Learning Under Fire: The 112th Cavalry Regiment in World War II (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series - Volume 130)

VERY GOOD in a very good dust jacket. No marks noted in text. Light wear on dust jacket. Binding is tight and square. xvi, 242 pages : illustrations, maps, photographs ; 25 cm. . . . . . . . . Learning under Fire: The 112th Cavalry Regiment in World War II by James S. Powell is a scholarly, narrative history of how this Texas National Guard cavalry regiment adapted under intense combat conditions in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The study uses official records, after?action reports, and veterans? recollections to show how a traditional mounted unit transformed itself into an effective dismounted, amphibious, and jungle infantry force while in action. Powell traces the 112th Cavalry Regiment from prewar mobilization and training through deployments to the Southwest Pacific, including Woodlark Island, Arawe, and the Aitape?Wewak area, and on to later campaigns. Along the way he highlights the regiment?s ?learning under fire?: the process by which officers and enlisted men recognized tactical and organizational shortcomings, adjusted their doctrine and leadership practices, and refined small?unit tactics against Japanese forces in extremely difficult terrain and climate. The book thus serves both as a detailed unit history and as a case study in battlefield adaptation and combat learning.…