Customer Reviews

No Higher Honor: The U.S.S. Yorktown and the Battle of Midway

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Mr. Nesmith includes first hand accounts of men who were aboard the USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway. He describes the innocense of the young sailors, the shock of the enemy attacks, the death and destruction, the patriotism, spirit and camaraderie among the crew of the Yorktown and of course their enormous courage. For anyone who is a student of WW II this is a must read. The book gave me a glimpse of the horrors my father witnessed as the Junior Medical Officer on the Yorktown during the Battle of the Coral Sea and at Midway. Along with the others in the medical department he saw the worst of what war can do to a human being. He did not often speak of his Navy service during the Battle of Midway. In the few times he did, he expressed the greatest respect and praise for the brave pilots whose each flight meant a chance with death, for the enlisted men whose duty it was to stand with their shipmates firing their anti-aircraft guns as the attacking enemy planes bore down on them and for the officers whose decisions during the battle meant life or death for scores of men. If understanding war, how it defines a man and what courage is, then read this book. If you want to know of typical unassuming Americans who rose to great heights of unsung heroism while defending their country for you and me then read this book. Mr. Nesmith has captured it all.

This book is the story of the USS Yorktown. However, contrary to the title of the book, It details the life of the Yorktown from 1941 until June 1942. Overall, this is a very good book. I was particularly interested by the personal stories and experiences of the crew members. I do feel that the book did not devote enough time to the battle of Midway. There are only about 120 pages or so that actually deal with the battle, while the rest of the book covers the Yorktown's earlier service, hence the "confusing title". There are other books available which go into much greater depth, but this book does a good job covering the basic aspects of the battle of Midway.

Though the subtitle indicates this book deals with the aircraft carrier Yorktown at the Battle of Midway, it actually follows CV-5's career from late 1941 through its sinking in June 1942. The author provides depth and variety to his human interest coverage but makes a large number of egregious factual errors, all of which are avoidable. Just a few corrections: some US torpedo planes DID return to their carriers; Geo. Gay of VT-8 did NOT receive the Medal of Honor; SBD and TBD armament is incorrectly described; and for some vague reason the Yorktown dive bombing attack that sank the Japanese carrier Soryu is glossed over in one short paragraph. This is certainly a worthy topic, but the best books on the subject are Cressman's "That Gallant Ship" plus Cressman (et al) "A Glorious Page in Our History." Naval aviation history really needs to be written by naval or aviation people.

While not written in a complex manner, this book is entertaining enough that it is easily read in a short time, while delivering some idea of what carrier duty was about in World War II. No Higher Honor covers from before Pearl Harbor to its sinking by the Japanese, to even including a epilogue that details the lives of some of the men who are featured int eh book to provide readers with an opportunity to learn what became of the crewmwn of the Yorktown. The author's discussion of some of the thousands of crewmembers and their stories is natural and gives a reader enough of an appreciation for each to make the full story that much more urgent as events unfold.

The discussion of luck, fate, duty and honor shared between the carrier Yorktown and her crew is also especially recommended for school-age students that need resource material or some kind of understanding about what is increasingly getting littler amounts of ink in high school history courses. I would urge that this be used in school libraries and recommended for readers seeking to learn about the difficulties that come from conflict and their human costs. By the end of the book, readers will definitely have a much greater appreciation for the challenges that came from service, the sacrifices stemming from war, and the humanity that bound the whole thing together.

`No Higher Honor: The U.S.S. Yorktown at the Battle of Midway' by Jeff Nesmith is a insightful account of the men who made up the crew of the US aircraft carrier `Yorktown' at the Battle of Midway. As one of the previous reviews has mentioned the title may be a bit misleading as the book really starts before America's entry into World War Two. But that is fine as the author gives you an idea of some of the characters of this story, he gives you a real look at the ordinary men who served on this ship. We hear stories from some of the ships crew, from pilots and the aircraft handlers and from some of the officers.

The narrative is easy to read and the personal accounts fit right into the flow of the book. I could really picture the story and the people; the author's style of writing put you right there. I was sadden by some of what I read, of the men who lost their lives during the fighting at Midway, of friends lost and bravery unseen and un-rewarded. This is a great story, maybe not the best book on a tactical/strategic level but one of the best covering the human element of war. The book has a number of black and white photographs many previously not seen before. Overall this is a good story and I think most people who enjoy a well-written history book will enjoy this account of a fine ship during a great battle of WW2.