In the second book of Gregoy Maguire’s Another Day trilogy‚ young (and somewhat amnesiac) Rain says‚ “I’m learning there’s never a way home‚ only a way forward. So let’s take it.” The green granddaughter of Elphaba Thropp‚ Rain spends the first two books of her story far from home. In the wake of a very upsetting event‚ she departed for distant shores‚ taking Elphie’s broom and her powerful book‚ the Grimmerie‚ which Rain dropped in the sea.  But—as even twentysomething witches eventually learn—you can’t leave your past behind. (It’s also quite hard to get rid of a magical tome that would prefer not to be drowned‚ thank you.) Having made unexpected new friends‚ traveled across a strange land‚ and accidentally uncovered a family secret‚ Rain now has her own future ahead of her (and a good deal of her memory back). She is—almost—on her way back to Oz. The Brides of Maracoor was an arrival; The Oracle of Maracoor a journey; and The Witch of Maracoor a destination. A destination is not always just a place; it can also be a person‚ and one in particular has been haunting Rain this whole time. In the final book of Maguire’s previous Oz series‚ a young man named Tip was revealed to be none other than Ozma Tippetarius‚ the long-missing ruler of Oz. But to Rain‚ Tip was her beloved‚ and this revelation brought with it more than your average amount of shock. Rain has always been making her way back to Tip‚ to Ozma—she just had to go the really‚ really long way ‘round. That way involved mysterious brides‚ and harpies‚ and a blue wolf whose presence I rather miss; it involved the aged Wizard of Oz and a powerful artifact and the living bits of stories that appeared and vanished around the land of Maracoor Abiding. If the second book felt like Rain and her companions journeying further into myth‚ this one feels like she’s coming back out again—appropriately changed. There’s the matter of a seashell full of pollen that must be delivered to a specific place. There’s the fact that she remembers a lot more about her life now.  And there’s the matter of her changing relationships: with her Goose companion‚ Iskinaary‚ who finds a purpose of his own; with the Minor Adjutant Lucikles‚ who has accompanied Rain on the last non-broom-traveling leg of her journey; with her father‚ Liir‚ when she does go home; and with Tip-turned-Ozma‚ restored (or is she?) to her place in the Emerald City.  The first book of Another Day was about a lot of things‚ including the way stories can be used to control‚ and the things we find when we don’t know what we’re looking for. The second was a beautifully balanced story that encompassed myth‚ power‚ responsibility‚ family secrets‚ road trips‚ harpies‚ and climate-concerned tree folk—and still held an incredible amount of empathy for one heartbroken and powerful girl who maybe messed up the world when she tried to run away from her heartbreak.  In The Witch of Maracoor‚ Rain finds herself. She finds her own voice—one‚ notably‚ in which questions do not come with question marks—she finds herself in a bit of an affair‚ which is powerful and awkward and strange and playful. She finds her father‚ and his life has changed; she finds her grandmother’s old Nanny‚ troubled flying monkeys‚ and a girl who used to be a boy. She finds Oz‚ messy and familiar and strange‚ and she finds herself in it: her inheritance‚ her ancestry‚ her love.  Rain’s meandering journey is dreamy‚ odd‚ sometimes retrospective‚ but Maguire’s tone‚ and Rain’s voice‚ can be sharp‚ wise‚ practical. Unsentimental‚ for all that we’re going back to Oz‚ and going back to familiar territory. But he knows how to let her heart show (give this girl an animal companion and she will show you her whole heart)‚ and he knows exactly‚ beautifully‚ how to draw his intimate yet world-spanning story to a close. Rain gets a lot of advice in this book‚ my favorite piece of which comes from a source both questionable and welcome‚ an apparition (maybe?) who tells her‚ “What you say matters. What you do matters. Love whom you will‚ cherish them while you have the time‚ don’t give an inch when the bullies kick at your stilts. Kick back‚ and then give them a poultice if you’ve hurt them.” Buy it Now It’s heartfelt‚ and it’s also practical. (A poultice!) This book‚ this series‚ is a coming of age tale about growing up and growing into your own power—recognizing that power whether you want to or not. Taking responsibility where you can‚ and making apologies where you need to. And it is about permission—the kind you can only give to yourself.  Maguire moves smoothly from a world of women controlled by men‚ to a world that breathes mythology‚ to some not entirely subtle not nevertheless gorgeous ideas about rain (lowercase) and fertility and love and finding the power to put yourself in the world on your own terms. Rain’s journey changes the world‚ but Rain has to change her inner landscape before she can go home and face the great changes in the person she loves. (Who‚ it must be said‚ has been processing her own changes under less than ideal circumstances‚ and who is so immediately endearing that I think‚ perhaps‚ we need a Tippa series next.) You could say that Maguire rewrites the hero’s journey in this trilogy. You could also say that he finds another way for a green girl to be a revolutionary force—a way that lets her live‚ and live for herself‚ no less. The Another Day books are not‚ like the Wicked Years‚ a direct response to Oz‚ but something wilder and looser‚ set free of the constraints of one Wicked Witch’s tragic fate. Rain’s story is mythic‚ strange‚ wry‚ and down-to-earth‚ and it feels to me like something you absorb slowly‚ like water into damp soil. Some books you understand; some books you accept. This is the latter. It feels like a reminder‚ like a guidebook through rough times‚ and at the same time it reads like a dream. “I am altered for having read from it once or twice. I can’t help it. No reader throws off a book’s influence by mere intention‚” Rain thinks of the Grimmerie. I know what she means; I am most certainly altered for having read these books. The Witch of Maracoor is available from William Morrow. Molly Templeton lives and writes in Oregon‚ and spends as much time as possible in the woods. Sometimes she talks about books on Twitter.

Once again‚ it’s time to look back at some of our favorite non-fiction articles from the past year! Below‚ we’ve rounded up many of our favorite essays about books‚ reading‚ writing‚ and storytelling—there will be a separate list of articles discussing TV‚ movies‚ and other media coming soon. While our end-of-year lists are focused on standalone essays and articles‚ we’re also incredibly proud of our lineup of regular columns (including two new series‚ Dissecting The Dark Descent and our Elantris Reread)‚ along with the amazing array of fiction recommendations and discussion provided by our many wonderful contributors. This was a banner year for Tor.com—we started things off with Space Opera Week‚ celebrated our 15th Anniversary all summer long‚ and at one point‚ experienced a full-on Tingle Takeover (and yes‚ it was life-changing). There’s so much more to come in 2024—for now we hope that you enjoy the selections below‚ and since these are just some of our favorite book-centric essays from the last twelve months or so—we couldn’t possibly include everything we love—please feel free to tell us about the articles‚ columns‚ and discussions that have stuck with you this year!   Taking Inspiration from Beloved Fantasy Series… “The Long Defeat”: Reading Tolkien in the Time of Climate Change by Alyssa Hull Climate change was already occurring during the years when Tolkien lived and wrote. Though he may not have been aware of a growing knowledge of global warming‚ I think his work is directly applicable to all of us who face the current onslaught of frightening headlines about climate disasters and think‚ like Frodo‚ “I wish it need not have happened in my time.” What Makes A Knight: The Continuing Influence of Alanna of Trebond by Esme Symes-Smith I was genderqueer but I didn’t have the words to explain myself yet (and wouldn’t for almost twenty more years)‚ but I did have a role-model: Alanna of Trebond‚ Tamora Pierce’s first Lady Knight. The Song of the Lioness Quartet follows Alanna from an aspiring page to a fully qualified knight‚ as well as her journey from a girl pretending to be a boy called Alan‚ to being confidently and exactly Alanna. Sazed Is a Reminder That Everything You Create Matters by Ratika Deshpande We can never have enough new perspectives‚ enough art‚ enough stories. Sazed and the Keepers were always searching; they knew that they didn’t know everything. And they didn’t just preserve what had already happened in the past‚ but also what was going on around them […] In a way‚ the Keeper’s work will never be done‚ because as long as there are people living‚ there will be stories to preserve.   Exploring Issues of Family and Identity Mother and the Wolf: Maternal Power in Fairy Tales by Julie Phillips To venture into the forest is a hero’s deed. To take up one’s feelings of maternal depression and weave them into a story‚ as Le Guin did‚ is a hero’s deed. I believe that there is more than one matrix into which mothers must descend. One is for the artist‚ who follows her muse into the core‚ where the language is hot and the images smolder. Another is for the mother who must reckon with her volcanic emotions: anger‚ resentment‚ despair‚ too much love. Entwined‚ they become a hero’s tale about the most basic work of being human‚ nurturing one’s soul. Mirror‚ Mirror in the Ward by Ava Reid There are no mirrors in a psych ward. Broken glass can too easily be fashioned into a weapon—as the fairy tales will warn you. Despite this‚ I still saw myself reflected back. […] A book is a portal‚ much like Alice’s mirror. But unlike a mirror‚ which reflects only physical reality‚ a book builds its own symbolic world around you. It can be the shelter of a grand castle. It can be the promise of adventure at the prow of a ship. It can be the mystery of a gloom-cloaked forest. As Ursula K. Le Guin said‚ a book is not ephemeral. It lasts. It is reliable. There has always been a castle‚ a ship‚ a forest. So I began to trust this world within the pages—slowly‚ shakily‚ but irrevocably. Parenting an Idea in Saga by Natalie Zutter That’s what makes Saga endure so well: Like Hazel‚ it grows into something new with every break and return‚ and its place within our comics universe—and its readers’ own personal universes—shifts. Having celebrated its ten-year anniversary a year ago‚ it hasn’t abandoned its opening line (This is how an idea becomes real)‚ but rather has embraced how it’s not as simple as releasing an idea into the ether; you have to nurture it‚ even when you feel that you can’t possibly do so‚ to ensure its survival. And‚ most crucially‚ you have to let go of your expectations for what ideas your idea wants to create. Food‚ Family‚ and Colonialism in Trang Thanh Tran’s She Is a Haunting by Wen-yi Lee Meals have been a stage for Asian families in books across genres‚ from the plentiful dinners in Fonda Lee’s Green Bone saga to the likes of Crying in H Mart and The Vegetarian. There’s that stereotype about Asian parents: emotionally unavailable‚ communicating only through bowls of cut fruit and your favourite snacks magically stocked in the fridge‚ et cetera‚ et cetera. Even as the secrets threaten to crack the family apart‚ there’s a father in the kitchen‚ peeling prawns for dinner‚ obsessing over the flavours‚ the ingredients. The things he can navigate so much more easily than a daughter. Even when the supernatural warns you against it‚ food is family and homeland‚ and the hunger for that can overpower all else. In this house‚ you eat connection   Literary Criticism and Textual Analysis Tracing the Affinities Between Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and C.S Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew by Iona Glen Clarke also professes an “old longing” to find Lewis’ Wardrobe‚ the portal that first leads the Pevensie children into Narnia. Yet it is The Magician’s Nephew‚ Narnia’s origin story‚ that has perhaps the most profound influence upon Piranesi. The affinities between the two books illuminate the major themes of both‚ particularly their interest in the ethics of scholarship and different ways of knowing. Piranesi’s reworking of Lewis reveals just how profoundly our childhood reading can shape us‚ providing us with our first Other Worlds to explore. Reading Naomi Novik’s Scholomance Series as a Response to Ursula K. Le Guin by Elyse Martin This is at the heart of Novik’s imaginative future; this is her response to Le Guin’s call to action. We live in a world like that of the Scholomance series‚ where certain societies are safe because they have built their success on the sacrifice of others: the vulnerable‚ the colonized‚ the weak. But this is a very shaky foundation. The greed upon which society grows will ultimately consume it‚ particularly if‚ as in The Golden Enclaves‚ the powerful only agree to find a new way forward when it becomes “a matter of immediate self-preservation”. Speaking Truth Into Being: Trans Identity in Ann Leckie’s The Raven Tower by Logan Dreher Against this backdrop‚ Eolo asserts his certainty‚ his wholeness. He is not broken or less than. He already is who he is. Eolo is powerful because of his trans identity‚ not in spite of it. He is able to intervene in the plot of the novel because his trans experience has taught him how to interface with gods. In The Raven Tower‚ trans people are not confused or broken‚ and their trans identities are not an absence or a lack‚ but a presence‚ a power. Are We the Baddies? Magic and Normativity in The Locked Tomb Series by Kristen Patterson  Muir has created a universe in which we root for necromancers—and their cavaliers!—as naturally as we’d root for any other protagonist. Now in book three‚ she’s complicated that dynamic‚ pushing the world of necromancy away to the distance where it starts to look less familiar. At that point‚ we’re forced to reevaluate and ask‚ “Why necromancers? Why the kind of magic that bleeds and oozes?” It’s an invitation to think more deeply about the overall themes of the Locked Tomb books—about bodies‚ death‚ grief‚ and the boundaries we draw and then sometimes erase between ourselves and others.   Wrestling With the Current Cultural Moment The Problem With Small Town Witch Romances by Jenny Hamilton While some of the books under discussion here do include BIPOC characters (and even BIPOC love interests)‚ the idyllic quaintness they’re reaching for depends on the erasure of America’s centuries-long persecution of Black and brown communities. It’s a conundrum you can see authors struggling with: The towns must be old if they are to be picturesque; but they can’t be old without having also been implicated in this country’s violent history; but the violent histories can’t be talked about because they bring down the vibe. The compromise (white) authors tend to strike is simply to pretend that American history didn’t happen‚ or at least didn’t happen in this place to these people. Why Do We Still Love Robots in Fiction When They’re Taking Our Jobs IRL? by Samit Basu For writers and artists‚ the threat of the industries we work in being thrown into (deeper) chaos because some corporate person decides to cost-cut/IP-hoard/Replace Annoying Humans is already very real. Which is why it was interesting for me‚ over the last few years‚ to on the one hand become increasingly irritated by the advance of the AI takeover‚ turn down various projects where tech people wanted me to help train AI to replace human authors—and on the other hand‚ keep working on a novel where two of the three main characters were robots‚ and also people whose feelings‚ rights and welfare I cared deeply about because I loved them. Which brought me to the question—why do we still love robots/AI in fiction when we increasingly don’t in real life? Mid-Apocalyptic Fiction: Writing Against a Climate Catharsis by Theodore McCombs The mid-apocalyptic climate stories also enforce on an emotional level what the science tells us: that we are intimately accountable to the world that comes after us. Apocalypses let us off the hook: What’s the point of trying if the Earth is doomed? How can this clean bus program or that wetland conservation project—not to mention one ordinary person’s decisions—matter at all‚ against those stakes? But climate change will not erase the slate; any future world will remember‚ in a ruthlessly embodied and practical way‚ in its scars‚ decisions we make and don’t make over the next few decades.   Staring Into the Void… The Land Beyond Spacetime: Dinosaurs and Cosmic Horror by Fletcher Wortmann The second thing that children learn about dinosaurs is that now‚ in the present day‚ all the dinosaurs are gone. I wonder: prior to the dinosaur boom in popular culture in the 1980s and ’90s‚ how many children under the age of five knew the definition of the word “extinction?” And we aren’t talking about the extinction of a single species‚ not just the sad likelihood that someday soon there might not be any more snow leopards or sea turtles: we’re talking about planetary extinction‚ an event that obliterated every living animal bigger than a guinea pig‚ not because of hunting or pollution but preordained by the random trajectories of chunks of rock tumbling through a vast‚ indifferent cosmos. Every Space Story Is a Horror Story by Emily Hughes The thing about the void is‚ that void doesn’t hate you. The void doesn’t know or care that you exist‚ nor would it know or care if you stopped existing. The void just kind of goes on voiding‚ infinitely. This is‚ when you get right down to it‚ the basic premise of cosmic horror: space is unknown‚ unknowable‚ indifferent‚ and exists on a scale that’s incomprehensible to humans. Its mere existence is enough to instill spontaneous ego death. And every story that takes place there is inextricably linked to that enormous absence. Art in Defiance of the Endless Cosmic Nothing by Chuck Tingle People often ask me—in a variety of different ways—how they too can become a successful writer. The truth is‚ I have no idea what journey will work for you. What I can speak on‚ however‚ is the journey that works for me. With this in mind‚ I’ll offer up the simplest distillation of my own creative process: love is the most powerful artistic fuel there is‚ and I’m not afraid to use it. Allow Me To Make a Gentle Plea For More Space Horror by Kali Wallace Horror can serve a lot of purposes in storytelling‚ aside from the obvious one of scaring our pants off for fun. It’s also a way to explore fears and anxieties‚ critique traditions and societies‚ and examine prejudices and assumptions. But one thing that makes horror especially powerful in space-based science fiction is this: it is one of the best ways we have to make personal‚ intimate‚ and immediate things which might otherwise feel too big‚ too strange‚ or too remote for intense emotional impact.   New Ways of Looking at the Classics John Milton the Space Poet: Early Traces of Science Fiction in Paradise Lost by A.J. Rocca At times‚ Paradise Lost even seems to border on something like space opera: the angel Raphael hints at the existence of other worlds and extraterrestrial life‚ and Satan’s journey through the void to reach Earth is nothing less than an interstellar space flight. Milton was sometimes able to anticipate science fiction because of his engagement with the astronomy of his day‚ especially the new Copernican astronomy which laid the foundation for so much of SF’s interstellar fabulations. While I won’t go so far as to say that Milton himself was an SF writer‚ I do think we should at least acknowledge him as some kind of literary precursor: a space poet. Little Worms: Mary Shelley and the Noodle that Created Science Fiction by GennaRose Nethercott When ancient Etruscans served up the world’s very first bowl of pasta‚ they had no idea that humans would still be dining on the dish nearly twenty-three hundred years later. Nor could they have known that their simple meal would one day lead to the birth of one of history’s most feared and beloved monsters. In fact‚ a single humble noodle would go on to change the course of all of English literature.   Mark as Read Molly Templeton’s Mark as Read column‚ now in its third year‚ gives readers a place to talk about the things that connect us (and occasionally frustrate us) as lovers of books. Over the last twelve months‚ the column has ruminated on the concept of reading dealbreakers and other ways reading can be weird or hard or personal‚ pushed back against the idea that readers are “consumers of books‚” and found a new way to think about the books we’re not reading… yet. All that‚ and Molly still has time to ask the tough questions‚ like “Where Are the Lady Gandalfs?” and “What Does a Dragon Look Like?” You can find the full list of columns (and the conversations they’ve inspired) at the series page‚ here. ***   That’s all for now‚ but keep an eye out for the second half of our 2023 highlights coming up in the new year‚ where we’ll be talking all about old and new movies‚ TV series‚ and other pop culture favorites. In the meantime‚ if you’re feeling nostalgic‚ you can always check out our “Some of the Best…” article round-ups from previous years: 2022’s Fiction Articles list and Film‚ TV &; Pop Culture list; 2021; 2020; 2019; 2018; and 2017. Happy reading!

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL: A Florida high school has been fined and placed on administrative probation for violating the state’s bylaws by allowing a biologically male student to participate on a female sports team‚ The Daily Signal has learned. The move appears to be the first time that a public school has been punished for violating state laws protecting fairness in women’s sports. “Thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis‚ Florida passed legislation to protect girls’ sports and we will not tolerate any school that violates this law‚” Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said in statement to The Daily Signal. “We applaud the swift action taken by the Florida High School Athletic Association to ensure there are serious consequences for this illegal behavior.” In a letter sent Tuesday morning‚ the Florida High School Athletic Association informed Monarch High School and its principal‚ Dr. Moira Sweeting-Miller‚ that the high school “permitted a biological male to participate on the girls volleyball team during the 2022-2023 and 2023-24 Girls Volleyball seasons‚” thereby violating FHSA Bylaw 8.6.2 and Florida Statute 1006.205(3)(c). Self-Report_-_Monarch_-_VolleyballDownload Florida’s bylaw 8.62 states that “biological males may not participate on a female team in any sport‚” the letter reminds Monarch High School. Policy 16.11.6 states that the “use of an ineligible student when self-reported‚ may subject the school to a monetary penalty of a minimum of $100 per contest and/or other sanctions.” F.S. 1006.205(3)(c) states that “athletic teams or sports designated for females‚ women‚ or girls may not be open to students of the male sex.” That male student played in over 30 games‚ according to the letter‚ and the athletic association has not “received any corrective actions from Monarch High School.” As punishment‚ the association officially reprimands Monarch High School with a letter that becomes “a permanent part of the school’s membership record.” The association also places the school on “Administrative Probation” through November 20‚ 2024. In this one letter‚ the school has been reprimanded‚ fined‚ and served notice that it is in a “period of warning for a minimum calendar year.” The letter additionally states that Monarch High School owes a monetary penalty of $16‚500 ($500 per contest‚ in accordance with Policy 16.11.6)‚ and Monarch High School representatives will be required to attend one of the association’s Compliance Seminars in both 2024 and 2025. The high school will also be required to host association staff for an “eligibility and Compliance Workshop” no later than June 30‚ 2024. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post EXCLUSIVE: Florida School Punished for Allowing Boy in Girls’ Sports appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The video hosting platform Rumble‚ known for advocating free speech‚ just experienced a severe cyber attack. This incident occurred not long after the platform began hosting new security camera footage from the events of January 6th 2021‚ and Rumble’s CEO makes a direct correlation between the two events. As we reported last week‚ the Republican-led Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on House Administration last week unveiled their new Rumble channel. This channel was dedicated to publishing hours of footage from the Capitol Police. Soon after the footage was uploaded‚ Rumble suffered a significant‚ coordinated cyber attack. This disruption made it impossible for users to upload or view any content on the platform. Rumble’s CEO‚ Chris Pavlovski‚ addressed the situation on X‚ stating‚ “I can confirm that this attack has been unprecedented and has been happening since this weekend.” Pavlovski also expressed his suspicion that the attack was politically motivated‚ likely perpetrated by activists or organizations opposed to the J6 videos on Rumble. The attack was remedied on Monday evening. In a statement‚ the company expressed its gratitude‚ saying‚ “A major thank you to our cyber security partners and our entire team. This was a massive learning experience that will only make us stronger.” They also extended their appreciation to all users and creators for their patience during the disruption. The post Rumble Fights Off Unprecedented Cyberattack‚ Likely An Attempt To Censor Creators‚ CEO Says appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

It’s probably fair to say that most of us spend a lot more time thinking about the folks leaping from landing craft than we do about the landing craft themselves‚ yet back in August this year‚ at the extraordinary D-Day Ohio event at Conneaut‚ Ohio‚ on the shores of Lake Erie‚ I finally got to ride in a Higgins boat. Perched next to the coxswain‚ I looked down and watched the wires moving back and forth as they pulled the rudder this way and that and was struck by how incredibly rudimentary it all was. Such a simple design and really with just one purpose: to deliver a small vehicle or assault platoon directly onto a beach. It was 36 feet long‚ 11 wide‚ and could do about 12 knots on a calm sea. Incredibly‚ the Allies had no landing craft at all when the war broke out in September 1939‚ and although Andrew Higgins in New Orleans delivered a “landing craft‚ personnel (large)”—LCP—to the British at the back end of 1940‚ it wasn’t until May 1941 that the first Higgins boat received its trials. By this time‚ it was clear that Britain would have to launch any future assault on Europe from the sea‚ and that if the United States entered the war it would be in the same position. As things turned out‚ landing craft became one of the most vital items in the Allied arsenal‚ essential for operations in the Pacific as well as in the Mediterranean and‚ of course‚ Normandy. Nor were the Higgins boats the only landing craft. Rather‚ a huge array was developed and produced‚ not least the incredible LST—landing ship‚ tank—which was 382 feet long‚ had a draft under the ship’s forward bow of just four feet‚ and could deliver 18 Sherman tanks or more than 200 troops directly onto a beach. This meant the Allies no longer needed a port and quaysides for an amphibious attack; as both the November 1942 Torch landings in Northwest Africa and then the July 1943 assault on Sicily showed‚ the LSTs and slightly smaller LCTs (landing craft‚ tank) were game changers for the Allies. Much of the Sicilian campaign‚ for example‚ was supplied by these landing craft‚ even as some ports became available. The U.S. Navy had‚ in fact‚ woken up a little late to the urgent need to build huge numbers of landing craft‚ but between April 1942 and May 1943 shipyards across the States produced a staggering 8‚719 of all types‚ including the truly revolutionary DUKW—pronounced “duck”—a remarkable wheeled‚ amphibious craft that could drive straight off the beaches. These were still not enough‚ however‚ as the U.S. accelerated its efforts in the Pacific and put Overlord‚ the invasion of Normandy‚ as its priority for the war against Germany. It meant that after Sicily‚ when General Mark Clark’s Fifth Army landed at Salerno‚ south of Naples‚ on September 9‚ 1943‚ he had nothing like enough assault craft. For Sicily‚ the Allies had 1‚743‚ but for Avalanche‚ the codename for the Salerno landings‚ just 359. Clark could land only a meager three divisions and a handful of special forces in the initial attack. So‚ despite vast forces in the Mediterranean‚ the Allies’ assault was far smaller than ideal. Avalanche was an incredibly high-risk enterprise as a result‚ albeit one that fortunately prevailed. Nor were there enough landing craft for D-Day. Although 4‚127 were involved‚ General Bernard Law Montgomery‚ the land force commander‚ wanted more; a sixth beach‚ Band‚ had to be abandoned because of the shortage. Outflanking operations in Italy and Burma were discarded for lack of assault craft‚ while the landings at Anzio in Italy‚ in January 1944‚ also lacked sufficient strength for want of these vital vessels. As the Higgins craft rumbled across the water on Lake Erie‚ I was struck by how incredibly simple this box-like craft was‚ but also how valuable. Assault craft were key to the entire western Allies’ way of war and yet had there been even more of them‚ what a difference that would have made. Perhaps the war really would have been over earlier. this article first appeared in world war II magazine See more stories SubscriBE NOW!  

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