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At War With The Wind

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This is a quite remarkable assemblage of anecdotes detailing the carnage wrought by Japanese aerial and naval suicide campaigns conducted against Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II. The bulk of the book consists of explicit, blow-by-blow descriptions of a number of these horrifyingly deadly attacks. Sears obviously went to great lengths to obtain official action summaries, diaries, letters, first-hand accounts by survivors, interviews with unsuccessful attackers, and many other sources providing vivid portrayals of the incidents.

Despite the value of Sears' depictions as a record of the atrocities resulting from the kamikaze phenomenon, this book's readability and overall value are diminished by several significant defects. The text contains multitudes of punctuation goofs, mistaken or misleading word choices, and other basic typographical errors that any competent copy editor should catch on the first reading. Sears, obviously an experienced Navy man, throws many acronyms and other jargon into his narratives, often neglecting to define them at first use. A glossary explains many of these terms, but the requirement to consult it so frequently detracts from the flow of reading.

A more serious weakness is the inconsistency of both fact and commentary in Sears' attempts to frame his battle reports with summaries of the major events in the tide of war in the Pacific. The frustrating thing is that he does a marvelous job of introducing many of the pivotal battles and decisions in a way that even the least knowledgeable of readers can understand. But, probably in an effort to remain concise, in some places he omits or skews facts to the extent that those same neophyte readers may come away with misconceptions that might never be corrected. For instance, the Battle of Midway is dismissed in a paragraph without any indication of the crucial role of this engagement in shaping the rest of the Pacific air war. Sears' description of the SBD Dauntless dive bomber not only misspells its designation as SPD, but confuses it with its predecessor, the SB2U-3 Vindicator, mistakenly bestowing the latter's unfortunate nickname of "wind indicator" on the far more airworthy Dauntless. The universally respected Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher receives short shrift throughout the book, coming across to any uninitiated reader as a hesitant, obstructionist figure mainly responsible for losing carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Yorktown (CV-5) and serving more as an obstacle than a competent leader at Guadalcanal. (Sears probably picked up his negative view of Fletcher from Samuel Eliot Morison, who had been offended by the publicity-shy admiral's refusal to cooperate with his naval history research.)

One of the more ironic gaps is Sears' failure to provide any detail in mentioning the gallant sacrifice of the American ships of Taffy 3 during the Battle Off Samar in October 1944. As described by James Hornfischer in his excellent book The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour, destroyer Johnston and destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts charged the battleships and heavy cruisers of Admiral Korita's armada at point-blank range with such ferocity that the Japanese fled in disarray, thereby sparing the Leyte landings from probable disruption. In the face of certain destruction, USS Johnston executed not one but two attack runs, the second after the ship had already been riddled with shells and many of the crew were dead. This heroism presents such an obvious parallel to the deliberately suicidal behavior of the kamikazes that its omission is incomprehensible in a book of this level of detail, particularly since Sears himself is a former destroyer officer. On the other side of the conflict, Japan's long-standing traditions of death with honor and respect for suicide receive little attention, and there's no mention of the naval officer generally credited with drawing up the first plan for a Special Attack Corps, Lt. Comm. Jo Eiichiro, whose samurai heritage undoubtedly spawned the concept.

I think the most damaging lapse is the book's denouement without a thorough treatment of the potential for catastrophe inherent in a land invasion of the Japanese home islands. After sprinkling numerous implied comparisons of damage caused by kamikazes in outlying areas with a presumably vastly greater toll to be inflicted during the final battle, Sears ends his account with only a cursory mention of the atomic bombs and a few anecdotes illustrating the joys (and problems) meeting homecoming sailors and airmen after the war. In light of Sears' diligence in research and access to original databases and first-hand sources, it seems likely that he should be able to contribute significantly to the ongoing discussion of hypothetical losses due to suicide attacks that purport to justify the use of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Appendices listing ships and crew victimized by kamikazes are limited to those personally researched by Sears. Hundreds more were targeted by suicide planes, and their story remains to be documented by a more complete, if perhaps less graphic, chronicle. Although this is an outstanding record of the ghastly effects of many individual suicide attacks, it cannot stand alone as a history and analysis of suicide missions in general, their significance in the overall war picture, or their lasting effects on victims from both sides.

Sears portrays the battles with the kamikazes superbly and so graphically as to be nearly palpable. The memories of my experiences as a gun-tub member on the aircraft carrier,Intrepid, CV11 prior to and during the battle for Okinawa brought back a flood of memories as I relived them in my mind. The accounts of the men on the smaller boats, the DD's, the DE's and the landing crafts and the ships that were more heavily damaged, e.g., the Franklin, mostly attest to the heroism of ordinary people placed in traumatic situations beyond their control. The discussions involving the Japanese sailors and airmen also state that heroism was not one sided. This book is a must read for anyone who experienced such trauma. I believe that reading this book might possibly serve as a catharsis for some who still might not be able to discuss their war-time experiences. Just to know that there were some who experienced similar or even worse catastrophies than they might relieve some internal stress which prevents them from opening up about them.

This is an exceptionally well-written historical account of the Japanese suicide campaign that emerged at the end of World War II in the Pacific theater. Sears does a very nice job of weaving togther accurate historical fact with the accounts of individual sailors involved in battling the Kamakazi. The author manages to give you history written with real narrative tension. Sears also includes accounts of a couple of Japanese airmen who survived the Kamakazi campaign. It is a valuable addition to the library of anyone with an interest in World War II combat.

At War With The Wind is a must read for anyone that is a World War II Naval buff. The actions described reflect the true feelings of those that actually faced the latest invention of Japans Imperial Navy..the Kamikaze!
The damage caused by these planes were more devastating than some bombs or naval shells could project.
While material for this book was being collected, David Sears has open a channel of communications that has re-energized the thoughts among many surviving shipmates that were for years silent. Even though many are now in their late 80's or 90's they seem to once again able to discuss those harrowing days when they were young.
I for one recommend this book very highly. I have done much research myself on one of these kamikaze'd ships (USS Haraden DD-585)and find that this adventure into the past is very prized by those that are still with us from those days long ago.
A job well done and a must read!

Gary USS Haraden Webmaster www.ussharaden.com

Having just finished reading AT WAR WITH THE WIND for the second time, I am so thankful that an author like David Sears can take a subject like the wind and make it so meaningful. In my case the wind of a typhoon was one of the causes of my ships loss, a tragedy often faced by men at sea, however the kamikaze attacks were something new. The depth of coverage of the sailors lost and those who survived during the attacks was detailed and very outstanding, showing that the author fully covered all areas well and did an outstanding job of research and interviewing. It still makes me shudder to remember what I went through in the typhoon and what the survivors of the kamikaze attacks went through. This book shoud be a requirement in all WW11 history classes. Pat Douhan USS HULL DD 350

I just finished reading David Sears latest book At War With The Wind in which he so aptly chronicles the WWII Naval battle of the South Pacific. Mr. Sears has done a masterful job of weaving together a vast amount of detail with hundreds of personal, eye-witness accounts of how those heroic sailors and marines fought one of the most bloody naval battles of modern warfare. David's writing style is very interesting and easy to read, yet this is a compelling account of the war. He has helped me to come to a much greater appreciation of what our fighting men and women have given for the freedom we enjoy today. It is a must read for anyone interested gaining insight into the history of our country.

"At War With the Wind" is a first rate read. Author David Sears does a splendid job of sharing in a very personal way what it was like for those who participated in the events surrounding the United States Navy's great struggle with the kamikaze forces of Japan in the closing months of World War II. While chronicling this epic story, he has effectively blended personal accounts of a great many veterans, both American and Japanese, in a manner that makes the story personal and yet conveys the shear magnitude and scale of these events.

I was overwhelmed with the amount of stories collected through interviews and other research necessary to write "At War With the Wind". The material was put together in a way that flowed and conveyed the book's purpose. I have some knowledge of this part of World War II history, and it was great to expand upon that through this book. I really liked the insights into the personalities of some of the commanders and members of Japan's suicide forces. I liked having a bigger view about the personal struggles happening in so many locations and getting better acquainted with other ships I've heard about but didn't know as well (like Isherwood, Newcomb, Ammen, Abner Read, etc..) in addition to the ship I know well, DD-529. It was great to see so many veterans remembered and honored.

...Ted Mayhugh ([...])

At War with the Wind is an excellent look at the men of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theatre and their battles with the Japanese, especially Kamikaze attacks. While historical, it tells of these battles from the men who were there. Many books have been written about World War II, but not many from the viewpoint of the flightdeck or the radio room from those who manned those posts and who watched friends' acts of true bravery and sacrifice. A nice photo section accompanies the book with personal photos of some of the sailors mentioned in the book.

The author truly cares about these men and portrays their heroism (though the men don't think of it that way) as humble as well as noble. A great read for those who want to understand history from those who made it.

Simply put a great read on a subject all America should learn about. Mr. Sears did an unbelievable job of research and put all of it into a "can't put down" book. Highly recommended.

By 1944, many of Japan's higher-ranking officials had come to the realization that the war against the United States was lost. They had their carrier fleet decimated by American planes at the battle of Midway, they lost the vital strategic island of Guadalcanal, and the Americans had begun the process of liberating the Philippines. Faced with rapidly shrinking numbers of ships and aircraft, Japan's leaders decided to try a new and baffling weapon: the kamikaze.

Initially, the kamikaze corps was made up of volunteers but, as the war continued and Japanese losses continued to grow, these volunteers became mandatory. The goal for the kamikaze pilots was simple: dive their plane into an American ship, preferably an aircraft carrier, with the hopes of severely damaging or sinking it. To the Americans on these ships, the sight and sound of an attacking kamikaze was unlike any other. These attackers took the forms of aircraft diving from above, small boats laden with explosives attacking from the surface, and even rocket-fired manned missiles hurtling through the skies at very high speeds. The men could only watch and hope that friendly fighters or antiaircraft fire could bring these attackers down before they reached the ship.

Author David Sears has written a masterful work about the kamikaze pilots and the Americans who fought against them. Drawing on interviews with Japanese and American servicemen along with in-depth research, Sears paints a picture of what this showdown looked like some 60+ years earlier. These stories reveal the horrors inflicted on American ship crews as they battled against a foe who had no fear of death and whose only concern was to sink an American ship.

This is an informative and gripping book. The personal accounts of both surviving Japanese and American servicemen put the reader at the very heart of the action. The stories these men tell are both harrowing and terrifying. The damage caused by one kamikaze could be tremendous, and many American ships were either heavily damaged or sunk by these terrors from the sky.

I give this book a very high recommendation. The personal insights plus the excellent narration by the author make this book an informative read. Read this book and experience the conflict between men determined to die vs. men determined to survive. Highly recommended.