Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Writing
Review: "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer. Subtitled "The Extraordinary World War II Story Of The U.S. Navy's Finest Hour". Bantam Books, 2004.
From the biographical information on the WEB, it does not appear that the author, James Hornfischer, served in the Untied States Navy; this makes his book even more of an amazing accomplishment. He has absolutely captured the essence of an enlisted man in the US Navy, so much so that I can smell the gray paint (oil-based) that we slopped around the compartment in the Naval Air Training Center, Norman, Oklahoma. I can still remember the Chief warning us not to let the paint go on too thick as the paint would burn during action. ...As if we would ever see a battle in NATTC, Norman, which was about as far from either ocean as you could get. I was there as an Airedale in 1958, and, being Irish, I was proud of the Kelly green diagonal stripes on my dress blue jumper. In my opinion, Hornfischer has captured the quintessence of the feeling or disdain that the black shoe navy had for aviation, the brown shoe navy. The author has taken all these minimal details and woven a real and personal story of the men who served in the little "Taffy" fleet that was attacked by Imperial Japanese Navy that day in October, 1944. First, he has addressed what the noted historian, John Keegan, was not willing to consider in his book, "The Face of Battle" (Viking Press, 1995):
personal courage in naval actions. In at least three places in "Tin Can Sailors", Hornfischer tells how it feels to be going into action where the chances of survival are nil. Yet they went: courage to stay at your station and to continue to load and fire despite the odds. Second, his detailed account of the action makes a good case for the fact that the Imperial Japanese Navy withdrew, NOT because they had misidentified the USN ships they were facing but rather because Japanese ships had been damaged so much. This book gives a detailed account of the damage inflicted by the destroyers (both DD and DE) and by the naval aircraft that were constantly strafing and bombing the Japanese ships. Even American (or British) admirals would hesitate if so many of their vessels had been so damaged.
Last, and it seems fitting in this book, the author only briefly mentions Admiral "Bull" Halsey. Halsey's misinterpretation of the strategic situation led to the potential disaster in Leyte Gulf; the heroism of the ordinary seamen prevented the disaster while writing a chapter of bravery. for the United Sates Navy.
Rating:
Summary: An Epic Naval Battle Remembered
Review: "This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do all the damage we can." - Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland, from the dust jacket. One of the saddest truths about the turn of the new Millennium is the realization that the veterans of the so-called "Greatest Generation," those who defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, are now rapidly passing into history. As such, it has become even more important that the stories of their heroism and sacrifice be written down for posterity while the heroes themselves are still around to tell them. With his new book, "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors," literary agent and author James D. Hornfischer has documented one such lesser-remembered World War Two tale with a reverence befitting the brave men who fought and died for America's freedom. The events of the book take place during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which stands as the largest naval engagement in world history, and was fought between the Japanese and American navies in the vicinity of the Philippines as General Douglas McArthur's forces were invading to take the archipelago back from the Japanese. The Leyte Gulf campaign has been well documented in other books about the Pacific war, so Hornfischer focuses most of his attention on one particular engagement off Samar Island. There, a small task force of American escort carriers and destroyers (the "Tin Cans" of the title), held off a far superior enemy fleet of battleships and cruisers with a combination of near-suicidal bravery and spectacular seamanship coupled with a healthy dose of sheer good fortune. "Tin Can Sailors" is exhaustively researched, which gives the narrative the kind detailed nuance that elevates it above the level of mere reportage into inspired storytelling. Hornfischer sets the stage by introducing the main players, both the ships and the men who sailed on them. He gives an overall view of events leading up to the battle to assist the casual reader in placing it in context, and also presents enough of the Japanese point of view to give an appreciation of how desperate the forces of the Rising Sun were at this stage of the war. Desperate enough, in fact, to risk virtually their entire remaining surface fleet on a gamble, the success of which hinged on their ability to bluff hard-charging American Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey. If not for the almost superhuman courage of the Tin Can Sailors, they might well have succeeded and seriously imperiled McArthur's invasion forces. The battle scenes in the book are particularly well depicted; some of the first hand accounts are every bit as graphically disturbing as, say, the first half-hour of the movie "Saving Private Ryan." Such images are absolutely vital to the telling of the story, and the author handles them deftly, never lapsing into sensationalism. Hour-by-hour position maps showing the locations of the ships are helpfully provided to assist the reader along with a generous selection of photographs. The extras make "Tin Can Sailors" one of the best battle books I've read in terms of helping the reader see the action as it is taking place. The epilogue contains a list of those who died fighting the battle, and what's immediately striking is that America lost more fighting men in just over three hours in this one small corner of World War Two than it has during the entire nine-plus months of the Iraq war. Overall, "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" is a first rate work of history that will be enjoyed equally by both military buffs and more casual readers. The book was obviously a labor of love for its author, and he should be saluted for his efforts in writing it.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring history
Review: "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" has a David versus Goliath guality. In this gripping history, American warships and sailors were the David to the Japanese force's Goliath. This book admirably and fluently tells the story of how a vastly outnumbered and outgunned American naval force turned back, at great human cost, a superior Japanese force that surprised it in the Leyte Gulf off of the Philippines. The sailors whose stories are narrated in this book prevailed because of thier energy, initiative, willing self-sacrifice and unselfish dedication to duty. "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" is a fitting homage to men who performed in the highest tradition of the American military. I highly recommend this inspiring book.
Rating: 
Summary: Best yet on Samar battle, but
Review: a work of survey, synthesis & appreciation rather than reflection of deep understanding of the battle, its ships or the sea. Superficial in its treatment of deep facts, such as "the torpedo problem;" there were three defects, not one. But useful for description of horrors that rarely make it to the page--therefore a tribute to the suffering of brave men. Useful also for clarifying Kurita's motives for withdrawal--he was afraid of air atack from both land-based and sea-based planes, given that he had no air cover himself. One cannot fairly ascribe Kurita's decision to inscrutability while simultaneously declaring that surface-to-surface fleet actions had been made obsolete by air power. Kurita knew this, did what he could & saved what he could. The larger American destroyers DID look like cruisers in his experience. He wasn't timid or a fool; to claim he was unfairly dims the achievement of those who opposed him. Hornfischer doesn't fall into this trap. On the whole, a good read, the best on the battle so far. Well written, poetic in places ("scintillan sun") and well edited, if underpunctuated.
Rating:
Summary: Pays tribute to heroes and their sacrifices for us
Review: Anyone who is unsure of whether to get this book should set their reservations aside and grab it now. I have no hidden agenda to hype this book - I just grabbed it off the shelf at the store and struck gold. Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors stands proudly in my library and holds its own with other great non-fiction books. James Hornfischer didn't just find a great story to tell, he crafted it with a very skillful narration. A writer of non-fiction who can capture a reader and pull him into his story is rare and the author does this very well. He had me cheering as Ernest Evans led the Johnston on the attack against the entire Japanese fleet. He left me horrified by the effects of the pounding that the Tin Cans took and stunned by the heroism and sense of duty of those who manned their posts until the very end. The book gives a nice overview of the Pacific Theater until the point of this battle. Hornfischer clearly explains what has happened so that you can understand the context of the Battle off of Samar. He does this without going too far in depth and losing the reader. The explanations of the development of the Navy and Naval Aviation were clear and concise. I learned quite a bit about the planes that were used and the men who piloted them. The same can be said for his explanations of the different naval vessels and what made them unique. If you like books told from numerous first-person accounts that personalize a story and let you get to know those involved, then this book is for you. It is an honorable salute to those who survived and the heroes who did not.
Rating:
Summary: "Band of Brothers," US Navy style
Review: As Bill Marsano's 30 March 2004 entry largely captures, in essence, most everything I'd want to say about this book, I won't replay his words here. I'd simply note that this book is one of the finest recountings of a naval surface (and air) action I've ever had the pleasure to read, all the more so given the circumstances in which the battles were ultimately fought. That the author has done so in a wholly readable manner, with equal emphasis on the human as well as the tactical side, is to his great credit and our great fortune. While naval battles of this sort are now consigned to history, and perhaps the movies, there can be no doubt that the heroism and the horrors involved, brought vividly to life in this book, were quite real at the time.
Rating:
Summary: And That's the Way It Was.
Review: As one of the "Tin Can Sailors" mentioned in Jim Hornfischer's book, I would like to assure one and all of the authenticity of the content of this book. Personally, I am aware of the amount of research, interviewing and travel that was involved in the creation of this all too true story of one of the most amazing naval battles of World War II.
When I read the book for the first time I was back in time to October, 1944, when I was an eighteen year old kid, ready to take on the world, including the Japanese Navy - not realizing that I would soon have that opportunity. Hornfischer's accounts of the battles from the standpoint of each of the ships are wonderfully done. His stories of what it was like to be on life rafts with dying shipmates, sharks and unbelievable thirst, still bring tears to my eyes.
To gain a real understanding of what it was like to be a part of that Battle Off Samar, and in fact to be a sailor in World War II, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible, Astonishing, Inspiring--and True
Review: By Bill Marsano. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, in October of 1944, is still the greatest naval battle in history: Two gigantic armadas, Japanese and American, clashed as the Americans tried to take back the Philippines. Beyond the enormous forces involved, this battle, or series of battles, has other fascinations. For one, it was the last clash of the big-gun navies--battleship to battleship (featuring American battleships resurrected from Pearl Harbor). We shall not see its like again. Two, an American fleet was decoyed, leaving the invasion beaches with little protection. Three, that little protective force thereupon responded with what many consider the finest display of heroism, sacrifice and fighting seamanship in the history of the U.S. Navy. James D. Hornfischer covers all three areas--plus some postwar history, including the reason the Navy has been wary of celebrating what he calls "the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour. If his prose rarely rises above the workmanlike, that's OK, because it seldom sinks to cheap melodrama and also (so far as I can tell) avoids the kind of amateurish mistakes and ignorant howlers that marred the likes of Craig Nelson's "The First Heroes." Indeed, Hornfischer does an excellent job of conveying the WWII naval milieu, probably because (despite his evident youth and lack of naval background) he seems to have done real research, incl.uding his own interviews. We come to know that there are human beings involved; this is not just a tale about sheet metal and shellfire. That means we are powerfully affected when he talks about the cost. He does not shrink from the terrible sufferings and horrible deaths involved, whether from scalding steam or explosions or fires in battle--or from delerium, exposure and sharks during an aftermath of long-delayed rescue. The center of this story comes after the battleship duel (a disaster for the Japanese): When the decoy succeeds, Japan's powerful Center Force is left free to swoop into Leyte Gulf and destroy Gen. Douglas MacArthur's invasion force on the beach. Standing in the way (and utterly unaware) is Taffy 3, whose job is simply air support for the troops. It's hard to express the imbalance between the two forces, which is so great it makes David vs. Goliath resemble a sporting proposition. The Japanese have 11 destroyers, 2 light cruisers, 6 heavy cruisers and 4 battleships (the largest of which, the Yamato, outweighs all of Taffy 3's ships combined). Taffy 3's excellent Fletcher-class destroyers are, as Hornfischer aptly notes, its only ships "not conceived as lesser versions of a more capable vessel." Taffy 3's 6 aircraft carriers, for example, are mere escort or "jeep" carriers (never intended for fleet actions). Its remaining ships are 4 of the frankly desperate "destroyer escorts," mainly intended for antisubmarine work. The clash of these forces makes for exciting reading; as a Hollywood script it would be laughed out of town as outrageous fiction, but it is in fact true and inspiring. It would be unfair to the book to go into details here, but I should add that Hornfischer is particularly good on the ship-by-ship tactical end. Too many other accounts have focused excessively on Japanese confusion: While that did weigh in the balance, it's also clear that in some cases David simply outfought Goliath--and out-thought him, too.--Bill Marsano is a long-time amateur of naval history.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Account of a Classic Battle
Review: History is best told when combined in an oral fashion with meticulous research. THE LAST STAND OF THE TIN CAN SAILORS is such an account. The Battle of Leyte Gulf has been recounted numerous times, mostly in technical terms describing ship and fleet movements and battle strategies. To be sure, these are all essential elements in understanding the battle and its signficance in reducing the Imperial Japanese Navy to a force which depended on the Kamikazes for defense against superior U.S. weaponry and personnel (the Japanese high commanded termed Leyte Gulf, prior to its onset, as a "decisive battle"). But the value in James Hornfischer's book is in its ability to humanize the encounter and bring the reader onto the ships so violently engaged. Many books, especially in dealing with the Second World War, demonstrate the ability to engage a reader but at the expense of a scholarly frame of reference. LAST STAND is not this kind of book for Hornfischer leaves no details unntapped. He gives excellent background as to the nature of battle strategy and its importance but not to the point of tedium. At many points, the book takes a turn toward from Admiral-designed battle plans to the life and role of the common sailor which enables us to appreciate the campaign from various perspectives. Accounts such as LAST STAND OF THE TIN CAN SAILORS are a welcome addition to the ever-growing lists of World War II literature.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Naval history
Review: Hornfischer chronicles the heroism of sailors and airmen, thrust without notice into grave danger, who forestall disaster through their unhesitating devotion and sacrifice. The detailed descriptions of horrific carnage they endured while performing beyond the call of duty are (thankfully) the closest most readers will ever come to understanding what it's like to risk one's life for one's country. Far from being the book's weak point, these descriptions serve to accentuate the selfish short-sightedness of individuals who whine about the futility of war while enjoying the fruits of freedom won at such a terrible price. The technical mistakes in details of ships and naval actions indicate only that the author's lack of nautical military background put him at the mercy of fading records and imperfect memories. In no way do the inaccuracies detract from the ringing accolade this book presents to the indomitable men of Taffy 3 who gave all they had to give. It's a pleasure to find a book containing not a single obvious typographical error or grammatical faux pas. Thank heavens for authors, book editors, and proofreaders willing to go the distance to produce quality literature as well as vivid history.
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