"From the 1898 war with Spain through the disastrous 1915 Australian landing to the successful World War II assaults in the Pacific and northwest France, this chronological history explores the successes and failures pivotal to the concept of amphibious warfare through the lives and careers of fourteen officers instrumental to its development"--Provided by publisher.

pt. 1. The era of the Advanced Base Force, 1880-1918 -- Colonel Robert W. Huntington, USMC -- Admiral William S. Sims, USN -- Major General George Barnett, USMC -- Major General Eli K. Cole, USMC -- pt. 2. The interwar years, 1919-1940 -- Brigadier General Dion Williams, USMC -- Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Austell Cunningham, USMC -- Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune, USMC -- Brigadier General Robert H. Dunlap, USMC -- Colonel Ellis B. Miller, USMC -- Major General John H. Russell, Jr., USMC -- pt. 3. The war years, 1941-1945 -- Lieutenant General Pedro del Valle, USMC -- Rear Admiral Walter C. Ansel, USN -- Lieutenant General Arthur G. Trudeau, USA -- General George S. Patton, Jr., USA -- Appendix: Amphibious Assault Plans.