Amphibious Warfare Post WWII. A Royal Marine’s Anthology.By Ewen Southby-Tailyour.Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley, Yorkshire and Havertown, Philadelphia, 2026. ISBN 978 1 03614 544 6.
Reviewed by David Hobbs
Ewen Southby-Tailyour served in the Royal Marines between 1960 and 1992 before retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In addition to commanding units within the British Commando Forces he also served with the amphibious forces of the USA, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Denmark.
Later he was the first Royal Marines officer to be appointed to the Director General Surface Ships’ department where he served for four years and wrote the amphibious input into the procurement specifications for the LPH Ocean and the LPDs Albion and Bulwarktogether with several types of smaller landing craft. In 1966 he was seconded to the Sultan of Oman’s Army and was awarded the Sultan’s Bravery Medal for his gallantry during the Dhofar War. Between 1977 and 1979 he commanded Naval Party 8901, the small team of Royal Marines based in the Falkland Islands and many ANI members will remember his earlier book Reasons in Writing in which he described the Falklands Campaign from his own unique perspective. Major General Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade in 1982, said that if he was to name one man whose knowledge and expertise was irreplaceable in the planning and execution of the amphibious operations he would, without hesitation, name Ewen Southby-Tailyour. For me, therefore, it followed that this wide ranging anthology appeared on my ‘must read’ list. It contains information and perspectives on a range of topics in addition to the central theme of amphibious warfare written by an author who is the master of his subject matter.
Since retiring from the Royal Marines, Southby-Tailyour has written with authority on a number of topics as well as editing several Jane’s publications including Amphibious and Special Forces. He has also become a historian and at this point I must admit that we have corresponded on several topics and expressed our shared view that the ‘Black Buck’ Vulcan bomber raid on Stanley airfield on 1 May 1982 achieved nothing but the wastage of 1,000,000 gallons of valuable aviation fuel. My name appears on page 128 as one of the signatories of an analytical paper on the subject which is included in chapter 9.
This book gives a series of glimpses into the career of a remarkable man using material from his diaries, the journal he kept as a young officer, service papers and other documents that he has built into a formidable archive. The information he has used to underpin the factual basis of his written work is enriched by correspondence with a number of international historians and experts including several Argentinians who fought against Britain in 1982 or have studied the conflict from archive documents. The respect they have for Ewen’s research and his opinions on a range of amphibious and war fighting subjects is clear from the tenor of their input to his own research.
This book contains twenty-seven chapters which follow a largely chronological order beginning with time spent in the frigate Wizard in 1961 when she formed part of the Dartmouth Training squadron. They cover a number of different appointments at differing times and places but the one thing they all share is the sense of Ewen’s astute power of observation and his ability to use logic to make sense of any situation no matter how difficult it might seem to others. This and his flair for navigation both at sea and on land made him the outstanding amphibious expert of his generation besides having a deep understanding of many other warfare disciplines. There is much in this book that will be of interest to Australian readers including a brief mention of the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment which is now trained for amphibious commando operations in the chapter on commando forces. Chapter 11 describes the reformation of the Royal Marines’ 539 Assault Squadron which was recreated in 1984 under Southby-Tailyour’s command as the landing craft element of 3 Commando Brigade using the experience gained in the South Atlantic. It makes an interesting comparison with the creation of the RAN’s current amphibious organisation.
The wider topics included in this book include some fascinating anecdotes and I particularly enjoyed the description on page 21 of a French commando unit, to which Southby-Tailyour was attached, which was being kitted out for four days in the field. Ration packs were designed to be eaten cold and largely comprised tins of corned beef and anchovies together with numerous packets of lemonade powder, milk, coffee powder and a small bottle of cognac. No means of heating was provided and those who wanted hot food or coffee had to provide their own. Each man was issued with a yard of French bread which he could either break into smaller pieces and stow in his large pack or, more usually, lash on top of the pack sticking out sideways. Handfuls of sweets and sugar cubes were thrust into pockets and the daily menu was completed by a packet of Gauloise cigarettes, a Camembert cheese and an orange. Two water bottles were issued and the chance to fill one with white wine was apparently taken up by almost every marine.
After a description of swimmer delivery vehicles and their use throughout the world, Southby-Tailyour moves on to describe his time with the European Community Monitoring Mission in the Former Yugoslavia immediately after his retirement from the active list of the Royal Marines. Based on his notes and reports at the time he gives an analytical account of the situation in that war torn region from 1993 onwards, his first report beginning with the words ‘nothing in 32 years in the Royal Marines can prepare one for this place’. His subsequent descriptions are shrewdly observed and give unique insight into the contemporary politics behind international peace keeping efforts. He eventually resigned from the ECMM after refusing to falsify reports when he was instructed to do so.
In summary this is an excellent book that not only gives insight into amphibious warfare from the perspective of one of its most accomplished practitioners but makes informed comments on a range of warfare disciplines. I would place it in the essential category for those involved in amphibious warfare as well as those with an interest in the wider aspects of defence. Highly recommended.
