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by Helio Higuchi and Antonio Luis Sapienza Fracchia.
Softcover (8.3×11.8 inches). 80 pages. 2025.
Subtitle: Civil War in the Dominican Republic 1965
Subtitle: Latin America at War 49
Lt. Col. Rafael Trujillio launched a successful coup and ruled the Dominican Republic as your typical dictator through the 1950s until assassinated in 1961. After four years of instability, the Loyalists and the Constitutionalists squared off in a civil war using a lot of WWII-era US equipment. In the air: P-38, P-47, P-51, DC-3, B-17, B-25, and B-26 prowled the skies. On the ground: Stuarts and M3 halftracks provided the armor support. Warehouses of weaponry were turned over to civilians as the fighting intensified.
Operation Power Pack was the 1965 US invasion of the country to drive a wedge between the two warring factions and restore law and order before any more chaos could erupt in the Caribbean. Altogether, the US launched four Power Pack operations and put about 24,000 troops in country. The Organization of American States was called in to negotiate a political solution.
I rather enjoyed the section on US PsyOps designed to win the hearts and minds of the population. These included radio and TV broadcasts; newspaper, poster, pamphlet, and other printed items; and handing out $100 bills (p64) and 13-inch black and white TV sets (p65). Imagine that.
The book contains 222 black and white photos, 12 color photos, four color posters, one black and white illustration, one color map, three color insignia, and color camouflage illustrations: 18 aircraft, two vehicles, and two helicopters.
Volume 2 will cover the Inter-American Peace Force.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
