Customer Reviews

The Last Lieutenant

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

'The Last Lieutenant' tells the story of the brave men and woman who served on the fortess island of Corregidor in the Phillipines during the brutal Japanese onslaught and a fictional account of a daring escape. Lt. Todd Ingram and rag-tag bunch of navy and army men escape the horror of the Japanese attack in a small patrol boat with which they hope to make it to Austrailia. With the Japanese air force and navy hot on his tail Ingram must use all of his cunning to evade the Pacific aggressors. But Ingram has another mission as well: serving in a US navy uniform is a Nazi spy that knows the details about the Midway offensive. If this spy warns the Japanese in time what's left of the US Pacific fleet is doomed. The story that follows is a thrilling race between the two men to reach civilization. A lot of fun and a wonderful view of the battle for the Phillipines.

Lt. Todd Ingram is all that stands between a German spy and the revelation of U.S. preparations against the Japanese attack on Midway. This is a fast paced, well plotted story based on the true flight of Americans sailors and soldiers from Corregidor. The description of the bombardment of Corregidor and the ordeal of its defenders was captivating. The details are mostly accurate and the writing competant, but there are a few distracting lapses: a confusion between the words vice and vise, an inexplicable dearth of Aye, aye, sir in a story filled with naval personnel, a navy lieutenant calling an army major by his first name (majors outrank navy lieutenants), and Japanese depth charges detonate within milliseconds of each other. This would be a trick even with today's technology. Also this reader cringed when the author wrote Wham! six times in succession in four different places.
This aside, The Last Lieutenant held my interest when few novels do these days. As you might guess, I'm a tough critic. From this member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club to the author, another member of that club, I say Well Done.

This is July 1999. In Jan this year, I went on tour of Corregidor; Malinta Tunnel, the Batteries Geary, Way, Weever and others, Top Side, Middle Side, and Bottom Side, the 1000 bed hospital, south dock, north dock, and the bombed out hulk remains of the US-Filipino garrison. This very wonderful and moving book brought it all together. I consider it a must reading to any one who remembers anything about the Pacific War. Every thing described about the battle,the bombs, the mortars, and the geographic area is factual, as I have been over half of the trip covered by that brave crew in route to Mindanao, especially the rough Verde Passage. It is a fantastic piece of work and any one wondering about the necessity of "being prepared" should read it very carefully. I've been to Corregidor twice, and will go again next year. The mention of the Filipino family that attended Texas A&M for two generations was interesting. There were 26 former Texas A&M men (Aggies) on the Rock during the battle, the most famous, General George Moore. These Aggies held a Muster on 21 April 1942, under fire, as all Aggies do every year, around the world, to honor General Sam Houston, and the fight for Texas Independance in 1836. General MacArthur wrote a letter of commendation about the bravery of those Aggies and the Muster. It was published natiojnally and in the New york Times. A plaque hangs on the campus of Texas A&M with the names of those brave Aggies who went down with Corregidor. This book brings it all home, full circle.... Thanks!

The horror of Bataan and Corregidor coupled with the heroism and sacrifice at that time of history is almost beyond belief. Each man in himself was a rock of Gibraltar standing against all the tyranny of a nation gone wild. The Greatest Generation is not enough words to express what the men and women of WW2 gave to preserve freedom and our great country. This book is a work of fiction but tied closely with actual events;very close to Herman Wouk's Winds of War and War and Remembrance. It is actually a smaller capsule of the full picture. I plan to read all his books, I have found another great writer to add to my ever growing list of future readings.

This is a truly amazing book. I cannot get the images of the tunnels on Corregidor out of my mind - the descriptions were so powerful. For the first time, I feel that I understand what our servicemen and women went through there. This is exactly what a novel should be. I can't wait for the movie! Please give us more!

It is the end of April 1942, and Navy Lieutenant Todd Ingram is pushing his beat-up minesweeper U.S.S. Pelican around the dangerous waters in the mouth of Manila Bay. Bataan has fallen, and Corregidor, against terrible odds, is being defended against an endless barrage of enemy shelling and aerial attacks.
Life, such as it is, on Corregidor is indescribable, although John Gobbell does his best. Everything is in short supply except the wounded and dying, dust and Japanese bombardment. MacArthur is gone, and the situation passed desperate weeks before.
As an overview and an aside, the defense of Corregidor seen standing alone is senseless. The loss of life and suffering of the wounded and about to be wounded cannot be justified. Seen from a larger perspective, the U.S. is in a terrible position. The war in Europe is not going well and won't for some time, and the Japanese have just about everything their way in the Pacific. The U.S. needs an Alamo, and time, and those are paid for in blood. Hence, Corregidor is ordered defended, and brave men and women make tremendous sacrifices to do so.
The Pelican lies in the lee of the small island of Caballo, about a mile south of Corregidor. Zeros attack and the Pelican sinks. As much as possible is salvaged, and Todd Ingram and about twenty of his men take over a 36 foot shoreboat called No. 51.
No. 51's mission is to evacuate a number of critical personnel and nurses across the minefields out to a submarine rendezvous. One of the evacuees is a Cryptographer Technician Second Class Walter Radke. Except Radke is lying naked and garroted in a janitor's closet in El Paso, Texas. The guy in Radke's uniform with his papers is Abwehr agent Helmut Dottmer. Radke/Dottmer knows the U.S. has the Japanese naval code, and learns that the Americans know about Japan's early June assault plans for Midway. He needs just a minute or so alone with a powerful radio to warn Germany and its Axis partner Japan.
Dottmer, a pretty nurse named Helen Durand, who stitched up Ingram's badly cut cheek, and others make it aboard the submarine U.S.S. Wolfish. Helen is dropped off on Marinduque Island, about 150 miles south of Corregidor, where she is promptly arrested by the Japanese and badly mistreated. Dottmer and the Wolfish continue through the Philippine seas, the Wolfish gets sunk by a Japanese destroyer, and in mid-May Dottmer ends up with guerillas on Mindinao.
Meanwhile, Ingram and the Pelican crew, aboard No. 51, escape from Manila Bay and make a harrowing journey . . . Japanese patrols, weather and heavy seas, engine trouble . . . south through the Philippines traveling only at night and hiding under palm trees and in the marshes in daytime. After a stop at Marinduque, Ingram learns about Helen's fate at the hands of the quintessentially despicable Kempetai Lieutenant Kiyoshi Tuga, and manages to rescue her even though she is practically dead. No. 51 gets away and several long days and nights later, limps into Naispit in Northern Mindinao.
So the protagonists have assembled, with the usual side cast of brave Philippine men and women, feuding sailors, a horse's ass army major, guerillas, and plenty of close calls and fireworks.
Finally, with yeoman (no pun) effort on the engine and finding supplies, No. 51 is made ready for a 1,000 mile trip to Australia. Ingram, Helen, Dottmer and Tuga are all there. Then all hell breaks loose.
So, do the baddies get it? Is Japan warned? Does everyone go to the seashore?
Read this page-turner and you'll find out for yourself.

This series of novels by John Gobbell is truly amazing. I give it high marks for page-turning excitement, drama,and human interest. Also high marks for showing the competing value systems which the two sides wee fighting over.

I give it even higher marks for explaining, in plain non-technical English, some of the most least known technical military issues of WW II in the Pacific, including matters I never properly understood until I read this and his other books. If you want the low-down on how and why the Japanese had the best torpedoes in the early phase of WW II and the U.S. Navy a far inferior supply, read this and Gobbell's other books. The same can be said for understanding how American anti-aircraft fire eventually became so much more accurate, how destroyers and PT boats operated, and the role of the NKVD (Stalin's Soviet spies) in underming the American war effort against Japan.

A great novel, succeeded by other great novels in this series. Bravo !

Set in the most dramatic, fascinating part of World War II, when large numbers of Americans (and Filipinos) faced death or captivity by the onrushing Japanese, this is a great adventure story. Characters are believable, setting is EXTREMELY well-constructed with great period details. Plot gets a little implausible, eventually, but one only notices that after finishing the book, so good a job does the author do at keeping you riveted. Premise of Magic (ability to read Japanese codes) being threatened adds high drama. Lots at stake in times of great peril!

This book is full of great action; right from the 1st page of the book. This was the 1st fiction WWII book I 've read and it was great. I was enjoying the book so much that I ordered the next book in this series when I was only half way through this book! I would buy this book again!

I personally enjoy WW2 fiction that is accurate and detailed. I felt this book gave me an accurate and detailed account of significant WW2 battles that I new little about. This book was highly entertaining and educational. I seem to have trouble finding books like this one. I prefer WW2 novels that educational and accurately recreate the entire period. I also liked An Unlikely Spy. Come to think of it "The Last Lieutentant" had all of my personal components for a succesful book. Espionage, WW2, and characters I would like to identify with.