The United States Navy in World War II: The One-Volume History, from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you love naval history and have never read The United States Navy in World War II complied and edited by S.E. Smith, you have no idea what you are missing. Over the years, I would have difficulty recalling the number of copies that I purchased and gave away to friends. While I have read literally thousands of books, particularly focusing on naval warfare, this is one of my top five favorites. Usually, the book can be hard to find but in looking at Amazon, this thousand plus page volume can be bought for under six bucks! And do not let the length of the book bother you because as you will find, if you start reading it, you are going to have a hard time putting it down.
In assembling the book, Smith excerpted whole chapters from some of the best books written about the navy's exploits during the Second World War. All of the collected chapters, written by one-hundred authors, were taken from books that told the navy's history through the simple telling of a story. There is no dry analysis of tactics here. You will see the intensity and drama unfolding aboard the ships at Pearl Harbor as the Japanese attacked . . . or watch from the bow of the destroyer Borie's as she rammed a Nazi U-boat in the middle of the Atlantic . . . or stand on the flight deck of the Guadalcanal as she chases down U-505 . . . or feel the Lexington as she started to list in the Coral Sea . . . and on and on it goes. Everything is here. The Aaron Ward. The Argus. The Bunker Hill. The Indianapolis. PT 109. And of course, the Enterprise and the Yorktown.
And some of the best writers are present and accounted for. Walter Lord. John Toland. Edward Beach. Ernie Pyle. Winston Churchill. Ernest Hemingway. And then there is Chief Gunner's Mate Harold Clements. Seaman First Class James Fahey. And Lieutenant (jg) Stanley Vraciu. Each chapter is organized consecutively and follows the history of the war from beginning to end. The book opens with Toland's "Pearl Harbor Attack" and ends with "Unconditional Surrender" by William Halsey. If you love naval history and have not read this book, you do not know what you are missing.


Click Here to see more reviews about: The United States Navy in World War II: The One-Volume History, from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay

Click here for more information about The United States Navy in World War II: The One-Volume History, from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay