book by James D. Hornfischer

Tears were in my eyes as I finished the final sentences of James D. Hornfischer's "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors." This was the most thrilling, emotionally wringing naval history book I had ever read. I place it alongside Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" as my favorite WW II book. Where "Brothers" made me want to seek out Maj. Dick Winters and shake his hand (still haven't worked up the nerve to do that, yet), "Tin Can Sailors" makes me want to track down the reunions of those undersized ships that took on the might of the Japanese navy just to tell them thank you, and how proud I am to be a citizen of the same nation as them.

The book covers the Oct. 25, 1944, naval Battle of Samar, which took place during the U.S. invasion of the Philippines. It centers on the actions of the men and ships of Taffy 3, composed of six escort carriers, three destroyers (DD), and four destroyer escorts (DE). This plucky squadron took on a Japanese fleet (inside its gunnery range), which included four battleships, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and 11 destroyers...and won! Admiral Halsey, whose blunder allowed this mismatch to happen, later told Taffy 3's Rear Admiral Ziggy Sprague, "I think you wrote the most glorious page in American naval history that day."

Hornfischer writes some pretty glorious pages himself, detailing how Taffy 3 accomplished this monumental feat. I'd sum it up in one word, though: Guts. These guys had it, and the fierceness of their tiny blows on the Japanese fleet finally worked on the nerves and mind of the Japanese admiral, forcing him to break off the engagement just when Taffy 3's hand was finally played out, and they were about to be destroyed to a ship.

Hornfischer's treatment of the battle had me devouring page after page of this book. I shook my head in admiration when Capt. Earnest E. Evans spun the destroyer USS Johnston around unordered and charged the Japanese fleet single-handedly. He knew it was Taffy 3's only chance, and laid his ship on the altar as sacrifice without a second thought. When Avenger pilot Earl "Blue" Archer repeatedly lined up his torpedo-less torpedo plane in attack runs on the Japanese ships, taking anti-aircraft fire all the time, hoping to distract the ships from hammering his destroyers and carriers, I shuddered at his courage.

This book's pages are full of heroism, though. They follow one upon the other, as rapidly as the 5-inch shells of USS Johnston's Gunnery Officer Lt. Robert C. Hagen peppering Japanese cruisers. I found my shoulders hunching as I sped through this book. Hornfischer's words seemed to drag me down to the page. I could almost feel the impact of armor piercing rounds on thin destroyer steel, felt drenched by the fountains of dye colored splashes from the Japanese battleships' near misses.

The book's beginning does an excellent job familiarizing you with the men and ships of Taffy 3 (especially the destroyers), rivets you in place during the action, then holds you in sway as the survivors of the sunk ships spend two long days and nights at sea, awaiting rescue. During it all, though, you are seeing it through the eyes of the crews, and you feel you are there alongside them. Whether on board bracing for impact from a Japanese shell, or bobbing in the water at night, watching sharks cut green paths lit by phosphorescence that slowly close in on you, you are there with the men of Taffy 3. And I couldn't think of a group of men I'd be prouder to be alongside.

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