol, they are the focus, not Carlson, who the book is ostensibly about. Also, if you are gonna focus on the raiders, talk about the other commanders and how they were different from Carlson. Could have been a better book.
I found the pacing of the book to be off, detailed where it could have been sparse, thin where it should have been in-depth. While the raiders are undoubtedly important, on the long patrol, they are the focus, not Carlson, who the book is ostensibly about. Also, if you are gonna focus on the raiders, talk about the other commanders and how they were different from Carlson. Could have been a better book.
December 15, 2018
An excellent read, especially if you enjoy military history. The author does a great job of writing the history of Evans Carlson and his Marine Raiders in WWII. In addition to reading historical documents, the author interviewed Raiders and got their stories first hand. He does a great job of recreating the training of the Raiders, the Mackin Raid, events on Guadalcanal and eventual end of the Raiders as an independent fighting group.
July 7, 2018
Brilliant WWII book
An excel!ent biography of Carlson and his Raiders. Easy to read and insightful Anyone interested in WWII in the Pacific should read thismone.
An excel!ent biography of Carlson and his Raiders. Easy to read and insightful Anyone interested in WWII in the Pacific should read thismone.
June 8, 2019
Interesting read
May 15, 2016
Read this book. Please. I realize that there are countless other biographies and autobiographies out there that give the expected "jarring, first hand account" perspective, but this book, which is written as a history but with a story-like flow, is no doubt one of my favorite military novels. More than this, though, it makes my top three list of the best books that I've ever read. I tell you, that is no small feat for any book out there.
Evans Fordyce Carlson, who was a decorated United States Marine Corps general officer who was the legendary leader of "Carlson's Raiders", in the pacific during World War II. He is credited as the forefather of one of America’s first special forces teams. He completely revolutionized the way a combat unit fought, utilizing guerrilla warfare tactics to out-strategize his foes, and introducing the term “gung ho” which means “work” and “together” in Chinese. So, in spite of how we use the term “gung ho” today, the literal meaning is to collaborate and work together towards a common cause. As one of the most original military outfits of the time, Carlson indoctrinated his Marines with an egalitarian and team-building philosophy of self reliance, ingenuity, mutual respect, and utmost dedication to excellence. This “ethical indoctrination” transcended simply those values listed on the Marine Corps webpage. It allowed his soldiers think for themselves in battle, adapt to extenuating circumstances, and above all, gave them legitimate reason to engrain into their own personal philosophies the beliefs and values that are necessary for victory in the battle field and in daily life. This was the key to Carlson’s success. This is what made him different from all other Marine commanders: he saw that soldiers who not only were infallibly devoted to maintaining honor, courage, and commitment, but also who knew why they were fighting and what they were fighting for were more valiant and more intrepid in their endeavors.
Evans Fordyce Carlson, who was a decorated United States Marine Corps general officer who was the legendary leader of "Carlson's Raiders", in the pacific during World War II. He is credited as the forefather of one of America’s first special forces teams. He completely revolutionized the way a combat unit fought, utilizing guerrilla warfare tactics to out-strategize his foes, and introducing the term “gung ho” which means “work” and “together” in Chinese. So, in spite of how we use the term “gung ho” today, the literal meaning is to collaborate and work together towards a common cause. As one of the most original military outfits of the time, Carlson indoctrinated his Marines with an egalitarian and team-building philosophy of self reliance, ingenuity, mutual respect, and utmost dedication to excellence. This “ethical indoctrination” transcended simply those values listed on the Marine Corps webpage. It allowed his soldiers think for themselves in battle, adapt to extenuating circumstances, and above all, gave them legitimate reason to engrain into their own personal philosophies the beliefs and values that are necessary for victory in the battle field and in daily life. This was the key to Carlson’s success. This is what made him different from all other Marine commanders: he saw that soldiers who not only were infallibly devoted to maintaining honor, courage, and commitment, but also who knew why they were fighting and what they were fighting for were more valiant and more intrepid in their endeavors.
February 9, 2013
One of the many forgotten stories of World War II is that of the U.S. Marine Raiders, two battalions of marines developed by China hand Evans Carlson to conduct hit-and-run attacks against the Japanese in the Pacific. Detested by the USMC establishment but protected by his friendship with FDR, Carlson's Raiders proved the value of highly-trained light infantry forces in jungle combat, at Guadalcanal in particular.
Despite what must have been the temptation to lionize Carlson, author John Wukovits does not paint two-dimensional characters. Carlson was gallant and brilliant, but had a chip on his shoulder. The Marine generals who opposed him were not being entirely parochial: Carlson's hopes to revamp the entire Marine Corps on the Raider model would have been an unqualified disaster for the country and the Corps, and they did adopt some of his best innovations.
A great history, and a balanced recounting that informs, entertains, but never preaches.
Despite what must have been the temptation to lionize Carlson, author John Wukovits does not paint two-dimensional characters. Carlson was gallant and brilliant, but had a chip on his shoulder. The Marine generals who opposed him were not being entirely parochial: Carlson's hopes to revamp the entire Marine Corps on the Raider model would have been an unqualified disaster for the country and the Corps, and they did adopt some of his best innovations.
A great history, and a balanced recounting that informs, entertains, but never preaches.
October 6, 2009
It was a good analysis of both the Makin raid and the Long Patrol of Guadalcanal. Also a good short biography of Carlson and an oral history of the 2nd Raider Battalion. This wasn't bad, but I wonder if it played up the resistance Carlson got from higher-ups.
I think it didn't bring up that while Carlson did a great job of building a unit capable of deep-penetration or guerrilla-style patrols, such as the Long Patrol, such units were not what the Marines needed by 1943. Some analysis of the actions of the other Raider battalions, and the campaigns the Marines embarked on 1943-1945, might have offered needed perspective.
There are at least two recent works on Carlson's rival Edson and his Raiders, I intend to delve into those to make comparisons.
I think it didn't bring up that while Carlson did a great job of building a unit capable of deep-penetration or guerrilla-style patrols, such as the Long Patrol, such units were not what the Marines needed by 1943. Some analysis of the actions of the other Raider battalions, and the campaigns the Marines embarked on 1943-1945, might have offered needed perspective.
There are at least two recent works on Carlson's rival Edson and his Raiders, I intend to delve into those to make comparisons.
October 13, 2015
The story of Evans Carlson and the Second Marine Raider Battalion during World War II. Examines Carlson, his executive officer, James Roosevelt, and men of the battalion. The group is most famous for the Makin Island raid against the Japanese. It also examines the politics involved in the creation of the Raiders.
September 24, 2012
An untold story that really needed telling. The first portion of the book has great quotes on building character and becoming a solid citizen. The rest of the book is devoted to a very special military story. A definite read for military historians.
July 21, 2010
Terrific book about an exceptional, nearly forgotten man who led a life that even Jack London couldn't have invented.
May 30, 2013
Interesting narrative about the "first special forces".
December 7, 2013
A thoroughly researched, fairly objective, and very well told story of a fascinating leader and heroic men.
January 16, 2015
I liked a lot of the back round of Carlson. It was an ok book for me. I might have to read this again to refresh.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews