The U.S. Navy Against the Axis: Surface Combat, 1941-1945 - Softcover

O'Hara, Vincent P.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1682471853 ISBN 13: 9781682471852

Publisher: Naval Institute Press, 2017

Synopsis

The U.S. Navy against the Axis tells the story of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet in World War II with an emphasis on ship-to-ship combat. The book refutes the widely-held notion that the attack on Pearl Harbor rendered battleships obsolete and that aviation and submarines dominated the Pacific War. It demonstrates how the surface fleet played a decisive role at critical junctures. It was crucial to America's ultimate victory and its story holds many lessons for today's Navy and the nation as a whole.

The U.S. Navy against the Axis describes how swift adaptability and intellectual honesty were fundamental to the Navy's success against Japan. The underlying premise is that the nation cannot assume that in a conflict against conventional or asymmetric enemies, it holds title to the same virtues the Navy demonstrated three generations ago. Instead those lessons need to be constantly studied and affirmed in the face of postwar mythologies, lest they be forgotten.

About this title

About the Author:

VINCENT P. O'HARA is an independent scholar and the author of eleven books and many articles. He is the Naval Institute 2015 Author of the Year for his most recent work, Torch: North Africa and the Allied Path to Victory. O'Hara holds a history degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Chula Vista, California.

Review:

"If one is only interested in the story of the U.S. Navy's ship-to-ship encounters during World War II, one will not find a finer book on the subject than this volume. The text is supported by a series of excellent maps, charts, tables, and photographs that clarify and illuminate the written story." --The Journal of America's Military Past

"The U.S. Navy Against the Axis: Surface Combat, 1941-1945 is a thoroughly researched work that fills a crucial gap in the understanding of the naval victory in World War II. Its organization is both logical and methodical, weaving an overarching narrative between the magnified explorations of specific engagements. O'Hara's narrative brings character and definition to the cold facts of naval engagements. This volume stands out as a defining work on American surface warfare in World War II." --Nautical Research Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Naval Institute Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1682471853
• ISBN 13: 9781682471852
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400