US Patrol Torpedo Boats: World War II

Osprey New Vanguard #148

by Gordon L. Rottman, Peter Bull (Illustrator)

Motor torpedo boat development began in the early 1900s and the vessels were first put into active service during World War I. However, it was not until the late 1930s that the US Navy commenced the development of their Patrol Torpedo or PT boat program. The PT boat, or the "mosquito boat" as they were sometimes known, was originally envisioned for attacking larger warships with torpedoes using its "stealth" ability, high-speed, and small size to launch and survive these attacks. However, they were actually employed more frequently in a wide variety of other missions, many which were unforeseen by developers and planners, including rescuing General MacArthur and his entourage from the Philippines.

Often taking on larger and better armed enemies these craft became famous for punching above their weight and were firmly thrust into the limelight by John F. Kennedy who while serving as a lieutenant on a PT-109 in the Pacific Theater heroically saved his fellow crew members winning him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. This book examines the design and development of these unique craft, very few of which survive today and goes on to examine their role and combat deployment in both World Wars.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: World War II, Military History

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2008

About the author

Gordon L. Rottman served for 26 years in the US Army in Special Forces, airborne infantry, long-range reconnaissance patrol, and military intelligence assignments in the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. He has worked as a Special Operations Forces scenario writer for 14 years at the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana where he developed training exercises for Special Forces.
Gordon began writing military history books in 1984 and is currently a full-time author. He has written 50 books for Osprey. He is married with four children and lives in Cypress, Texas.

Reviews

[Gonzalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very excited to receive this volume in the mail. Having a single sprue of PT boats for Cruel Seas and no instructions on what goes where should likeminded historically accurate people. Reading the rulebook of the aforementioned game I though “shit, Americans have it all!”, and this book has not changed my opinion one bit. It has helped me get a better understanding of all the stuff these boats have though, weapons and equipment, but I probably need a second read to get everything straight.
While it is a similar book to the British MGB one, its strengths lie elsewhere. The design/construction history of the PT is marginally less interesting. It is compensated by a very attractive, although brief, account of some actions the PT boats were involved. Even if I already knew of their existence, I appreciated the list of movies where PT boats are depicted. I wish other books did the same. And while I doubt I will ever see one of the remaining boats, it was great to know where to find them.
A shining detail of this particular volume is the list of the boats that where part of the Lend Lease. Certain gamers would enjoy combining American, British, and Soviet boats in a somehow plausible scenario. That said, I think there is a discrepancy between the table and the main text in the number of boats that were part of the Lend Lease program. Does any one have any info on that?
Finally, because one always need to complain with this books, why there is no complete diagram of the Higgins? The Elco one is very good, but it would have been great to have both. I guess there is always only one detailed diagram per book?

[Alfredo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonito y entretenido.