pendennis wrote:
In the middle of "The World Wonder'd: What Really Happened Off Samar", by Robert Lundgren. It's the story of the WWII battle in which three outnumbered escort carrier groups valiantly fought a far superior Japanese fleet. A nearly minute-by-minute account of the heroism of American sailors.
Finished the book on Friday; not a terribly long book, but detailed in the recount of the battle off Samar. It contains a lot of technical information about ship damage at particular areas of the ships; whether on hangar decks, engine/boiler rooms, hull locations, etc. I tried not to get hung up on those aspects, and focus my attention on the actions of the sailors and officers, both American and Japanese.
This book truly reflects the fog of war. While individual ships' captains and crews fought valiantly, especially on the American side. The communications methods of the day made it difficult to keep track of the ships, damages, and orders at times.
The American command structure, from the detached task force levels, seemed to keep the ships moving in and out of weather and smoke, to make the best of a dangerous situation. The Japanese had battleships, cruisers, and destroyers against an American force of escort carriers and destroyers. The Naval aviators provided badly needed cover, and attacked Japanese ships, sometimes with only machine guns. For the mid-1940's, the gunfire on both sides was extremely accurate.
The USS Johnston continued to attack until she was virtually shot dead in the water. After the bridge was destroyed, Captain (Commander) Evans commanded the ship from the stern. Finally, he had to abandon the ship after it started to sink. He, and many of the crew survived, but Captain Evans and a number of others perished before they could be rescued. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism.
The Japanese fleet turned and left, headed back to Borneo and Brunei. Admiral Kurita gave the order, and his commanders obeyed without question, allowing the Americans to escape. One of the Japanese captains knew they could win, yet obeyed Admiral Kurita instantly and without question. This battle highlighted the rigidity of the Japanese military.
At the end, I did shed some tears. These were American sailors, many of which were the same age as my father (he also served in the Navy during WWII), and they performed their duties without hesitation knowing they would likely die. They aren't called the Greatest Generation for nothing.