" Nineteen months before the D-day invasion of Normandy, Allied assault forces landed in North Africa in Operation TORCH, the first major amphibious operation of the war in Europe. Under the direction of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, AUS, Adm. Andrew B. Cunningham, RN, Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN, and others, the Allies kept pressure on the Axis by attacking what Winston Churchill dubbed "the soft underbelly of Europe." The Allies seized the island of Sicily, landed at Salerno and Anzio, and established a presence along the coast of southern France. With Utmost Spirit takes a fresh look at this crucial naval theater of the Second World War. Barbara Brooks Tomblin tells of the U.S. Navy's and the Royal Navy's struggles to wrest control of the Mediterranean Sea from Axis submarines and aircraft, to lift the siege of Malta, and to open a through convoy route to Suez while providing ships, carrier air support, and landing craft for five successful amphibious operations. Examining official action reports, diaries, interviews, and oral histories, Tomblin describes each of these operations in terms of ship to shore movements, air and naval gunfire support, logistics, countermine measures, antisubmarine warfare, and the establishment of ports and training bases in the Mediterranean. Firsthand accounts from the young officers and men who manned the ships provide essential details about Mediterranean operations and draw a vivid picture of the war at sea and off the beaches. Barbara Brooks Tomblin taught military history at Rutgers University and is the author of several articles and G.I. Nightingales: The Army Nurse Corps in World War II. She lives in California.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Will probably be the definitive book on naval operations in the Med." -- Books-On-Line
"Almost encyclopedic in detail and carefully researched, With Utmost Spirit is the most comprehensive study of Allied naval operations in the Mediterranean to date." -- Bowling Green (KY) Daily News
"Tomblin's lifetime study of the naval war in the Mediterranean culminates in this definitive account of an important World War II campaign the tends to be neglected." -- Dean C. Allard, Former Director of Naval History, U.S. Navy
"The eyewitness descriptions can be vivid, and the accounts frequently make for exciting reading.... The author is to be congratulated on reviving interest in aspects of the naval war that have tended to be overshadowed." -- H-Net Reviews
"An important, well-researched, and beautifully written chronicle of amphibious operations in the Middle Sea." -- International History Review
"Offers a detailed account of Allied Naval forces' struggles in the Mediterranean during World War II. This is not a well-known subject and its study is long overdue." -- Military Review
"A masterful history of the Allied naval war in the theater Winston Churchill called 'the soft underbelly of Europe.'" -- Military Trader
"Outstanding! An extraordinary account of WWII naval history in Europe. Tomblin's judicious scholarship, dogged attention to detail, and thoughtful analysis provide an impressive and straightforward narrative." -- Robert Love, U.S. Naval Academy
"Tomblin's passionate and involved writing style guides the reader through what feels like an oral history in order to address an important theater of World War II often neglected by historians." -- Sea Power
"Tomblin portrays the strategy and execution of each operation with a combination of vividness and accuracy that C.S. Forester would have admired" -- SirReadalot.org
About the Author
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Definitive Book on the Navy in the Med,
By
This review is from: With Utmost Spirit: Allied Naval Operations in the Mediterranean, 1942-1945 (Hardcover)
After many years of neglect, this seems to be the time of the Mediterranean theater of operations during World War II. First came Rick Atkinson's excellent An Army at Dawn that talked about the birth of the American Army in North Africa. Now Ms. Tomblin's excellent companion on the Naval Operations.
It was in the Med that the Army and the Navy won their spurs. Although opposed by the American brass, the operations in the Med tought the Army and the Navy vital lessons that would have doomed the cross channel invasion pushed by American leaders for 1942 (Operation Sledgehammer) or 1943 (Operation RoundUp) at the latest. It was in the Med that the US Army learned the importance of close air support (instead of the strategic long range favored by the Army Air Force). It was in the Med that the Army and the Navy really learned what years of neglect in fielding new equipment would really cost in lives. It was in the Med that the Navy really learned about amphibious operations that would later pay dividends in both the Pacific and the coast of France (both at Overloard and at Dragoon on the southern coast). Ms Tomblin has done a truly supurb job of researching both the official documents and talking to the veterans from the Med to put together what will probably be the definitive book on naval operations in the Med.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable reference,
By Vincent P. O'Hara (Chula Vista) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: With Utmost Spirit: Allied Naval Operations in the Mediterranean, 1942-1945 (Hardcover)
There has been little published about the Anglo-American naval war in the Mediterranean from November 1942 to May 1945 but this is not the reason Dr. Tomblin's With Utmost Spirit is such a valuable resource. It is because her book is comprehensive and deeply researched. She brings a perspective that respects the men who served. She enriches her narrative with their memories and antidotes and does a good job blending their oral histories with the archival sources. I keep this book in a handy location because I refer to it often. Highly recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well researched and well written history.,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: With Utmost Spirit: Allied Naval Operations in the Mediterranean, 1942-1945 (Hardcover)
I bought "With Utmost Spirit" for my brother who served aboard USS LCT #211 in the invasion of Sicily, Salerno and Anzio. After listening to him rave how this was the best book he had ever read regarding the Navel Operations in the Mediterranean theater of WWII, I also read it and concur that it is the best researched book on this subject I've ever read. Paying particular attention to the references of LCT #221, I did locate a typo on page 259 where LCT #221 was printed as LCI #221. LCI #221 was definitely in the invasion of Salerno, but the action described was definitely that of LCT #221. Gathering all the information for this book must have been a herculean task, and writing it so us laymen can understand was surely a labor of love. Thanks to Ms. Tomblin, this part of the war has been well documented.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
With the exception of two aircraft ferry operations by the carrier Wasp in the spring of 1942, American naval and military forces did not join their British allies in the struggle against the Axis in the Mediterranean until November 1942. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
fighter director ships, naval beach battalions, fire support ships, combat loaders, fire support area, mas boats, beach congestion, prearranged targets, gunfire support group, invasion shipping, new landing craft, special service force, explosive boats, correct beach, pontoon causeways, enemy shore batteries, green beach, landing craft crews, beach master, rocket craft, assault convoys, boat lanes, fire support groups, spot planes, naval gunfire support Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Rear Adm, Royal Navy, North Africa, Admiral Hewitt, Coastal Forces, D-day Plus One, Admiral Cunningham, Seventh Army, General Truscott, Fifth Army, Third Division, General Clark, Operation Torch, First Special Service Force, General Eisenhower, Operation Husky, United States, Admiral Davidson, Admiral Lowry, British Eighth Army, Operation Dragoon, General Patton, New York, Thirty-sixth Division, D-day Minus One New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
