America's Fighting Admirals: Winning the War at Sea in World War II Review

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(More customer reviews)The American naval actions of the second world war were some of the most dramatic in the history of sea warfare, taking place over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans alike with an admiral overseeing each action and battle. The battles are here described from the perspective of American admirals who fought them and comes from a World War II navy veteran who not only covers all major campaigns and admiral leaders, but analyzes strategy and decision-making challenges during battle. Serious World War II military collections, particularly those with strong naval history sections, need AMERICA'S FIGHTING ADMIRALS: WINNING THE WAR AT SEA IN WORLD WAR II.

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Quarterdeck and Bridge: Two Centuries of American Naval Leaders Review

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(More customer reviews)Quarterdeck and Bridge takes the reader through a number of excellent essays that follow the navy from Valcour Island to the Mekong Delta. Though not designed to fully explain the history, Bradford selects essays that deal with specific tactical issues that directly relate to the larger scheme of naval development. One of the most interesting essays involved "War Plan Orange," the plan on how to deal with Japanese aggression. The author asserted that the Navy's planners left the Phillippines to be conquered by the Japanese forces. Overall it is an excellent book, and essential to anyone interested in the study of American seapower.

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American Admiralship: The Moral Imperatives of Naval Command Review

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(More customer reviews)Following the success of his earlier book on American Generalship, Dr. Puryear now has repeated the same basic formula with the leadership of the Navy.
The nature of what makes a great leader is something that has been studied for centuries, i.e. Alexander, Genghis Kahn, Napoleon. Dr. Puryear's concept is to present the thoughts of those who have held high leadership positions to see what they believe to be important.
The list of admirals consulted for this book is too long to list here, but includes basically everyone you've ever heard of from World War II down to today. Some of the better known names include: King, Nimitz, Halsey, Burke, Turner, Crowe. Two of the more controversial leaders that are examined in depth are Zumwalt and Rickover.
In between talking about Navy Admirals, Dr. Puryear sprinkles a bit of other tidbits from or about people like Benjamin Franklin, or Army generals such as Marshall, Eisenhower, and Bradley.
I also found his discussion of Adm. Kimmel and Pearl Harbor to be quite interesting. In view of the continuing efforts on the part of Kimmel's descendents to exonerate him from any blame, Dr. Puryear takes a middle ground and presents a reasonable description of what happened.
Highly Recommended.

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Fall from Glory: The Men Who Sank the U.S. Navy Review

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(More customer reviews)"Fall From Glory: The Men Who Sank the U.S. Navy," by Gregory L. Vistica is a powerful journalistic examination of the political manipulation of American taxpayer dollars and the disgraceful treatment of women who had answered the nation's call to service. However, be warned...it is also filled with excessive and graphic X-Rated pornagraphic narratives.
The author does a worthy service in documenting how Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, a President Ronald Reagan appointee in 1981 orchestrated the largest peacetime naval buildup in the nation's history. Vistica explains how the rallying cry for building the fleet had been the Soviet bogeyman. Moreover, he documents how the Navy had known all along that the Soviet Fleet was defensive in nature and not a threat to the United States. Consequently, the American taxpayer paid the bill for an excessive expansion that included a "six hundred ship Navy" that was not needed and mothballed at great expense.
This book also focuses on the role of women in the Navy and gives a step by step account of the hidden dirty laundry at the prestigious U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Vistica also displays intimate details of the infamous Navy and Marine aviators Tailhook Association annual gatherings in Las Vegas. Vistica is a first class researcher and an enormously talented writer who must be credited for being meticulous in detail. Nevertheless, he displays an amazing lack of maturity for lowering himself into the gutter and reporting news not fit to print.
Bert Ruiz

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Admiral Dan Gallery: The Life and Wit of a Navy Original Review

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(More customer reviews)This bio covered much of his early life, career and family that wasn't covered in Adm. Gallery's autobiography, Eight Bells. In writing about Adm. Dan's early life, Mr. Gilliand shows how he became the leader that he became. It delves into his defense of the post WWII navy against the politics of those who would have depleted our country of a means to secure the seas with anything less than nuclear deterance and how his continued defense of our Navy may have cost him further promotions. It touches on his struggle against alcoholism. Best of all, it shows how this hero handled the problems of his various commands in war and in peace. This was an excellent book.

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In his foreword to this biography about a great friend,Herman Wouk describes the book as "the unadorned truth about . . . adecidedly human gentleman with human failings, more than balanced byrare willpower, brainpower, and humor." A maverick with less thanreverential views of the navy that was his life for more than fortyyears, Gallery was a man of strong character and sharp wit who nevershied from controversies and who became known as a formidableopponent. Through the years he repeatedly took courageous publicstands on matters of naval policy, including the "Revolt of theAdmirals," that nearly cost him his career.Gallery is best known for his dramatic capture of a German submarine(U-505) on the high seas, the first such taking of an enemyvessel since the War of 1812, and for his forceful support of aircraftcarriers after the war. He also is known for his success as a writer,and the best of his work makes up a significant part of thisbook--excerpts from magazine articles, short stories, and letters thatare incorporated into this biography by two English professors whovividly portray the highly original man behind the deeds and thewritings.Readers will learn about each stage of Gallery's life, from his daysat the Naval Academy when he called the Secretary of the Navy's son adraft dodger--and then knocked him out--to his humorous stories aboutnavy life and his final essays and books on such controversialsubjects as the Pueblo incident. They will also come toappreciate his public relations successes in getting U-505moved to Chicago, in sponsoring baseball competitions, and inestablishing the navy's steel band.

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