"Book Review | Fire in the Jungle: A Study ..." Topic

…of One of America's Most Successful Unconventional Warfare Campaigns

"Colonel (Ret.) Larry S. Schmidt's Fire in the Jungle is an informative and insightful study of the Philippine resistance movement during the Japanese occupation of World War II. The book particularly focuses on the establishment of the 10th Military District on Mindanao under Colonel Wendell W. Fertig. After General Douglas MacArthur's departure, Fertig transformed American isolation and defeat into an organized resistance campaign on Mindanao, using guerrilla forces, intelligence networks, coastal watchers, and radio communications to deny Japan full control of the island and preserve operational conditions for the eventual U.S. return. More than just a historical account of guerrilla warfare, Fire in the Jungle provides the reader with a useful lens for understanding resistance, irregular warfare, and the operational challenges of conflict in the Philippine Archipelago. The lessons contained in this book may help prepare practitioners of irregular warfare for future conflict.

Col. Schmidt's background lends Fire in the Jungle added credibility. Schmidt retired from the Marine Corps in 1994 after a twenty-six-year career that included combat service in Vietnam and command during Operation Desert Storm. In 1968–69, he served as a rifle platoon commander with Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, where he gained firsthand experience with insurgency and irregular warfare. Schmidt later commanded 8th Marines during the liberation of Kuwait. Schmidt's earlier academic work also bolsters his authority on the subject—as a major, he wrote his Master of Military Art and Science thesis at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College on the subject of American involvement in the Filipino resistance movement on Mindanao during the Japanese occupation…"

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