Another book on Leyte Gulf

books:


	• Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945 Evan Thomas Simon & Schuster, 2007 - 432 pages average customer review:based on 88 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

No Bull...

It's no wonder were in the mess we are, when myoptic vision clouds reason.
This was not a hit on Halsey..Duoh! This was a very good read. Maybe Ken burns took some info here?
I see a lot of whinners(on other forums) saying the Japanese never had a plan to sue for peace if they took Hawaii..(?)
Any way Good book.
Thanks, Mr Evans

CORRECTION to Thomas' text

Evan Thomas incorrectly states that Admrial Spruance's son married Admiral Halsey's daughter. In fact, Margaret Halsey married Preston Lea Spruance who was only distantly related to Admiral Spruance.
- Halsey Spruance, a decendant of Margaret Halsey and Preston Lea Spruance

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Good Read, but.....

I got this book on Friday and finished it Saturday night. A decent book over all but as other reviewers have stated I find the revisionist aspect a bit much. I think the 'slam' on Halsey tended to be over-kill. The author even goes as far as mentioning the two occasions where Halsey sailed into typhoons to further his knocks on Halsey. Interesting, but not in the scope of the book. The author does point out the reasons behind Halsey's choice to go after Ozawa but only in passing. I found the study of Japanese vs. American admirals a bit slanted in the Japanese admiral's favor. As far as the 'racist' aspect of Halsey's statements "Kill Japs, Kill Japs. Kill more Japs" & etc. We only need to look at quotes by other Admirals and Generals to understand the purpose behind these statements. I gave it three stars only because it was a page-turner, I think what kept me reading was to see if the author was going to go into a more in-depth study of the choices made by the admirals and why they made them. I was left with the impression that the Japanese admirals made the choices they made mostly because of the training received at Eta Jima and the choices made by American admirals were due to some personal flaw as in Halsey's 'need' to get the Japanese carriers at all costs. What I wasn't left with was the stunning victory by the Americans and how important it was in shortening the war. I am just starting to read 'The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors' by James D. Hornfischer so I can compare two different author's views on the Leyte Gulf naval battles.

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Another book on Leyte Gulf

Here's another book on Leyte Gulf this time, supposedly, written from the perspective of four commanders who fought there: Halsey, Evans, Kurita and Ugaki. As related in other reviews, the author has a level of bias, but does try his best to relate what happened. And, there are some gut wrenching and touching spots in the story, especially when the author relates the feelings of the men on the USS Johnston when it was going into harms way. However, overall the book does not come out as good as others telling this story, either in getting inside of the heads of Halsey and Kurita, or in relating the experiences of the sailors on the destroyers - focusing on the Johnston alone, for example, does not make it as good as other books relating the battle. And, the lead in to the battle, going over the careers and experiences of these four leaders does not do anything for the story - except put in an additional 150 pages of lead in materials. All in all, if you are really interested in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and want to read as much as possible about the battle, the largest and hopefully last major fleet action, this is a good one for you. If you are a casual reader on the Pacific War, I highly recommend other books written on this battle as a starting point.

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Non-Fiction Thriller

A non-fiction historical work of serious scholarship that can compete with any thriller. An absolute page turner that's hard to put down. When Thomas finds the time to do this kind of research with his TV panelist and news magazine gigs is a mystery. He is an absolutely first rate writer and story teller, and Sea of Thunder is not to be missed.

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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