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History of United States Naval Operations in World War II #14
History of US Naval Operations in WWII 14: Victory in the Pacific
Recreates the campaigns to capture Iwo Jima and Okinawa and relates the strategies which brought about the end of the war
407 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1960
About the author
Samuel Eliot Morison
521 books101 followersSamuel Eliot Morison, son of John H. and Emily Marshall (Eliot) Morison, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 9 July 1887. He attended Noble’s School at Boston, and St. Paul’s at Concord, New Hampshire, before entering Harvard University, from which he was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1908. He studied at the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques, Paris, France, in 1908-1909, and returned to Harvard for postgraduate work, receiving the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1912. Thereafter he became Instructor, first at the University of California in Berkeley, and in 1915 at Harvard. Except for three years (1922-1925) when he was Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford, England, and his periods of active duty during both World Wars, he remained continuously at Harvard University as lecturer and professor until his retirement in 1955.
He had World War I service as a private in the US Army, but not overseas. As he had done some preliminary studies on Finland for Colonel House’s Inquiry, he was detailed from the Army in January 1919 and attached to the Russian Division of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, at Paris, his specialty being Finland and the Baltic States. He served as the American Delegate on the Baltic Commission of the Peace Conference until 17 June 1919, and shortly after returned to the United States. He became a full Professor at Harvard in 1925, and was appointed to the Jonathan Trumbull Chair in 1940. He also taught American History at Johns Hopkins University in 1941-1942.
Living up to his sea-going background – he has sailed in small boats and coastal craft all his life. In 1939-1940, he organized and commanded the Harvard Columbus Expedition which retraced the voyages of Columbus in sailing ships, barkentine Capitana and ketch Mary Otis. After crossing the Atlantic under sail to Spain and back, and examining all the shores visited by Columbus in the Caribbean, he wrote Admiral of the Ocean Sea, an outstanding biography of Columbus, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1943. He also wrote a shorter biography, Christopher Columbus, Mariner. With Maurico Obregon of Bogota, he surveyed and photographed the shores of the Caribbean by air and published an illustrated book The Caribbean as Columbus Saw It (1964).
Shortly after the United States entered World War II, Dr. Morison proposed to his friend President Roosevelt, to write the operational history of the US Navy from the inside, by taking part in operations and writing them up afterwards. The idea appealed to the President and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, and on 5 May 1942, Dr. Morison was commissioned Lieutenant Commander, US Naval Reserve, and was called at once to active duty. He subsequently advanced to the rank of Captain on 15 December 1945. His transfer to the Honorary Retired List of the Naval Reserve became effective on 1 August 1951, when he was promoted to Rear Admiral on the basis of combat awards.
In July-August 1942 he sailed with Commander Destroyer Squadron Thirteen (Captain John B. Heffernan, USN), on USS Buck, flagship, on convoy duty in the Atlantic. In October of that year, on USS Brooklyn with Captain Francis D. Denebrink, he participated in Operation TORCH (Allied landings in North and Northwestern Africa - 8 November 1942). In March 1943, while attached to Pacific Fleet Forces, he visited Noumea, Guadalcanal, Australia, and on Washington made a cruise with Vice Admiral W. A. Lee, Jr., USN. He also patrolled around Papua in motor torpedo boats, made three trips up “the Slot” on Honolulu, flagship of Commander Cruisers, Pacific Fleet (Rear Admiral W.W. Ainsworth, USN), and took part in the Battle of Kolombangara before returning to the mainland. Again in the Pacific War Area in September 1943, he participated in the Gilbert Islands operation on board USS Baltimore, under command of Captain Walter C. Calhoun, USN. For the remainder of the Winter he worked at Pearl Harbor, and in the Spring
He had World War I service as a private in the US Army, but not overseas. As he had done some preliminary studies on Finland for Colonel House’s Inquiry, he was detailed from the Army in January 1919 and attached to the Russian Division of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, at Paris, his specialty being Finland and the Baltic States. He served as the American Delegate on the Baltic Commission of the Peace Conference until 17 June 1919, and shortly after returned to the United States. He became a full Professor at Harvard in 1925, and was appointed to the Jonathan Trumbull Chair in 1940. He also taught American History at Johns Hopkins University in 1941-1942.
Living up to his sea-going background – he has sailed in small boats and coastal craft all his life. In 1939-1940, he organized and commanded the Harvard Columbus Expedition which retraced the voyages of Columbus in sailing ships, barkentine Capitana and ketch Mary Otis. After crossing the Atlantic under sail to Spain and back, and examining all the shores visited by Columbus in the Caribbean, he wrote Admiral of the Ocean Sea, an outstanding biography of Columbus, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1943. He also wrote a shorter biography, Christopher Columbus, Mariner. With Maurico Obregon of Bogota, he surveyed and photographed the shores of the Caribbean by air and published an illustrated book The Caribbean as Columbus Saw It (1964).
Shortly after the United States entered World War II, Dr. Morison proposed to his friend President Roosevelt, to write the operational history of the US Navy from the inside, by taking part in operations and writing them up afterwards. The idea appealed to the President and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, and on 5 May 1942, Dr. Morison was commissioned Lieutenant Commander, US Naval Reserve, and was called at once to active duty. He subsequently advanced to the rank of Captain on 15 December 1945. His transfer to the Honorary Retired List of the Naval Reserve became effective on 1 August 1951, when he was promoted to Rear Admiral on the basis of combat awards.
In July-August 1942 he sailed with Commander Destroyer Squadron Thirteen (Captain John B. Heffernan, USN), on USS Buck, flagship, on convoy duty in the Atlantic. In October of that year, on USS Brooklyn with Captain Francis D. Denebrink, he participated in Operation TORCH (Allied landings in North and Northwestern Africa - 8 November 1942). In March 1943, while attached to Pacific Fleet Forces, he visited Noumea, Guadalcanal, Australia, and on Washington made a cruise with Vice Admiral W. A. Lee, Jr., USN. He also patrolled around Papua in motor torpedo boats, made three trips up “the Slot” on Honolulu, flagship of Commander Cruisers, Pacific Fleet (Rear Admiral W.W. Ainsworth, USN), and took part in the Battle of Kolombangara before returning to the mainland. Again in the Pacific War Area in September 1943, he participated in the Gilbert Islands operation on board USS Baltimore, under command of Captain Walter C. Calhoun, USN. For the remainder of the Winter he worked at Pearl Harbor, and in the Spring
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 1, 2020
This volume of the series was a hard slog. The middle section seemed like an endless series of kamikaze attacks, each covered in great detail. On the other hand, I can see why Morison wanted to cover it, given how the men (and women!) suffered from the kamikaze's attacks.
I got a lot out of the discussion of the end of the war. I have heard a lot of questionable stories and opinions on Japan's surrender. Morison goes into a fair amount of detail on what when on behind the scenes, as well as the scene of the surrender itself, that dispelled many of the myths I had heard -- some of which I'd even believed.
I got a lot out of the discussion of the end of the war. I have heard a lot of questionable stories and opinions on Japan's surrender. Morison goes into a fair amount of detail on what when on behind the scenes, as well as the scene of the surrender itself, that dispelled many of the myths I had heard -- some of which I'd even believed.
January 16, 2016
This is another book in the series about Naval operations during WWII in the Pacific, and covers the year 1945. As with all the other books in this series, it's very well done and filled with information. A few of the points I found most interesting were these:
There was a discussion about which place to attack next: Luzon or Formosa. Formosa lost because it was determined it would take too many troops to subdue.
As of January of 1945, Japanese planners realized that the final stage of the war would be fought on their own islands.
Additional shelling of Iwo Jima before the landing of troops probably would not have helped, since the Japanese defenses were so well made and hard to damage.
Okinawa originally paid tribute to China. Ulysses S. Grant, as President, was scheduled to visit, and the Japanese worried that they might appeal to the U.S. for protection, so Japan took over the island quickly.
The number of suicide boats was at least in the hundreds. Fortunately, our troops tended to find them before they could be used, but not always.
“Twilight was the kamikazes' favorite hour for self-immolation.”
The book goes into a long description of the sinking of the Yamato, and says that the Yamato's anti-aircraft weapons were not very good because the users had not had any practice shooting at actual planes.
In the attack on Yamato and the other ships that were with her, Yamato lost almost 2500 men of her compliment of 2767. Yahagi lost 446 men, Asashimo lost 330 men, and seven destroyers lost 391 men. U.S. losses were 10 planes and 12 men.
About 1900 suicide sorties were flown against the U.S. in the battle for Okinawa. They destroyed around 30 navy ships, and damaged 368 others. We also lost around 763 aircraft.
The author says that, if FDR had lived, he might have made it more understandable to Japan that the U.S. did not desire to kill the Emperor. That might have helped cause Japan to surrender earlier than it did, but FDR died and Truman did not feel himself qualified to make such a decision without military advice.
There was a discussion about which place to attack next: Luzon or Formosa. Formosa lost because it was determined it would take too many troops to subdue.
As of January of 1945, Japanese planners realized that the final stage of the war would be fought on their own islands.
Additional shelling of Iwo Jima before the landing of troops probably would not have helped, since the Japanese defenses were so well made and hard to damage.
Okinawa originally paid tribute to China. Ulysses S. Grant, as President, was scheduled to visit, and the Japanese worried that they might appeal to the U.S. for protection, so Japan took over the island quickly.
The number of suicide boats was at least in the hundreds. Fortunately, our troops tended to find them before they could be used, but not always.
“Twilight was the kamikazes' favorite hour for self-immolation.”
The book goes into a long description of the sinking of the Yamato, and says that the Yamato's anti-aircraft weapons were not very good because the users had not had any practice shooting at actual planes.
In the attack on Yamato and the other ships that were with her, Yamato lost almost 2500 men of her compliment of 2767. Yahagi lost 446 men, Asashimo lost 330 men, and seven destroyers lost 391 men. U.S. losses were 10 planes and 12 men.
About 1900 suicide sorties were flown against the U.S. in the battle for Okinawa. They destroyed around 30 navy ships, and damaged 368 others. We also lost around 763 aircraft.
The author says that, if FDR had lived, he might have made it more understandable to Japan that the U.S. did not desire to kill the Emperor. That might have helped cause Japan to surrender earlier than it did, but FDR died and Truman did not feel himself qualified to make such a decision without military advice.
July 15, 2012
This volume concludes the series and provides one of the best descriptions of the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa that I have ever read. 5 stars for the whole series.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews