Review: Military Landing Operations by Major Dion Williams, USMC
Review: Military Landing Operations by Major Dion Williams In July of 1906 , the Journal of the U.S. Infantry Association , (presently INFANTRY) , published an article written by Major Dion Williams, USMC, titled “Military Landing Operations”. The article shows a certain level of sophistication in amphibious doctrine of the time. Williams had his own experience with landing parties — he led Marines ashore at Cavite following Dewey’s victory at Manila Bay and was an instructor on landing operations at the Naval War College. But his writing reflects the experience of the landings at Guantanamo, the Army’s experiences in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and in various fleet exercises conducted since then. They also reflect the decades of “corporate knowledge” gained by Marines and Bluejackets in executing landing parties the world round since 1775. What may be most interesting in his piece, and when it was written, is that in putting pen to paper on this s...