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Shadow Commander: the Epic Story of Donald D. Blackburn#8213;Guerrilla Leader and Special Forces Hero Online KoJ36 (Download free pdf) Shadow Commander: The Epic Story of Donald D. Blackburn#8213;Guerrilla Leader and Special Forces Hero Online [KoJ36.ebook] Shadow Commander: The Epic Story of Donald D. Blackburn#8213;Guerrilla Leader and Special Forces Hero Pdf Free Mike Guardia *Download PDF | ePub | DOC | audiobook | ebooks Download Now Free Download Here Download eBook #375529 in Books 2011-12-19 2012-01-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.13 x .99 x 6.28l, 1.21 #File Name: 1612000657240 pages | File size: 52.Mb Mike Guardia : Shadow Commander: The Epic Story of Donald D. Blackburn#8213;Guerrilla Leader and Special Forces Hero before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised Shadow Commander: The Epic Story of Donald D. Blackburn#8213;Guerrilla Leader and Special Forces Hero: 21 of 21 people found the following review helpful. Donald Blackburn's WWII Guerrilla Activities, Luzon, Philippines.By Leo HigginsThe author and historian Mike Guardia does a decent job at bringing retired United States Army, Brigadier General Donald D. Blackburn's biography to life. This book mirrors his previous work of the "American Guerrilla". In that narrative he writes about retired Brigadier General Russell W. Volkmann and his guerrilla activities against the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII on the northern island of Luzon, Republic of the Philippines, 1942 -1945. Both men escaped, (in tandem), the hellish realities of the Bataan Death March, and ultimately managed to galvanize the fighting spirit of the Filipino people. Their escape from the death march was quite miraculous, as the Japanese violently took control of the peaceful surrender of the allied troops. They, the Japanese, did this with their guns blazing away as they entered the unarmed allied camps.Several items of interest were detailed in this biography. Don's involvement with the Igorot tribesmen, more specifically the Ifugao Headhunters, and their merciless, barbaric dealings with the Japanese are graphically portrayed, (in print that is), ie. decapitating Japanese soldiers and their sympathizers with their prized and somewhat cherished bolo-bolo knives . Additionally his dealings with the "longhairs", a Filipino rouge guerrilla band that Blackburn and his Ifugao warriors convinced to work with the allies. Talk about conflict resolution... by "convincing" this rouge group of opportunist to work with him, the local Filipino people now had a horse to bet on. This triumph in it's own right helped garner 22,000 men and women to fight against the Japanese invaders.After the war, Mike details Blackburn's military history to include how efficient his jungle warfare survival troops were by infiltrating and penetrating Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, the Panama Canal, and on two occasions Camp David. His soldiers on all occasions slipped in undetected and left tell-tale signs that they did so. In the case of Camp David their surreptitious activities were done right under the noses of the Secret Service and the USMC guarding that facility. Also the Son Tay raid in Vietnam was discussed. Blackburn was the architect of that rescue attempt, in which POW were targeted for repatriation. Of course history tells us that this was a flop, as no prisoners were present during the rescue mission. Although the mission was considered by the press to be a failure, the attempt actually brought about some positive changes for prisoners and how they were treated from that point on. North Vietnam now realized that they were vulnerable to the powers that may be.Overall an easy and enjoyable read.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Good Ground Level Account of WWII Philippine Guerrilla Operations and Formation of U.S. Army Special ForcesBy Fred J. MaurenA good granular account of Philippine guerrilla operations in WWII. The first part of the book essentially publishes Blackburn's diary from 1941 - 1943. An interesting narrative of how he evaded capture in 1942 and worked to establish a guerrilla army in northern Luzon. It is useful if the reader has some prior knowledge of the 1941 - 1942 Philippine campaign to put Blackburn's diary in context. Blackburn was remarkable in that as a relatively junior officer he was able to establish a large guerrilla army organized in a traditional military manner (companies, battalions staff positions).He later played a major role in establishing the U.S. Army Special Forces and developed a successful strategy for their deployment in Vietnam.The account of his involvement in planning the 1970 Ton Say raid to attempt to rescue American POW's in North Vietnam is very interesting. Although no POW's were actually rescued, POW's subsequently confirmed that their treatment improved after the raid because the Vietnamese realized they were not invulnerable.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This is a good biography of someone few Americans know aboutBy C. MonkThis is a good biography of someone few Americans know about. Blackburn had a remarkable career as a guerrilla leader in the Philippines and then through the early years of the Cold War until he really left his mark on our policy in Vietnam.About half of this book is dedicated Blackburn's WWII time with the other half to the rest of his career. I sort of hoped the book went into more detail about his WWII time. Getting some information on what the Japanese were doing at the time (more information about their counter-insurgency strategy, for instance). Additionally, more information about Blackburn's time in Vietnam would have been nice. But the book is brief at just over 200 pages.Despite the shortness of the book, it is worth reading and I think Blackburn's life is worth knowing about. The fires on Bataan burned on the evening of April 9, 1942 - illuminating the white flags of surrender against the nighttime sky. Woefully outnumbered, outgunned, and ill-equipped, battered remnants of the American-Philippine army surrendered to the forces of the Rising Sun. Yet amongst the chaos and devastation of the American defeat, Army Captain Donald D. Blackburn refused to lay down his arms.With future SF legend Russell Volckmann, Blackburn escaped from Bataan and fled to the mountainous jungles of North Luzon, where they raised a private army of over 22,000 men against the Japanese. Once there, Blackburn organized a guerrilla regiment from among the native tribes in the Cagayan Valley. "Blackburn's Headhunters," as they came to be known, devastated the Japanese 14th Army within the eastern provinces of North Luzon and destroyed the Japanese naval base at Aparri - the largest enemy anchorage in the Philippines.After the war, Blackburn remained on active duty and played a key role in initiating Special Forces operations in Southeast Asia. In 1958, as commander of the 77th Special Forces Group, he spearheaded Operation White Star in Laos - the first major deployment of American Special Forces to a country with an active insurgency. Seven years later, Blackburn took command of the highly classified Studies and Observations Group (SOG), charged with performing secret missions now that main-force Communist incursions were on the rise.In the wake of the CIA's disastrous Leaping Lena program, Blackburn revitalized the Special Operations campaign in South Vietnam. Sending cross-border reconnaissance teams into Cambodia and North Vietnam, he discovered the clandestine networks and supply nodes of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. Taking this information directly to General Westmoreland, Blackburn received authorization to conduct full-scale operations against the NVA and Viet Cong operating in Laos. In combats large and small, the Communists realized they had met a master of insurgent tactics - and he was on the US side.Following his return to the United States, Blackburn was appointed "Special Assistant for Counterinsurgency and Special Activities," where he was the architect of the infamous Son Tay Prison Raid. Officially termed Operation Ivory Coast, the Son Tay raid was the largest POW rescue mission - and indeed, the largest Special Forces operation - of the Vietnam War.During a period when United States troops in Southeast Asia faced guerrilla armies on every side, it has been little recognized today that America had a superb covert commander of its own, his guerrilla skills honed in resistance against Japan. This book follows Donald D. Blackburn through both his youthful days of desperate combat against an Empire, and through his days as a commander, imparting his lessons to the newly- realized ranks of America's own Special Forces. "A follow-up to a fine bio of Russell Volckmann, this tale of guerrilla warfare spans from Bataan to Vietnam. " - World War II Magazine"Donald D. Blackburn's involvement in guerilla warfare against the Japanese in WWII qualified him to become one of the first commanders of the Special Forces. For this career biography, the author conducted personal interviews with Blackburn and his family in 2008, with access to all of Blackburn's personal papers, documents, photos, and his war diary from 1941-1944." - BOOK NEWS"...very well researched and readable account of one man's fascinating military career, which was rarely spent far from where the action was. " - Miniature Wargames UK"An excellent biography of one the Army's lesser known but very important leaders.nbsp; Blackburn's activities in World War II alone would make him a hero, but the author goes on to cite in some detail Blackburn's other contributions in Viet Nam as well as to the evolution of Army Special Forces. The author's detailed accounts of Blackburn's activities make this book a must read for anyone interested in military history, World War II, and particularly for anyone studying or who simply enjoys reading about guerilla warfare or Army Special Forces.
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