Customer Reviews

The Battle of Leyte Gulf: 23-26 October 1944 (Bluejacket Books)

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Cutler's account of the Battle of Leyte Gulf is a remarkable and detailed account of the greatest naval battle in history. What makes the book great is the details that Cutler provided for the reader to learn about what happened. The reader is given the background first of what led to the battle: the initial air strikes by Halsey, MacArthur's arguement to invade the Phillipines over Formosa, and the initial invasion. But he covers both sides as to why the Japanese committed the rest of their fleet and how the arrived at their plan.
The account of the battle is fully covered as well. From the Dace and Darter commencing the attack, to the smashing victory in Surigao Strait, Halsey's initial attacks and blunderous move north, and the herioc and desperate fight of Taffy 3 to protect themselves and the landing forces. Cutler doesn't just say wahy Halsey blundered, but he gives every reason why and what the consequences after the battle were.
Now I would be lying if I said I was totally satisfied though. I was a little disappointed in the pictures included, I have seen more in other books, but Cutler managed to get ones I have never seen before. That is minor though when compared to the satisfaction of getting the facts about the victory that guaranteed the US could win the war. The maps are helpful in seeing the Japanese plan of attack and the US plan of defense. I would recommend this to any historian or lover of war novels.

This is a superb book. I've not read (yet) "Afternoon of the Rising Sun" but I think this is the best primer on the subject ever written. It's clear, precise and you don't have to know a whole lot on the subject to read it. The chapter on the Battle Samar, "Charge of the Light Brigade," is a terrificly exciting account of Sprague's pitifully small group's collision with Kurita's Main Battle Line. Military history doesn't get any better than this. I extend my thanks to the Naval Institute Press for bringing this classic back in print.

As the author points out, the series of naval battles fought in late October, 1945, collectively termed the Battle of Leyte Gulf, was the largest naval battle ever fought - in terms of men and ships involved. Although by that point in the war, the question was not if Japan was to be defeated but when and at what cost (the cost was high and would have been staggering if the atomic bomb attacks had not finally convinced Hirohito to accept the terms of the Potsdam ultimatum). From before Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Combined Fleet had been seeking the "decisive battle" at sea, where they would once and for all achieve naval superiority over the Allies (the U.S., actually, since Britain's naval efforts were quickly rendered inconsequential in the Pacific days into the war). At Leyte Gulf, the Japanese sallied forth - in their typically overly complex, arrogant, disconnected fashion - to destroy the American landing forces off Leyte - and turn back the flooding tide of the American advance. What actually happened, in a complex series of maneuvers and actions - involving tactical and strategic mistakes on both sides - resulted in a resounding American victory and the final destruction of the Japanese Combined Fleet. The Japanese would never again venture forth to meet American ships at sea - save the Yamato's desperate suicide run during the first week of the Battle of Okinawa. Cutler's account is well researched and is commendable in explaining complex events and evaluating tactical and strategic decisions - even if his writing style is not quite up to the dramatic content. Cutler rightly emphasizes the heroic actions of the Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts off Samar in attempting to fend off the vastly superior Japanese force under Kurita - which, through tactical and communications errors by "Bull" Halsey - had achieved position to destroy covering escort carrier task forces and the American landing fleet off Leyte (fortunately for the U.S., Kurita made the mistake of breaking off his attack on the verge of success). The Battle of Leyte Gulf is little known among the American public and the action by these "small Navy" sailors of "Taffy 3" should be memorialzed as a profile of courage. They exhibited the type of courage Japan - in their arrogance - was convinced the U. S. did not possess when they made their decision to precipitate a war with the "sleeping giant". What sweet revenge it must have been for USS West Virginia, survivor of the cowardly attack on Pearl Harbor, when her radar directed big guns rained destruction on the Japanese force under Kirishima at Surigao Strait. This is the definitive account of a decisive engagement of the war in the Pacific.and perhaps last great naval battle the world will ever see.

A moving and inspiring portrait of men most people will never know about but will always be remembered by those touched by their deeds and courage in places we don't remember much anymore. I am thankful for the sacrifice they made so I could freely write this.

This is a fine work by Thomas Cutler that explains in great detail the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The explanation of Japanese and American ship positions and information from sailors who were actually in this battle make this a very special book. This book highlights the real strength of the U.S Navy at this point in time. That is, the core values of the U.S. Navy, honor, courage, and commitment. While the U.S. destroyers Hoel, Johnston, and Samuel B. Roberts were sinking many acts of bravery were witnissed. To a man, they never let their shipmates down. That is the highest compliment one navy man can give to another. Thomas Cutler also explains some of the reasoning for the japanese withdrawl when complete victory was at hand for them. A must book to read for anyone interested in the U.S Navy and to learn more about a very special type of bravery that is only present in the U.S. Navy.

I was in this battle, but Thomas Cutler is the first person who has put it all together for me. He has done a superb job of weaving the incredibly complex stories of the fleets and historic figures involved into a comprehensable whole. And he does this with a writing style of verve and distinction which maintains the reader's close attention throughout. Until Cutler's wonderful account of what has to be the greatest Naval battle ever, the story of this titanic conflict had been strangely neglected.

Probably the best book out there on the subject. I have read just about everything out there on BLG and so many other authors just don't know how to tell this story with a style and flair that draws you into the battle and won't let you go. Cutler by all means does this. I have read several other books on BLG and simply tossed them when I was done because I knew I would never subject myself again to the author's boring and stiff writting style. BTW, I have seen many reviews stating that Hornfischer's "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" to be the best rendering of the BLG. Sorry, I must disagree. LSTCS is indeed a GREAT book written by a very gifted author and it is definitley a MUST read. But LSTCS is more the story of the Battle of Samar Island and focues mainly on the horrific tale of Taffy 3. Cutler's book gives the reader a much broader picture of the entire BLG while including Taffy 3's spellbinding story as well. As a matter of fact, Cutler's chapter dealing with the DD's and DE's that charged into certain death and destruction at the hands of the Kurita's heavies is in my opinion one of the greatest chapters of reading in any book I have read on any topic on the war in the Pacific. He entitled the chapter "The Charge of the Light Brigade," after the 1854 Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean Pennisula of the Ukraine in which a courageous and lightly armed British calvalry unit of only 600 men charged into a valley floor overlooked by Russian heavy artillery and were decimated to the last man. Cutler tells the story of Taffy 3's DD's and DE's sacrifice and bravery as he intersperses lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson's classic and masterful poem that describes the 1854 "Charge of the Light Brigade." I can tell you that my eyes certainly weren't dry at the end of THAT chapter.
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors draws the microscope down on Taffy 3 with a general overall rendering of the BLG. Cutler's book does just the opposite in drawing the microscope off of Taffy 3 and giving an outstanding and highly enjoyable and easily understood overall account of the BLG while at the same time ensuring the story of the bravery and sacrifice of the heros of the DD's and DE's of Taffy 3 are never to be forgotten in his unforgettable chapter "Charge of the Light Brigade."
I highly recommend this book to any Pacific War enthusiast, especially those who have attempted to get a handle on BLG from other authors and came away unsattisfied, or simply to anyone who just flat out enjoys a GREAT read no matter what the topic. Cutler's BLG is one truly incredible book. Don't miss it if you haven't read it. I can assure you, you won't be tossing this one when you're done with it. You'll put in on your bookshelf and look forward to reading it again.

An incredible story well told. Once I cracked this book open, I couldn't put it down even though I had already read another account of this battle. It's excellently written. It as a good analysis of the overall importance of the battle, and the failures on both sides as well as the politics. "The last stand of the Tin Can sailors" goes into more detail on the last phase of the battle, but this book has more of the big picture, why things happened when the did. WWII navel historians will enjoy it, as do us armchair warriors.

Thomas J Cutler has a track record of books on naval combat behind him from discussions of riverine warfare of the Vietnam War to this book on the epic battle of Leyte Gulf fought in and around the Phillipines during late October 1944. And what a great job he does of telling the story of this massive battle! As a naval history buff I came to this book with some trepidation due to a fear that Mr Cutlers nationality would make his account a rather dire affair where you could almost hear the chanting of USA! USA! But the author has made me eat crow (so to speak) as while he does fall off that line of impartiality on a few occasions he keeps a lid on any grandiose displays of excess. And he has been rewarded by writing a highly readable account of what must have been a very complex subject to try and portray in terms comprehensible to the layman whilst still getting across some semblance of the fog of war inherent in a battle spread over multiple dimensions and hundreds of kilometres.

All the tension of command is herein, stacks - or should that be tonnes? - of technical data and details that the average person won't necessarily realise the importance of at first are thrown in and yet they don't impinge on the sheer enjoyment of visualising the contending fleets and air arms jockeying for position for a massive showdown. Both sides are shown as human and fallible and the authors' love of his topic is a boon - the pacing of this is quite an achievement. The way in which the characters are shown doing their duty, sometimes blindly, sometimes with too much gusto, is quite poignant and the way in which the Japanese foe is dealt with in terms that shows why they lost, but also admits to their bravery and stoic courage is also moving.

And amidst all the big stuff the author also finds time to discuss details like rescue missions for sailors of downed ships. The problems arising from trying to pick up these survivors is described in detail yet doesn't detract from the overall picture and in fact they humanise a story that, at its essence, also revolves around brutal behemoths of destruction built solely to take human life as quickly and efficiently as possible.

A book I've re-read three times so far and as far as I'm concerned it is at once one of the most informative and enjoyable slices of naval history I've yet read.

In the tradition of Stephen Ambrose and Cornelius Ryan, Thomas J. Cutler's "The Battle of Leyte Gulf" is excellent military history writing that lets the reader expirence the battle instead of just reading about it. It is a must read for anyone who likes great stories about World War Two.