Why would anyone review the review of a book review, one might ask. Well, when the book review is so slanted, loaded with the ego of the reviewer -- and when the reviewer really has limited expertise (at best), perhaps it is good to really look at the review.

‘TORPEDOES in the GULF is a fine book, written by MELANIE WIGGINS (1436-1990), and was reviewed by former Member HOMER HICKAM (1235-1989) in the August 1996 issue of NAVAL HISTORY. HICKAM wrote a book entitled ‘TORPEDO JUNCTION’ a few years ago, which told stories of U-Boat actions along the American east coast. His book seemed to sell well, but it contained some glaring faults - like the claim that some Skippers machine-gunned survivors in their boats. This brought a letter from RADM ERICH TOPP (118-LIFE-1985). We are also told that US Coast Guard RADM J. A. ALGERS (1233-+-1989), an escort Skipper along the east coast who saw a lot of action during the war, was not overly pleased with the accuracy of some things in ‘TORPEDO JUNCTION’.

HICKAM gave a rather poor review of WIGGINS’ book, but let’s look at what he wrote. He refers to Admiral Dönitz’s order for a ‘merciless assault’ along the US coast; to KPLT Schacht’s ‘rapacious campaign’; and to WIGGINS’ descriptions of U-Boat attacks as ‘especially and disturbingly bloodless’ and he goes on with other pointless and nit-picking comments.

“Merciless assault”? They sank ships like any other submarine. That may be merciless, but that’s what you do with a submarine and did HICKAM actually see a copy of an order from GrossAdmiral Dönitz that used the word ‘merciless’? I doubt it.

“Rapacious campaign”? Where does he find information that Schacht or his crew raped anyone?

“Especially and disturbingly bloodless”? Here HICKAM tips his hand and shows that he really wants to read tabloid blood and guts hatred, condemning the German U-BootFahrer.

When he dropped his SHARKHUNTERS Membership, he told one of our Members, a crewman who sailed under ALGERS, that SHARKHUNTERS wasn’t hard enough on the Germans. He also missed the critically important point that MELANIE is a real historian. MELANIE has been with our SHARKHUNTERS in Germany and Austria as well as one or two gatherings in the USA where she did real interviews with a great many U-BootFahrer; with the great Skippers as well as the torpedomen, the radiomen and the crewmen as well.

What an unusual way to write a good book that is historically accurate - you talk to the people on both sides of an event and learn from them what really did take place. Who knows, this might start a whole new trend - accurate history.

What are HOMER HICKAM’s credentials as a historian? He wrote one book that is flawed; and is a Space Station Manager with NASA. Is that is a proper background to be a historian or to review a historical work on submarine warfare?

Too many would-be historians feel they need to designate who are ‘the good guys’ and who are ‘the bad guys’ in a historical event. No - just tell the story, lay out the facts, keep the writing accurate and without judgmental comments. MELANIE really is a historian; something HICKAM apparently didn’t realize.

UNHAPPY WORDS

Anytime I plan to publish something that may be unsettling to someone, I always give them the courtesy of advance notice in case there are any errors that need correcting or something along those lines. I extended this courtesy to former Member HOMER HICKAM (1235-1989) concerning the review of his review of the book ‘TORPEDOES IN THE GULF’ that you read on the preceding page.

We received a six-page long fax in which HICKAM gives his reasons why he thinks we should not publish this review of his review. In this FAX, he states, regarding author MELANIE WIGGINS (1436-1990):

“It is axiomatic that a writer must by nature be thick-skinned, i.e. willing to accept criticism and either learn from it or reject it.”

He also wrote a note to the USCGC DIONE association, in which he mentions that some veterans of the DIONE are Members of what he calls our ‘little club’ and he asks the man running the DIONE reunion committee to publish a note in their newsletter asking DIONE veterans to refrain from talking to us, and also asks them to ‘keep an eye out for any comments’ regarding him in our newsletter. He stated that he will be looking for ‘some legal recourse’ if we print what he calls ‘nonsense’ about him.

I wonder how anyone can consider our organization, with some 5,000 Members in 61 countries a ‘little club’ or to consider our KTB Magazine a ‘newsletter’ when it clearly meets the requirements as a magazine and is held in highest esteem by archives and historians around the globe; but I guess this just points out how some people can have trouble with facts. It would seem to me that anyone who asks others to refrain from talking about them to a publication just indicates that they might have some concerns, and that accuracy is something they may possibly fear.

What happened to HICKAM’s own statement that writers must have a thick skin and be able to accept criticisms of their writing? But the biggest question is - what makes HICKAM think that the First Amendment of the US Constitution does not apply to those who criticize his writing?

Tough Words

WALTER KERN (EH 388-1995) is the first Member of the EAGLEHUNTERS ADVISORY BOARD. We have him read our rough pages of both the KTB Magazine and the FB Magazine before going to press, primarily to look for errors in the use of the German language and hopefully avoid errors of the past. He could not resist this comment when reading these rough-cut pages.

“I was especially impressed and pleased by your frank and frontal attack in the BOOK REVIEW. You do the absolute correct thing Harry, and it is for people like you, who set the record straight, that we can never let up on the history-benders who, for whatever reason, still want the old adage that the pen is mightier than the sword. While we all have the means to say the truth - let’s stick to it. Well done, my friend.”