Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Apple
Android
Windows Phone
Android
To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Top 20 lists in Books View the top 20 best sellers of all time, the most reviewed books of all time and some of our editors' favorite picks. Learn more
$23.14
FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books.
Only 7 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
Cleaver's book is a splendid effort that is eminently readable, detailed, and action-packed. Buttressed by years of research, the book is not just a dry recounting of dates and missions; rather, it examines the men and their lives through interviews with surviving members, diaries and contemporary letters. Cleaver uses it all to transform words on a page into real and empathetic men.
Technical overviews--and details where required--help to put the actions of the air group into context. There are discussions of aircraft and ships that help the reader better understand the fighting and the men who did it. Cleaver also notes other interesting details. For instance, although I am fairly familiar with the Pacific war, I was stunned to learn that every pilot of Torpedo 15 was awarded the Navy Cross--second in precedence only to the Medal of Honor. And he notes how the air group's dive bomber unit managed to perform well even though it operated the much-hated SB2C ("Sumbitch Second Class") Helldiver. His coverage of VF-15 is equally good.
Perhaps the most historically significant aspect of the book is its treatment of Air Group 15's commander, David McCampbell. McCampbell was the Navy's leading ace and notably scored nine aerial victories during a single engagement. Cleaver worked with McCampbell's son to include material and stories not previously published. Alone, it is worth the price of this excellent book.
This is a well written work that will be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of readers ranging from airpower buffs to naval historians. Heartily recommended.
Comment
14 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
After reading the excellent Introduction by CDR David McCampbell; Preface by “Mr. Naval Aviation History,” Barrett Tillman; and the Foreword by author Thomas Cleaver, this reviewer was sorely tempted to just steal from the best and cob together a book review. Had I done so, I would have missed a remarkable history and detail of a truly fabled World War Two Carrier Air Group during critical battles in the Pacific Theater.
But this book encompasses much more than a compilation of dates and combat facts. Cleaver provides a very clear sequence of both naval strategy and tactics of both sides of the two greatest naval battles in history, the Marianas Turkey Shoot and the Battles of Leyte Gulf. The development of the equipment, Air Group 15, and the personalities of officers and men is both interesting and instructive, particularly the attitudes of the enlisted aircrewmen. As a very important part of the larger picture, the crucial roles of the submarines and the remarkable heroism of destroyer sailors against Japanese battleships at Leyte Gulf are included.
CDR David McCampbell, the Carrier Air Group Commander, and U.S. Navy Ace of Aces, is a textbook example of leadership from the front. This Medal of Honor winner had a style, grace, and talent that made those under his command want to emulate his example, both in the air and on the beach. He is not alone, of course. The major players who directed and drove the ships are examined for the good, the bad, and the ugly.
But for this former combat attack carrier pilot, the astounding six-month exposure to action is fascinating. It was a target rich environment of both enemy airplanes and ships, and Carrier Air Group 15 amassed a remarkable record of harvesting both.Read more ›
Comment
8 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Thomas McKelvey Cleaver's FABLED FIFTEEN, The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15 is a great bit of history mixing factual research and the personal touch through letters and interviews. The sagas of USS Enterprise, Air Wing 15 and its CAG, David McCampbell, have each been told before, but, until now, not together in a comprehensible and readable whole. A suggestion before reading; all but the most expert and specialized historian will be overwhelmed by the number of aircraft types. While all are included in the glossary with sparse descriptions, the reader will better comprehend the action with an illustrated guide to aircraft of the Pacific War, especially the Japanese. Odd to say, while Cleaver's aerial combat descriptions are exciting, after several one begins to lose track of who did what. Cleaver is able to make official combat action reports understandable and vivid, but the air battle descriptions become too much of a good thing. The stories of individuals is where Cleaver shines. Top ace McCampbell, movie star Morris (Caution; he is referred to as Bert-his given name- and not Wayne-his Hollywood moniker.) and lesser known pilots and aircrew come to life. Often through not well known events: McCampbell's abandon ship "dive", lack of fresh supplies (I can't imagine a more unpalatable diet than canned Spam, asparagus and beets.), a potential mutiny of air gunners and radio men. Life aboard a 1940's carrier at war has been glamorized over the years, but Cleaver brings out the realities of monotonous days at sea, poor food, crowded living and constant heat. Admiral Halsey is deservedly not treated kindly. Explanations of his poor command decisions are cogent as well as why they were glossed over by the Navy.Read more ›
2 Comments
7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more
This item: Fabled Fifteen: The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15
![]({"http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F1W28kpIL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg":[231,346],"http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F1W28kpIL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg":[333,499]})
