Neptune's Inferno

Neptune's Inferno PDF Author: James D. Hornfischer
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553385127
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 578

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Book Description
“A literary tour de force that is destined to become one of the . . . definitive works about the battle for Guadalcanal . . . [James D.] Hornfischer deftly captures the essence of the most pivotal naval campaign of the Pacific war.”—San Antonio Express-News The Battle of Guadalcanal has long been heralded as a Marine victory. Now, with his powerful portrait of the Navy’s sacrifice, James D. Hornfischer tells for the first time the full story of the men who fought in destroyers, cruisers, and battleships in the narrow, deadly waters of “Ironbottom Sound.” Here, in stunning cinematic detail, are the seven major naval actions that began in August 1942, a time when the war seemed unwinnable and America fought on a shoestring, with the outcome always in doubt. Working from new interviews with survivors, unpublished eyewitness accounts, and newly available documents, Hornfischer paints a vivid picture of the officers and enlisted men who opposed the Japanese in America’s hour of need. The first major work on this subject in almost two decades, Neptune’s Inferno does what all great battle narratives do: It tells the gripping human stories behind the momentous events and critical decisions that altered the course of history and shaped so many lives. Praise for Neptune’s Inferno “Vivid and engaging . . . extremely readable, comprehensive and thoroughly researched.”—Ronald Spector, The Wall Street Journal “Superlative storytelling . . . the masterwork on the long-neglected topic of World War II’s surface ship combat.”—Richard B. Frank, World War II “The author’s two previous World War II books . . . thrust him into the major leagues of American military history writers. Neptune’s Inferno is solid proof he deserves to be there.”—The Dallas Morning News “Outstanding . . . The author’s narrative gifts and excellent choice of detail give an almost Homeric quality to the men who met on the sea in steel titans.”—Booklist (starred review) “Brilliant . . . a compelling narrative of naval combat . . . simply superb.”—The Washington Times

Hell's Islands

Hell's Islands PDF Author: Stanley Coleman Jersey
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1603444556
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 538

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Book Description
Presents battlefield accounts and first-person narratives from over 200 Allied and Japanese veterans of the battle on Guadalcanal Island between August 1942 and February 1943.

Guadalcanal Campaign

Guadalcanal Campaign PDF Author:
Publisher: PediaPress
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Hell at Tassafaronga

Hell at Tassafaronga PDF Author: Herbert C. Brown
Publisher: Ancient Mariners Press
ISBN: 9780970072146
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description


The Battle for Hell's Island

The Battle for Hell's Island PDF Author: Stephen L. Moore
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0451473760
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 514

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Book Description
From the author of Pacific Payback, the true story of how a patchwork band of aviators saved Guadalcanal during WWII. November 1942: Japanese and American forces fight for control of Guadalcanal, a small but pivotal island in the South Pacific. The Japanese call it Jigoku no Shima—Hell's Island. Amid a seeming stalemate, a small group of U.S. Navy dive-bombers is called upon to help determine the island’s fate. When their carriers are lost, they are forced to operate from Henderson Field, a small dirt-and-gravel airstrip on Guadalcanal. They help form the Cactus Air Force, tasked with making dangerous flights from their jungle airfield while holding the line against Japanese air assaults, warship bombardments, and sniper attacks from the jungle. When the Japanese launch a final offensive to take the island, these dive-bomber jocks answer the call of duty—turning back an enemy warship armada, fighter planes, and a convoy of troop transports. The Battle for Hell's Island reveals how command of the South Pacific, and the outcome of the Pacific War, depended on control of a single dirt airstrip—and the small group of battle-weary aviators sent to protect it with their lives. INCLUDES PHOTOS

The Battle of Tassafaronga

The Battle of Tassafaronga PDF Author: Estate of R S Crenshaw
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 1612515517
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
The Battle of Tassafaronga, November 30, 1942, was the fifth and last major night surface action fought off Savo Island during World War II’s Guadalcanal campaign. It ended a string of Japanese victories, but it was also a horrible embarrassment to the U.S. Navy, which had three heavy cruisers damaged and one sunk to enemy torpedoes. After the battle, American commanders erroneously reported that multiple enemy ships had been sunk or seriously damaged, leading Admiral Nimitz to focus on training as the missing ingredient. Not until more than half a century later did Captain Russell S. Crenshaw, Jr., the destroyer Maury’s gunnery officer during the battle, discover that the outcome hinged instead on critical shortcomings that had been built into the U.S. Navy before the war—defective torpedoes, poor intelligence, blinding gunfire, over-confidence, and a tendency to equate volume of fire with effectiveness of fire—factors that turned the battle into “a crucible in which the very nature of the U.S. Navy and its weapons was tested [and] a miniature of what might have been, under other circumstances, a truly devastating defeat.”

Underage and Under Fire

Underage and Under Fire PDF Author: Allan C. Stover
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476615306
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
This work tells the personal stories of boys and girls who left home and enlisted in the U.S. military at ages 11 to 16. Many had difficult home lives, some wanted adventure or a better future, but all wanted to serve their country. They missed high school proms, adolescent years with family and friends, homecoming parades, and graduation ceremonies. They served aboard ships and submarines, on airplanes, and at faraway bases and battlefields. Some became prisoners of war. Many performed above and beyond. Jack Lucas earned the Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima six days past his 17th birthday. Calvin Graham enlisted at age 12 and was wounded at Guadalcanal aboard the USS South Dakota. His story was made into a movie starring Rick Schroder. A 13-year-old girl enlisted but was later discovered and sent home from Europe. General Eisenhower told her, "Go home and grow up, little girl, we need more soldiers like you." One underage veteran became a senator, another, a governor, still another a Chief of Naval Operations. This book reveals why and how they got in, and what happened to them when they were there.

Victory at Guadalcanal

Victory at Guadalcanal PDF Author: Robert Edward Lee
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description


The Battles of Savo Island, 9 August 1942 and the Eastern Solomons, 23-25 August 1942

The Battles of Savo Island, 9 August 1942 and the Eastern Solomons, 23-25 August 1942 PDF Author: Winston B. Lewis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Ironbottom Sound

Ironbottom Sound PDF Author: Grover Hartt III
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1038327164
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 339

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Book Description
In 1942, a series of pivotal WWII land and sea confrontations occurred in the South Pacific between the Allied Forces and the Japanese for control of the island of Guadalcanal and its strategic airfield. For twenty-seven-year-old Scott Ellsworth, a smart, ambitious American naval officer posted onboard the USS Washington, a battleship in the area, it is an exciting place to be. With his background in radar-controlled gunnery and as a part of Admiral Lee’s core team, it’s also an important opportunity to move his career in the Navy forward. Yet despite his sincere desire to serve his country and fight for the freedoms it represents, Scott must also deal with the harsh reality that he does not have the freedom to openly live his life as a gay man. This and the demands of war complicate his recent relationship with the first man he has ever truly loved—a handsome British officer, named Emmett. In fact, he dares not even express his feelings in the letters he writes to Emmett as they are read by censors. Yet Scott remains determined to stay focused on his duties as he mentally prepares himself for his first taste of action in the war. But he learns that his old adversary, Tom Goodwin—who Scott knows has a connection to the mysterious death of the admiral they previously served under—is also on board. For Scott, it is a time of facing challenges and demons, both internal and external. In this exciting sequel to Proceedings of the Gun Club: Atlantic Overture, author Grover Hartt, III provides an accurate portrayal of the workings of a WWII battleship against the backdrop of an dramatic series of events that helped determine the outcome of the war. A skillful mix of historical fiction and fact, intrigue and romance, this book entertains and engages on a variety of levels.