The turbulent life of Gregory Pappy Boyington; the top U.S. Marine ace of the Pacific; is captured in memorable detail by the acclaimed author of One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle of Tarawa. Wukovits pulls no punches in describing the controversial World War II fighter pilot; who was a hero to some; and a villain to others in the Corps. Boyington was a little of each as this biography of the legendary but complex figure shows. The book details the Marine s early life with abusive parents and frequent moves and his early military career and service with the Flying Tigers in Burma and China. His feats as a Corsair pilot in the South Pacific and his time in Japanese prison camps are also given full coverage. Wukovits contends that Boyington performed miserably when shunted to the sidelines and amassed a spotty record with the Flying Tigers because they treated him as an outsider. He excelled; however; when others looked to him for advice. When put in command of the Black Sheep Squadron; where the men considered him a teacher and leader; he triumphed; making his squadron the most effective in the Pacific. Called one of the preeminent historians of the Pacific War; Wukovits paints a complete portrait of Boyington that allows readers to understand the colorful World War II ace as never before.
#2128547 in Books Naval Institute Press 2010-02-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.98 x 1.17 x 6.10l; 1.27 #File Name: 1591142970448 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. TOO LONG A VOYAGEBy Michael A. MendelsonMore thesis than a well focused contribution to an area already rife with many technology and battle books. The premise here is a supposed comparison between British and U.S. foreign policy with the" iron clad" as the lynchpin;i.e. U.S. v Britain and the Confederacy and Britain v.the U.S. and France.The fundamental premise fails; first;as the "Trent" affair demonstrated; the U.S. pursued an avowedly "one war at a time" foreign policy; second; the U.S;unlike Britain;did not have an overseas empire to tend to and; third;unlike France and Britain;the U.S.was not yet practicing "gun boat" diplomacy. Ultimately; America had other uses for its post war iron--- rails for'' manifest destiny". Failure of the fundamental premise turns this work into a sort of alternative history of monitor class vessels and its comparison to British vessels. This work includes numerous "Summaries" to insure clarity because of book's length and ceaseless use of quotations.May be the Summaries should have been the book.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. New fact-based analysis after 150 years; and the best-ever pro/con on the Monitor System vs. casemate ironclads.By ReadsALotFuller's book is not for the casual Civil War reader; but for the most serious student of 19th century steam and iron naval history. First; though; you might read the general catalog works on US ironclads (Canney and Silverstone); take in Baxter's classic; and digest the first 29 chapters of Bennett's "Steam Navy". If you still have a thirst for the subject; you are ready to appreciate this book; Fuller's master work on the first decade of ironclad development. Fuller pulls no punches in pointing out defects in Baxter's study; and populates his narrative with a wealth of technical detail and political context. I agree that Fuller requires your full attention; I had to reread a number of long sentences (mostly those including contemporary quotes) to be sure of his point. But; boy is it worth the patience! There is barely a page without some nugget on ironclad design or performance. This is a great; crunchy meal of a book! And; while other reviewers distain the 70-page Notes section; I found it to be a spectacular dessert to the main course. Oh; the research he did!!2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The other side of the pondBy T. StibalThis book puts the American Civil War's naval expansion in context with the concurrent activities of European navies. While the Union was busy bringing the South to heel; Britain and France were locked in the first arms race of the Steam Age. And; most of the decisions taken by the Royal Navy were made with one wary eye on what Cousin Jonathan was doing across the pond.This relatively dry account looks at the Royal Navy's concerns and reactions to America's first ironclads. Dealing more with political and economic realities than nuts and bolts naval issues; the author details the serious concerns that Union ironclads caused at Whitehall; and how the British industrial complex dealt with each of them as they arose. He also puts much more light on how Captain Cowper Coles raised the hackles of the powers that were.The usual suspects are here - the French under Napoleon III; along with Captain Coles and the usual "hide bound" Royal Navy "reactionaries" (who weren't quite as reactionary as some might think. But; while the whole story is laid out in some detail; there's not the usual "battle centric" sort of material beloved by many military history "buffs". Unless you are as comfortable with budgeting and political maneuvering as you are with handspikes and powder smoke; you should probably steer clear of this one.
