Last Stand com The Tin Can Sailors. Great book by James D. Hornfischer.
The invasion of Leyte, Philippine Islands, October 17-25, 1945.
This is also a must read if you’re a WWII Navy junkie like me.
That should read Last Stand of The Tin Can Sailors
Hornfischer rocks. I read his naval pacific trilogy, incl. Tin Can Sailors. I have communicated with Hornfischer several times, and he is always good to write back. I’m a big fan of Ernest Evans, native American skipper of the Johnston, who, despite having his arm shot off with a five-inch projectile, remained in command and ran his “Johnston” straight to the jap cruiser Kumano w/o the benefit of the ability to steer.
Evans’ tin can landed a couple of torpedoes which blew off the bow, and fired more than 200 5-inchers against its hull. All the while, the Johnston and 3 other tin cans were laying down smoke screen and drawing fire from the jap flotilla, all in an effort to preserve intact the US contingent of small carriers.
The Kumano was thus sunk by a little destroyer escort. Evans didn’t make it, but he was posthumously awarded the CMH. Evans is my hero.
Hornfisher tells me that he is presently working on a massive project to chronicle aspects of the Cold War. He also put me onto a brand new book by Dan Pederson, “Topgun”, a personal account of the guy who, with others, revolutionized the dogfight in the era when air/air missiles had supposedly rendered the practice obsolete. Great reading.
I’m a fan of Hornfischer. I have Neptune’s Inferno and Fleet at Flood Tide. I’ll be ordering Tin Can. Thanks.