History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 13: The Liberation of the Philippines--Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayas, 1944-1945 [Paperback]

Samuel Eliot Morison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 2002 | Series: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II (Book 13)

The smoke from the Battle for Leyte Gulf had hardly cleared before plans were being made for the liberation of the rest of the Philippine Archipelago. Volume 13 of Morison's masterful history covers the taking of Mindoro as a stepping stone to Luzon, the major landings on the shores of Lingayen Gulf, and the amphibious landings that wrested Borneo from the Japanese, as well as the series of short, swift operations that liberated Palawan, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Mindanao. In this volume, Morison describes the newly prominent role of the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps, whose frenzied suicidal bombings offered the main resistance to the Allied occupation of Mindoro. Alongside details of military operations, Morison includes a heartstopping account of the typhoon of 18 December 1944, which blew up unexpectedly into a shrieking hellcat of a storm while Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet worked frantically to refuel. He also recounts the work of the "Rice Paddy Navy", a combined corps of American volunteers from the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard that collaborated with thousands of Chinese sailors, fishermen, pirates, and guerrillas and ended up fighting the last naval battle of the war using sailing junks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Volume 13 of] Admiral Morison's chronicle is crammed with incident and is one of the best in his remarkable series."--Chicago Sunday Tribune "As this multi-volume history approaches its end, admiration increases for the skill with which a very complex story has been presented. Certainly it is the best-written operational history, naval or military, known to this reviewer."--Library Journal

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (January 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025207064X
• ISBN-13: 978-0252070648
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > World War II > Naval
  • #75 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military Science

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, November 5, 2010

By 

coolingwater911 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 13: The Liberation of the Philippines--Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayas, 1944-1945 (Paperback)

This just one book of the set that Morrison wrote. All are historicly detailed while still only touching on the daily actions.
This book is a must for the seasoned student of WWII.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another fun read, June 16, 2009

By 

Thomas W. Blakey "Master Sergeant, US Army (r... (Severn, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 13: The Liberation of the Philippines--Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayas, 1944-1945 (Paperback)

Again, I first read this series as a teenager and it has taken about 50 years for me to collect the entire set for myself.