Customer Reviews

Joining the War at Sea 1939-1945

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My father served on a "Four Stacker" in the Atlantic during 1942 and 1943. He never spoke much of his experiences, and now two years after his death my brother and I are trying for recreate some of his experiences and understand our father. > >The account in Joining the War at Sea are wonderful: explicit, full of detail, and broad enough to give me a good feel for the combat >my father and the author experienced. This book has given me a sense of the difficulties of combat and the sacrifices that these men made for my generation. > >I have a great deal of experience with the history of WWII, but a personal account is now the >most important. The author's clear examination has brought the personal side of The War up close.

I thought I had a pretty good understanding of WWII for a guy born in 1963, but this book was full of events I was barely aware of. Major events include the invasion of Africa (and fighting the French Navy!) and the use of Naval artillery to destroy Panzers miles from the sea. Many popular history books try to convince you that the war was won by the "codebreakers" or by radar. In this book, weather and tactics take the front stage. Find out why a destroyer captain would rather take a 16" armor piercing shell from a battleship than many smaller munitions. This book offers some true insights that only participation in the events combined with the perspective of time can provide.

I stumbled across Captain Dailey's website and enjoyed reading an excerpt that related to a book my father and I have written (SHIPMATES). The photos and the detailed accounts in JOINING THE WAR AT SEA helped me see the larger picture of the action experienced by my father on the night his ship (USS Rowan DD 405) was sunk. Dailey's point of view broadened the scope of my understanding.

Captain Daily knows what he's talking about. Moreover, he gives you his insight with such passion that it doesn't matter what level of expertise you had going in, you will get it by the time you finish. This is not just your average history book. This IS history, live and in color!

A most excellent book for the Naval/history buff. The author gives a detailed, first-hand account of his experiences on board a destroyer. He also goes into considerable detail, outlining the geo-political situation too and helps set the stage for the various encounters. Written from the prospective of a junior officer, there are also several humorous passages that had me in tears. I can't wait to share the book with my brothers.