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Title: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors : The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour by James D. Hornfischer ISBN: 0-553-80257-7 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 03 February, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.59 (22 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Writing
Comment: "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer. Subtitled "The Extraordinary World War II Story Of The U.S. Navy's Finest Hour". Bantam Books, 2004.
From the biographical information on the WEB, it does not appear that the author, James Hornfischer, served in the Untied States Navy; this makes his book even more of an amazing accomplishment. He has absolutely captured the essence of an enlisted man in the US Navy, so much so that I can smell the gray paint (oil-based) that we slopped around the compartment in the Naval Air Training Center, Norman, Oklahoma. I can still remember the Chief warning us not to let the paint go on too thick as the paint would burn during action. ...As if we would ever see a battle in NATTC, Norman, which was about as far from either ocean as you could get. I was there as an Airedale in 1958, and, being Irish, I was proud of the Kelly green diagonal stripes on my dress blue jumper. In my opinion, Hornfischer has captured the quintessence of the feeling or disdain that the black shoe navy had for aviation, the brown shoe navy. The author has taken all these minimal details and woven a real and personal story of the men who served in the little "Taffy" fleet that was attacked by Imperial Japanese Navy that day in October, 1944.
First, he has addressed what the noted historian, John Keegan, was not willing to consider in his book, "The Face of Battle" (Viking Press, 1995):
personal courage in naval actions. In at least three places in "Tin Can Sailors", Hornfischer tells how it feels to be going into action where the chances of survival are nil. Yet they went: courage to stay at your station and to continue to load and fire despite the odds. Second, his detailed account of the action makes a good case for the fact that the Imperial Japanese Navy withdrew, NOT because they had misidentified the USN ships they were facing but rather because Japanese ships had been damaged so much. This book gives a detailed account of the damage inflicted by the destroyers (both DD and DE) and by the naval aircraft that were constantly strafing and bombing the Japanese ships. Even American (or British) admirals would hesitate if so many of their vessels had been so damaged.
Last, and it seems fitting in this book, the author only briefly mentions Admiral "Bull" Halsey. Halsey's misinterpretation of the strategic situation led to the potential disaster in Leyte Gulf; the heroism of the ordinary seamen prevented the disaster while writing a chapter of bravery. for the United Sates Navy.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors : The Extraordinary Wo
Comment: Six months after the Battle of Samar, Adm. William Halsey said to Rear Adm. Clifton Sprague, commander of U.S. naval forces in that engagement, that the latter had written there "the most glorious page in American naval history." In his first historical work, Hornfischer offers an immensely gripping account of the supreme courage and self-sacrifice displayed by the outgunned sailors and airmen of Sprague's Task Force off the Philippine coast in October 1944. With captivating prose and innovative battle maps, Hornfischer deftly creates a clear picture of what has been characterized by some historians as the most complex naval battle in history. The author draws extensively upon interviews with surviving veterans, previously unpublished eyewitness accounts, and official naval documents to record an almost minute-by-minute account of the action that saw Sprague's lightly armed and thinly armored escort carriers and destroyers (Tin Cans) deflect and ultimately turn back the Japanese juggernaut of battleships and cruisers aiming to attack MacArthur's Leyte beachheads. Steeped in the immensely rich details of the men and ships that fought, Hornfischer's work will be welcomed by both general readers and naval enthusiasts. Highly recommended for all public libraries
Rating: 3
Summary: A Bit Overrated
Comment: The success of Tin Can Sailors is a good example of what the power of a large publishing firm such as Bantam can accomplish. Hornfischer expanded on Captain Henry Doscher's seminal "Little Wolf at Leyte," published eight years ago by the lesser known Eakin Press, and Bantam made the book into a best seller.
In the spirit of Steven Ambrose's many publications, this book is not so much history as a populist accounting. I would have preferred a more carefully documented treatise - along the lines of Admiral Morison. Less gore would have been appropriate as well; it benefits the reader little to learn about a sailor continuing to run after his head has been lopped off.
Make no mistake about it. Bantam and Hornfischer have done a service to the memory of these brave men. A stronger editor's hand would have made Tin Can Sailors a better book.
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Title: Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island by John Wukovits ISBN: 0451208730 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by ROBERT K. MASSIE ISBN: 0679456716 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 28 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley ISBN: 0316105848 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: Given Up for Dead : America's Heroic Stand at Wake Island by BILL SLOAN ISBN: 0553803026 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Washington's Crossing (Pivotal Moments in American History) by David Hackett Fischer ISBN: 0195170342 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: February, 2004 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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