An excellent narrative of the blue-collar destroyers. Destroyers did not have the firepower of battleships or cruisers or the glamour of the aircraft carriers, but they had the grit and versatility to be vital parts of the U.S. war effort in the Pacific.
Continue readingPosts Tagged → military history
The Chosen Few by Gregg Zoroya
Zoroya, like so many great authors in the past, perfectly describes the fighting spirit of America’s warriors. He chronicles the different firefights and battles in explicit detail. A gripping and enduring tribute to the men of the “Chosen Few.”
Continue readingNever Call Me a Hero: A Legendary American Dive-Bomber Pilot Remembers the Battle of Midway
Kleiss’s account of the battle from his perspective is riveting. His detailed analysis of how everything transpired is a testament to the professionalism and expertise of the Navy pilots … Never Call Me a Hero is a fantastic first person account of the Battle of Midway.
Continue readingBrandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America by Michael C. Harris
The book thrives in the details. Harris in many instances lists the names of those who are killed or wounded in a particular part of the battle. That example and his efforts to pin down the timing of each movement give the reader an intimate understanding of the figures and events surrounding this important battle in the American Revolution.
Continue readingCountdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack by Steve Twomey
In Countdown to Pearl Harbor Steve Twomey revisits the reasons why the Americans were so caught off-guard by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Still to this day it astounds me at the incompetence and arrogance of America’s leaders as Japan prepared for war against the United States. Twomey does a masterful job of bringing this incompetence and… Continue reading
The Swamp Fox by John Oller
Although at first blush the title of John Oller’s The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution seems a bit hyperbolic, but after reading it, I agree. An excellent book that describes the exploits of one of the saviors of the American Revolution in the South.
Continue readingDawn of Infamy by Stephen Harding
Harding brings his expert skills as a researcher and writer to this little known subject. An excellent look at a long-forgotten story that occurred at the beginning of American involvement in World War II in the Pacific.
Continue readingHonor Before Glory by Scott McGaugh
Honor Before Glory is the story of the 442nd, a segregated unit of Japanese American citizens, commanded by white officers, that finally rescued the “lost battalion.” Their unmatched courage and sacrifice under fire became legend.
Continue readingThe Last Battle by Scott C. Patchan
A wonderful look at a pivotal battle for control of the Shenandoah Valley. The book gives an excellent account of the battle and all of the participants. Patchan uses various sources, both primary and secondary, to describe the flow of the battle.
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