This is an incredible story of true courage by the men of the U.S. Navy fighting in the Pacific during World War II. Words are not equal to the valor shown by the Tin Can Sailors who battled the best ships of the Japanese Navy and turned certain destruction into an unbelieveable victory. I dread to think that our nation may one day forget the courage and sacrifice of these men. The Tin Can Sailors are a shining examples of this nation's best. Highly recommend this book.

As a former Tin Can sailor it brought back a lot of good memories. I was lucky enough to come along after the second World War but as a sailor serving on Destroyers I new I was a member of a very exclusive club. Mr Hornfischer tells this story in such away that you just don't want to put the book down. We have had influx of books written on the "Greatest Generation" and this is a story that belongs with what has been written and what will be written about them.

I have just started reading "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors", but the more I read the more I want to read. When finished it will be taken to the next reunion of the USS SOLEY (DD707) for use as a raffle item for another Tin Can Sailor to enjoy.

Totally amazing story. A good "history" lesson on WW II in the Pacific and the Japanese mentality.

What an amazing, moving and inspiring book. It reads almost as a work of fiction, it moves so fluidly and thoroughly from character to character, ship to ship, and side to side. But every bit of it is true. It is hard to imagine that the white haired, slow-moving gentlemen we see at the malls or at church are some of the same who lived through the flames, the shrapnel, the bullets, the fear, and the courage. One has no idea of how brutal and violent war at sea can be unless they have either experienced it, but reading this book surely comes close to bringing it home. That so few small ships could make such a huge stand against what remained of the mighty Japanese navy almost seems like the script of a Hollywood movie, but no writer could have created such an incredible and courageous underdog story.

The author does a yeoman's job of getting inside the command decisions of both the Japanese and American captains and officers. He explains the strategies and tactics in a way that any layman can easily fathom. One can argue that the Battle of Leyte Gulf was the greatest stand the US Navy took in World War 2. The Battle of Midway was certainly pivotal, but, not to at all diminish the bravery of the airman and sailors, was the product of much good luck for the US Navy and bad luck for the Japanese Navy. Leyte Gulf was all nerves and wills of steel for the Americans, and a realization for the Japanese that the end was nigh. It was the last great naval battle in history and the young men of the US Navy proved worthy of being the final victors.

For anyone who has an interest in naval warfare, profiles of personal courage, leadership, and general history -- this is one of the most all-encompassing and engrossing books one can hope for. Highly, highly recommended.

The Last Stand is an engaging account of the little known battle of Samar in the Pacific Theatre of WWII. Even more important it is a reminder of what kind of men we have in our military: real people, with families and friends who willingly give their all for the country they love. It is clean of any fowl language which often pepper books dealing with the Navy so I recommend it to any young person interested in a Navy career or any young man who wants to see what courage and heroism looks like.

I am a former Navy man aboard the USS New Jersey. My brother was one of these Tin Can Sailors. Great book, recommended by one of my doctors. Really brings back memories.

I'm not sure it's possible to find a book written about World War II history that is more captivating and inspiring than this novel. I couldn't put it down. And the men whose lives inspired it deserve an eternal debt of honor for their actions on the fateful day. Well-written, entertaining, and informative, it is definitely a must read--even for those who aren't history buffs.

"Resolution, sacrifice and success", to quote words attributed to the men who fought what history may record as the greatest naval surface ship battle of the twentieth century. There truly are no words capable of expressing adequately the heroics of these sailors aboard their diminutive but mighty warships, the Tin Cans of the Pacific fleet, and of the aviators of the carriers all of whom comprised Taffy 1,2 and 3. However, Mr. Hornfischer has done a splendid job of recording these historic events so they won't easily be forgotten.

The best audio book I have listened to because it combines a very good story, very good reading, and very good production. James Hornfischer's account of the encounter between a few escort aircraft carriers and their destroyer escorts with major elements of the Japanese Navy amid the larger backdrop of the Battle of Leyte Gulf is very fast paced, interesting, and entertaining. A layman like myself with an interest in naval encounters of the Second World War or the courage and resourcefulness shown in desperate situations will enjoy it. The abridged audio book can be appreciated without constant reference to a map which is very nice since most of us purchase audio books for times during which reading is impractical. It is probably the best read audio book I have heard: Mr. Gardner has a good speaking voice - not too fast, not too slow, good diction, good emphasis to where, quotations begin and end; all around very good. He was very pleasant to listen to. It was the best produced audio book I have listened to, especially how the volume levels were so consistent between tracks on the CD. You would think that would always be the case with the same person reading - but it never is, except here. As I listen to the books on the treadmill it was so nice to not have to keep reaching for the volume control! Good story, good reading, good producing. What could be better?

I never knew about this major WW II naval until I read the book. And, I thought I knew about the Pacific naval battles. As an engineer, I like the technical details about the ships and how the operate. There are just enough technical details to keep your interest without being boring. Good read about a battle that "saved" the Pacific Fleet. Even after reading the book, one still wonders how the Tin Cans and Jeep Carriers withstood the Jap battleships. Every one of Sailors and Pilots who took part in the Battle should have gotten a Navy Cross.

Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is one of the most inspiring naval stories that I have ever read. That fact that it's a true story only makes it humbling. It was good that James Hornfisher had a chance to interview the surviviors so that the story can be shared with future genereations, as well.
Had I been in similar circumstances, I would hope to be able to show a fraction of the courage that these men did.

The author made me feel like I was a part of the action! It also gave me a whole new appreciation for the men and women who have served in a time of war. It does start off a little slow due to providing a lot of background on the sailors. But just hang on because once the action starts, you will not be able to put it down!

I found this a facinating look into the psyche of the American military man and the US Navy as a whole. Couldnt put it down and have re read it already!

First, until I read this book I was totally unaware of this great sea battle. Second being totally clueless about WW2 naval battles until very recently I had no idea how many shells each boat lobed before any of them hit. Obviously getting hit by a single battleship shell in a Destroyer could sink her, but until I read this book I had no idea about the carnage inflicted on the men in that hit ship. This book really brings home the last of the big gun battles of the navy.

Second, heroism at it's best, that's what we see here from the Americans. Knowing that you are in a tiny ship but all that is standing between an enemy flotilla was enough for these sailors to do their duty for their country and make a run at them. We see that improvisation was key for the Americans, the land based airfield with it's reserves of bombs and ammo really turned the day. There was no letup for the Japanese from the air.

Third, much has been made about how the Japanese Navy turned tail at a critical moment. However this book clearly shows how it in the end it would not have mattered. And that air power was the deciding factor, not gunnery. Had the Japanese had any reasonable air cover they would have beaten the Americans, but they were shooting blind and as we see it cost them dearly. However the controlled gunnery of the Americans made their smaller caliber weapons highly lethal. Aim matters as much as shell size.

Fourth in hind site it's easy to see that the ruse to the North worked. But we are looking at the battle with perfect 20/20 vision, something both navies did hot have. One can blame Adm. Bull Halsey for leaving the door open but with his sinking of the Japanese carriers that was the end of the Japanese navy power. Yes the two islands for the forward airbases had yet to be taken but there was now no way for them to be resupplied once under attack.

One last comment, I've read both of this authors books, and the "Ghost Sailors" is much better written. It's not that the story itself is any better but there is less "perky good Americans, bad stupid Japanese" type comments in the text. Yes I expect that when an American writes about a battle where the odds were great against wining that the sailors involved will show true courage, but it's a bit overdone in the early chapters of this book. But once you start to ignore it, the book moves right along. And in "Ghost Sailors" it's toned way back and makes for an easier to read book. Still 5 stars though.

"The Last Stand..." is a riveting and extraordinary story of a relatively small and underarmed American task force of vulnerable escort carriers and destroyers making a last stand against a dramatically superior Japanese force determined to destroy the American landings in the Philippines. Author Hornfischer does a great job of profiling the men of one destroyer in their brave struggles and enriches the story with insight into the Japanese forces mindset. This is one of those books you may want to read cover to cover.
Steven George Bustin, Author, "Humble Heroes, How The USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII"Humble Heroes: How the USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII

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This was the greatest batttle in American Naval History, to quote Admiral Bull Halsey. I was unaware of it until I read this tremendous book. It is so well written that I could hardly put it down for a break.

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors..... this book is a must for anyone interested not just in naval warfare but in naval aviation as well. Mr. Hornfischer does an exceptional job at bringing to the reader a three dimensional account of what was indeed the United States Navy's finest hour. As a US Navy veteran and a current civilian pilot, I was able to interject myself into this most historical naval engagement due to this very detailed and rather accurate account of the Battle off Samar.
The two incidents will stick in my mind for a long time will do so for two reasons, that they happened and how the author was able to describe them. One was Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans on the fantail of the USS Johnston barking orders with his ship all but a burning pile of steel and the other was the Japanese destroyer that sailed past the Johnston's survivors. Powerful stuff. Mr. Hornfischer also gives a chilling description of the brutal demise of the USS Hoel and Samuel B Roberts and demonstrates that the sailors and aviators of Taffy 3 may have been the most gallant in the history of the United States Navy. USS Hoel, Roberts, Johnston and the rest of Taffy 3...God bless them.

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour

Having served aboard the Hobson(DMS26), the trainng the we underwent, but did not enjoy, is shown by the author why it is so essential.

It is often said that teaching and learning in high school is a mile wide and an inch deep. All I ever heard and read in high school about WWII and the naval battles against the Japanese Navy in the Pacific is that the United States won the war! This book capably presents the truth that it was never quite a certainty as the battles unfolded. It is a wonderful thing to have a talented writer and researcher as Hornfischer dedicate his extraordinary talent in presenting this excellent well written definitive history of the US and Japanese naval battles near the Phillipines in October of 1944. This book is very highly recommended as an excellent and thought provoking history as well as a true testimonial to the bravery of U.S Navy personnel in battle.

I'm about two-thirds of the way through the book. Even at this point, I've learned a lot that I hadn't really appreciated before.

First of all, sometime back I read a book about the naval battle of Guadalcanal. In that battle, it seems as if all the Japanese had to do to sink one of our ships was to get just one hit on it. By the time of the Battle Off Samar, American ship building must have radically improved. Even the American ships that went down were hit literally dozens of times before finally succumbing to the inevitable. And lots of other American ships were hit but kept fighting and were still fighting at the end of the war.

Another realization was the awful damage 16-inch naval guns do to the human body when they hit a ship and explode. The mental picture I used to have of WW II naval warfare was antiseptic. Yes, guys died -- but I saw it as ever so much cleaner than the awfulness of land warfare. The author of the book has descriptions of what the results were. Naval guns were far bigger than anything in land warfare. The biggest shell for field artillery was about the size of a football. In the Navy, the plentiful six- and eight-inch guns had shells as big as a five footballs. And the 16" (or 18" for two of the Japanese Navy's "super" battleships") were as big as a garbage can and weighed as much as a Volkswagen. When they exploded, huge chunks of the sides of ships would be opened up like a tuna can even though it was inch-thick steel. The effect on the human body was even more devastating. Guys were literally ripped apart and sometimes whole compartments of guys were ripped apart so badly that one guy couldn't be identified from another. It was, literally, like an explosion in a meat locker. Never again will I think that naval warfare was antiseptic. (This is also something of a warning that if you read the book you're going to get all those descriptions too. If you don't think you can stomach it, then you'll either have to skip over those sections or skip the book.)

The book also follows the survivors of the ships that went down as they bobbed in the water waiting for rescue. Their time in the water was made more troubling by the fact that they were constantly being circled by sharks. It was their "good fortune" to be covered with bunker oil from the sunken ships that apparently acted both as a shark repellent and a sun block. But, unlike every other book I've read or movie I've seen, the whole story of a naval battle isn't over when the shooting stops. And, it isn't easy to spot guys in the water with a whole ocean to look at. It was also interesting how, despite the desperate situation they were all in, they all worked to help the wounded among them first. (Unlike the movie warriors who are all fight, the tenderness displayed to the worse off among them is remarkable.)

This is a great book for anyone wanting to know what World War II naval warfare was really like.

Also, there are a lot of maps that help to follow ship movements.

I enjoyed the book and the heroism of the sailors and airmen who fought the battle has seldom been equaled. However, the whole reason they were in this terrible position to begin with was poor decision making and poor communication from the higher levels, esp Halsey. I found that after a while that fact made the book a bit depressing for me. It seems obvious that such a powerful Japanese fleet should have been given more respect (watched closely, etc.) since Halsey knew it was in the area.

Having served on 3 destroyers (Tin Cans) 1952-1965, two of the Fletchers, this book brought back many memories, both good and bad, of those years of service and sailing on those ships. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it difficlut to put down. There are so many heroic stories to be told that have not been revealed, and so many more that will never be told, but I thank this author for telling this one.
Kenneth E. Irons

A very good narrative with human interest about an important naval engagement of the WWII. How the US Navy reacted to an almost impossible situation that seemed hopeless. Read his other book about the sailors of the USS Houston who sank and survived to help build the highway in the jungle which included the Bridge over the River Quai. He is a very good author!

This was a book which transcends the genre. I am one of those who reads a great deal of history as a personal interest. Nimitz, Halsey, Yamamoto, etc. along with history of all periods, so this book was a detail filled in among my other reading. However, I believe that it was written in a style and with enough background data that it would be accessible to those for whom it isn't part of a fuller study of the period. I was fortunate to run into an elderly gentleman in the supermarket just after I read this book, he had on a ball cap with a DDS # on it. I went up to him and asked him if he was a Destroyman. He had served in Destroyers from 1936 to 1965.We had a great chat and I was happy to be able to let him know that he and his colleagues are not forgotten.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Naval battles. The author made this incredile encounter between the outgunned US Navy and the Japanese come to life. Even though I was in the Navy, I had never heard of this battle. The heroic action of the Tappy 3 sailors was not publicized by the Navy because of Admiral "Bull" Halsey's negligence and they didn't want his reputation.

Just an Excellent writeup on this under-covered yet critical battle. Highly recommended for any Navy or WWII historian.

This book really tells me about the value of good intelligence during a military operation. This tells the tale of the soldiers and sailors on board the ships in the action in the South Pacific when America took action to reclaim the Phillippines from the Japanese Empire.

Both sides of this battle suffered from poor information and lost many good men as a result.

I have good knowledge of the World War II action in Europe, but this book opens the story of the war in the Pacific to me. It is truly an "edge of your seat" story.

I heard the author speak on a history channel program and immediately bought a copy of this book. Hornfischer sticks to the facts, while allowing you to live the experience of the sailors aboard the ships. His writing is anything but dry and boring.

It makes you wonder if the United States of today (and our culture of personal comfort) could have won the second world war...and it makes you appreciate, so much more, the generation who fought and died so that we could live in a free America.

The feats performed by the patriots who held off the Japanese, after being left alone and unprotected by what can most charitably be described as a miscommunication by Adm. Halsey, who took Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts into battle against heavy cruisers and battleships - and who held their own, well, this sort of thing might never happen again - our intel and communications are just too good. But it did, and it deserves to be remembered.

The author starts before the battle, discussing the ships, the officers & men (seems not all the captains & officers who displayed such gallantry were actually all that popular with their men), takes the reader through the battle, and then takes us through the WHOLE story by discussing the survivors in the water battling sharks (and not always winning) and waiting (too long) to be rescued. Hornfischer also ably discusses why the US Navy's, perhaps, most gallant moments of all time (DD and DE's taking on heavy cruisers & battleships!)were essentially supressed for many years in order to cover up Adm. Halsey's screw up. The author also discusses Adm. Kurita in a fair manner- not just as some cardboard cut out figure who screwed up by turning back when victory was at hand. The author shows that thanks to the sacrifices of Taffy 3, and the ability of other "Taffys" to join in on air attacks, Kurita's future success was far from certain. Still, I can't help but conclude that the author ultimately lets Kurita off too easily. Despite the risk of air attacks massing against him, Kurita should have pushed through to try & destroy MacArthur's landing bridgeheads. Its not like Kurita could justify conserving his forces for another, more successful, future opportunity.

Note a mistake by the author. He twice says that the Gambier Bay was the only aircraft carrier sunk by surface fire in WWII, before finally correcting himself by stating that it was the only US carrier so sunk. The author skips over the Germans sinking a British aircraft carrier earlier in the war in Scandanavian waters.

The writing of this book is tremendous. My father was on the St.Lo and slightly injured in the Kamakaze attack on it. Recommend this book to everyone.

I found this book to be engrossing and requiring full attention to follow. The battle sequence is complex and with so many ships and personnel it is easy to get lost. Hornfischer does an outstanding job of putting the battle together, personalizing the stories, and providing the reader with a crows next view of the unfolding action.

I very much recommend this book.

This is an excellent story written by a man who apparently did a lot of work and first-hand interviews; it was hard to put down.

My uncle would always change the subject when I brought up the question always asked by the next generation about a war long over, "What did you do during the war Uncle Monk?" This story is the definitive answer to my unanswered question, and I now understand why he was awarded the Navy Cross.

This book is a must for all WWII history buffs, or anyone who wants to hear a great story about American servicemen and real heroics; it is a battle like Vietnam's Tet offensive, the marines chosen frozen in Korea, and the 101st holding Bastogne. A lot of good men died during this battle, and if you don't find yourself saying "wow" I'd be surprised.

Peter G. Heckler
Houston, Texas

Good Book: All warfare is bizarre; Taffy 3's struggle for survial off Samar was no exception. The sacrifice of the Destroyer/DE crews was valorous; their agony and fate were capricious--saving some, slaughtering others. read and remember them all.
pete saussy

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour by James D. Hornfischer is a story of courage and sacrifice in the face of insurmountable odds. On October 25, 1944 a Japanese force of battleships and heavy cruisers led by the massive battleship Yamato attempted to ambush Macarthur's 7th fleet at leyte gulf.

The invasion of the Philippines had begun. Taffy 3, an American force of escort carriers and destroyers was screening to the north, its aircraft supporting the invasion. Hidden by rain squalls and approaching undetected from the north the Japanese battleships and cruisers fell upon Taffy 3.

The US Navy was caught by total surprise. Out gunned, their aircraft unarmed or preparing for ground strikes, and with the slow escort carriers Taffy 3 Could only delay the inevitable and turned to run. Within minutes the carriers were in range of the Japanese guns. As Victory lay before the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Commanders of the Samuel B. Roberts and Johnston ordered their destroyers turned toward the approaching juggernauts.

This is one of those books that once you start you can't put it down. It's obviously well researched, has 27 pages of black and white pictures, line drawings of ships and several maps. It's full of narrated individual experiences that vividly describe the events of that morning. But, I do feel there should have been more personal observations from Japanese sailors who were there that day.

If you have any books on courage and sacrifice on your shelf, this book needs to be there.

This book was purchased as a gift for my Retired Navy husband. This is his review.
Good reading and informative. Brings back many memories of my years in the Navy.

This book was purchased as a gift for my Retired Navy husband. This is his review.
Good reading and informative. Brings back many memories of my years in the Navy.

Having served on a destroyer in the 1980's I was very interested to read this book and it does not disappoint! It appears to be very well researched and includes ample amounts of personal information on important characters that give the reader even more reasons to turn the pages faster. I could not put the book down, nor could I turn the pages fast enough. The men who served on these ships were certainly devoted and brave. Every American owes them much.

The book was very informative and it was easy to follow all of the characters of the epic event. I have spoken to others about reading this book.

In the midst of one of the largest naval battles in history a small group of US escort and support ships were pinned by one of the major Japanese task forces. In many ways similar to the Alamo stand, a small force ended up holding the line expecting reinforcement which never came.............fighting so hard that an overwhelming enemy force was thwarted. Individual heroism saving the day when some big name commanders fumbled. This is a very well balanced absorbing look at what happened and why. Highly recommended.

I have long been a student of the actions comprising the Battle for Leyte Gulf, and my book club is currently reading Hornfischer's detailed account of the Battle off Samar. It is fascinating and inspiring. As an Oklahoman I am immensely proud of Commander Ernest Evans and the other Oklahoma sailors who took part in the heroic stand of Taffy 3.

This book really has a good message that is hard to see in today's world. Ultimately, the men of the naval vessels did thier duty and saved thousands of lives. It is a story of courage and sacrifice. The book is well written and provides a tough view of what is required in a time of crisis.

As a veteran "Tin Can Sailor", I found this book to be an excellent description of the heroic actions of the officers and men of Taffy 3, and of the Navy pilots who played an equally important part in the Battle Off Samar, part of the larger overall operation known historically as the Battle of Leyte Gulf. This is one of those rare 'can't put it down' books that rivets the reader to every word. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Hornfischer's books.

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour.

By James D. Hornfisher

Bantam Books / February 2004

PP499

Review by Roger D. Noriega

While this book has been out for some time, it is one that I have desired to read for some time. Being that I am a student of history, particularly naval warfare in World War II, this book is one that I would read.

The title itself told me what it was about and upon reading the caption for it in the History Book Club, it was natural for me to purchase this book. I make no bones about my knowledge of history, I am an arm-chair historian who has read a great deal and from an early age. For me, the Battles of the Java Sea, Coral Sea, Midway, The Great Mariana's Turkey Shoot, The Slot, Iron Bottom Bay and the exploits of Mitscher and Halsey are well known to me.

As a matter of fact, I have written four reports on the Battle of Midway and three netted me an A and one a B. For the B, I was determined to meet with the instructor of my friend that was the recipient for said report. I wanted to make clear that this report was graded an A previously three times! My friend did contribute by means of the drink that kept me awake all night. Pepsi Cola, you are their saviors! Joe, Raul, John, and I forget the other one. Oh, that was me! Raul, sorry for the B.

I digress. The Battle of Leyte Gulf has gone down in history as the largest naval engagement in the history of modern naval warfare. It may just as well be the greatest route in the history of naval warfare as well, but the Mariana's Turkey Shoot would rate in this debate. James D. Hornfisher paints a marvelous picture about the events in late October 1944. The desperation of the Japanese leadership and their desire to go out in a blaze of glory. While this may be a simplistic and an uneducated opinion, there is some merit to this. The Japanese were short on raw materials, their fleet was doomed to short sorties due to fuel constraints and American naval power was ranging far and wide in the Western Pacific. Guam, Saipan, and Tinian had recently been taken by American soldiers and bombers were now striking at the ancient homeland every day.

In Japanese history, there were key moments when great battles were fought by its military and were won against overwhelming odds. Divine Intervention was believed in one and the route of the Russian navy in 1905 was another. The Japanese Naval Command was convinced that one great, final showdown awaited where the Imperial Navy along with the Air Force would deliver a crippling blow to Macarthur by smashing the American invasion force.

The Imperial Navy is fond of complex naval operations with naval forces appearing out of no where to confuse its enemy and the SHO plan was such a plan. The plan was complex in size but simple in design. Macarthur's forces waded ashore on the island of Leyte in the Central Philippines. Should these islands fall, the vital supply lines to Japan from the East Indies would be severed, the war - over. Knowing this, Two small forces would approach Leyte Gulf from the south west, Surigao Straight. The main body of Battleships and Cruisers would enter through the Sibuyan Sea and a decoy force of the remaining aircraft carriers would lay off of Cape Engano to the North in hopes of drawing out Halsey's fleet carriers. The southern force and central force would then converge and meet in Leyte Gulf, smash the invasion and strand Macarthur on Leyte. This would be the decisive battle that would save Japan - Midway in 1942 and Truk in 1943 notwithstanding.

The plan was massive, four fleets, huge air forces, spread over a thousand miles of ocean. The American navy and Macarthur were in for a surprise. A surprise indeed.

The two smaller forces meet with Kinkaid's 7th fleet in Surigao Straight and Halsey sped north after the decoy carriers appeared. Halsey did strike at the Center force on the 24th of October, sinking the Mushasi, sister to the Yamato. Admiral Kurita, overall commander of the Sho fleet had reversed course and was heading west. Halsey was free to do as he pleased and carriers to the north were his targets of preference. The only thing left behind to protect left gulf from the northeast was Taffy 1, Taffy 2, and Taffy 3. All three groups were a collection of six escort carriers and six to seven destroyers/destroyer escorts each. No more than 36 small ships to cover the invasion of Leyte's backdoor.

It doesn't take a genius to realize that a destroyer is no match for a cruiser or for that matter a battleship. Halsey sailed away and left the barn door open and through it came Admiral Kurita with his Center force that had reversed course the night of the 24th. On the morning of October 25, 1944, Kurita found the northernmost Taffy group, #3, and launched an attack with his four remaining battleships, eight cruisers, and 11 destroyers. Against this force stood six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts. It was only a matter of time before the Center force would dispatch them and then move on to Leyte Gulf.

For those that know history, we know what happens, for those that don't, read the book. This book captures the heroism, courage, and bravery of the American sailor when backed against the wall and against superior odds and forces. The American destroyer commanders did not expect to win. Their plan was to buy time so that the jeep (escort) carriers could get away and maybe Halsey or Kinkaid could arrive with reinforcements. Taffy 3 launched all of its planes to attack and the destroyers, along with the destroyer escorts, launched themselves against the Japanese heavies. They were simply overmatched in firepower and sheer strength of numbers.

Captain Copeland of the Samuel B. Roberts addressed his crew over the public address: "A large Japanese fleet has been contacted. They are fifteen miles away and headed in our direction. They are believed to have four battleships, eight cruisers, and a number of destroyers. This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can."

Herman Wouk wrote in War and Remembrance, "The vision of Sprague's three destroyers - the Johnston, the Hoel, and the Hermann - charging out of the smoke and the rain straight toward the main batteries of Kurita's battleships and cruisers, can endure as a picture of the way Americans fight when they don't have superiority. Our schoolchildren should remember it and our enemies should ponder it."

We all know Midway. We all know Coral Sea. We all know about the Battle of the Bulge, D-Day - lets now discover this moment in history where in the darkness of impending defeat, souls laced with courage and sacrifice shined and to this day shine still in what is clearly the American navy's finest moment. It wasn't a large fleet carrier or a battleship, just little destroyers that by standing their ground against superior forces did they save the day and bring victory to the allied forces that much sooner.

The story of these fine men, people just like us, who faced insurmountable odds and after the battle, faced greater threats to their very survival must be remembered and remembered they will be upon reading this book.

I rate this book an A. 10 of 10.

Never read a book on the destroyer navy of WWII that I enjoyed more.

Outstanding tale of heroism that needs to be read by all Americans to make them aware of the sacrifices made by our armed forces. The battle off Samar was definitely one of the US Navy's finest hours. This is the second book I've read on this great Naval engagement and am still in awe of it.

As a Vietnam-era tin can sailor let me say that I was not an eye-witness to the events of this story, but I do know destroyers built in the 40's: I served on two over three years. The author's story is marred by frequent technical errors. These are small things, but they hurt the flow of the narrative by reminding the reader that his knowledge is second or third-hand. Although too numerous to list, I'll give three examples. Destroyer torpedoes were not launched by compressed air; they were fired by black powder charges. Anti-aircraft bursts were not cordite, they were a high explosive like TNT; cordite was a propellant. There were no radio sets in CIC to listen to; there were only remote speakers in CIC that were patched up from radio central. There are also occasional neologisms like "uptight" in the narrative that yank the reader out of the 40's and into the 60's or 70's.

On a positive note, the story is told with an open admiration for the men and ships of this great battle, an admiration fully justified and richly deserved.

I thoroughy enjoyed reading this book. Hornfischer did an outstanding job describing the battle in great detail. He did an outstanding job describing a part in naval history which was overlooked by many historians. If your looking for a book that will keep you up late reading, on the edge of your seat, then this is it.

First, this is probably my favorite military history book that I have read, which surprised me. I am beginning to really find WW2 more and more interesting, especially the Pacific, and this book really does a nice job telling the story of the Battle of Leyte Gulf from the perspective of destroyer sailors.

If you like books like Flags of Our Fathers, GHost Soldiers, or any of teh Ambrose books, you will enjoy this. It gives a personal perspective of the battle and what it was like to be on a destroyer. In addition, the story reads like a Clancy book. The main battle lasted only a few hours and the book is a complete page-turner through the battle. One part where it describes how the destroyer escorts turned out of the smoke screen and charged the much heavier incoming Japanese fleet should be remembered as one of America's finest moments.