Decades of Rebellion, Volume 1 Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | June 2024 | Title | Decades of Rebellion, Volume 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Santiago Flores, M Reyna Garza | Publisher | Helion |
| Published | 2024 | ISBN | 9781913336387 |
| Format | 82 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $29.95 |
Review
Baffling, troubling gaps in our knowledge of Mexican military aviation during the 1920s and 1930s, Santiago Flores and M Reyna Garza aver, prompted preparation of their Decades of Rebellion – a two-part study in Helion’s vast, growing “Latin America@War” range.
“[S]ome confusion exists due to the events that happened during these decades, and there are several different versions about specific affairs,” they note. “Even official government publications and websites rarely mention the period between 1920 and 1940 – particularly the times when the Military Aviation Service proved unable to protect the established government … .”
So “based on whatever related documentation could be found” – and some manifestly serious sleuthing – the authors seek to plug those gaps.
Exhibit A: Volume 1, “Mexican Military Aviation in the Rebellions of the 1920s”. Text traverses five illuminating chapters over 80 pithy pages:
- The Fall of Carranza, May 1920
- Problems with Colonel Cantu, Baja California 1920
- De la Huerta Rebellion, 1923-1924
- The Yaqui Indian Uprising of 1926-1927
- General Enrique Estrada Roque’s Cross-Border Plot to Seize Baja California, 1926
Coverage comes packed with revelations – and rare photos of participating personalities and planes.
Eighteen color profiles survey the swath of 1920s Mexican warplane livery. Several maps put text into geographic context. Sidebars and endnotes further augment the account. And reference lists provide helpful launchpads for further study of this fascinating period.
And I can’t wait for Volume 2.
Recommended!
Still, the cover painting of Mexican-American advisor Ralph O’Neill’s air attack on the Mexican protected cruiser Zaragoza confused me.
Caption to Tom Cooper’s excellent color plate of O’Neill’s Dayton Wright DH.4B claims “no photographic evidence showing any bomb racks on these aircraft”. His profile, confirmed by a page 46 photo, also depicts the final, back-to-back crew seating configuration.
Yet the cover image shows bomb splashes – and significant spacing between the pilot and gunner.
What is correct?
My sincere thanks to Casemate Publishing for this review sample!