“BATTLES Of The PHILIPPINE SEA.” By Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Jr., USN (Ret.) and Colonel Hans Christian Adamson, USAF (Ret.). Introduction by Rear Admiral Ernest M. Eller, USN, (Ret.). The United States smashed Japan’s last-stand island defense line around the Philippine Sea in a series of great amphibious operations between April and October 1944, thus opening the way for direct attacks on Tokyo. This two-pronged offensive, in which General Douglas MacArthur’s troops leapfrogged westward along New Guinea while task forces under Admiral Chester Nimitz assaulted the Marianas and Palaus, is described here in vivid, close-up detail. Hollandia, Biak, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, and Peleliu––in the battles around these objectives thousands of American soldiers, sailors, and marines struggled and fought. The twin campaigns merged with the invasion of beachheads at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines––a move which brought a long-dormant Japanese navy out of its anchorages in home and nearby Asiatic waters. Four separate, simultaneous sea engagements ensued, which together constitute an important chapter in naval warfare. American military and naval power, then at its peak, gathered into one massive effort carriers, planes, and submarines as well as the great battleships that for the last time in history, executed the classic “Crossing the T.” Many verbatim accounts of battle action are included, from ships’ reports, captured Japanese documents, and personal letters. First edition, 1967 Hardback with dust jacket, DJ is wrapped in clear protective plastic. This is a former library book, with “Discarded” stamped on the title page, and a library card slot inside the back cover. 229 pages, 23 black and white photos, maps, a glossary, bibliography, and an index. Large and detailed battle maps, printed inside front and back covers. Rare and hard-to-find book.
Good Cond. $69.88
The Authors:
Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Jr. USN (Ret.): Born in 1890, Lockwood graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1912. In 1914, he entered the submarine service and spent most of 39 years in submersibles. As a Three-Star Vice Admiral, Lockwood was Commander Submarines, Pacific (ComSubPac) in World War II. He has written the story of our Pacific submarine operations in his widely read “Sink ‘Em All.” He coauthors several other books with Col Hans Christian Adamson, USAF (Ret.), including “Hellcats of the Sea” and “Zoomies, Subs and Zeros.”
Colonel Hans Christian Adamson, USAF, (Ret.): Like his coauthor, Charles Lockwood, Col Hans Adamson was also born in 1890. In 1942, Adamson was on a flight over the Pacific in a B-17 Flying Fortress. Off course and running low on fuel the 4-engine bomber was forced to ditch in the sea. Among the crew was famed World War I fighter ace, 52 year old Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and six others. The men drifted on rubber rafts for 23 days before being rescued. As Chief of the USAF Personnel Narrative Office, Colonel Adamson directed the collection and writing of all the human interest history of the Army Air Force in all theatres of war––frequently under most hazardous conditions. He coauthors several other books with Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood, USN (Ret.), including “Through Hell And Deep Water” and “Hell At 50 Fathoms.”
Other books of interest:
A Battle History Of The Imperial Japanese Navy (1941-1945)
The End of The Imperial Japanese Navy
The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors
Leyte Gulf: The Death Of The Princeton
Other books by Charles A. Lockwood, Jr:
Down To The Sea In Subs
Hell At 50 Fathoms
