In the highest degree tragic : the sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet in the East Indies during World War II
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
In the highest degree tragic : the sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet in the East Indies during World War II
Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, c2017
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [493]-499) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
In the Highest Degree Tragic tells the heroic story of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet’s sacrifice defending the Dutch East Indies from the Japanese in the first three months of the Pacific War. Donald M. Kehn Jr.’s comprehensive narrative history of the operations involving multiple ships and thousands of men dramatically depicts the chaotic nature of these battles. His research has uncovered evidence of communications failures, vessels sinking hundreds of miles from where they had been reported lost, and entire complements of men simply disappearing off the face of the earth.
Kehn notes that much of the fleet went down with guns blazing and flag flying, highlighting, where many others have failed to do so, the political and strategic reasons for the fleet’s deployment to the region in the first place. In the Highest Degree Tragic rectifies the historical record, showcasing how brave yet all-too-human sailors and officers carried out their harrowing tasks. Containing rare first-person accounts and anecdotes, from the highest command echelons down to the lowest enlisted personnel, Kehn’s book is the most comprehensive and exhaustive study to date of this important part of American involvement in World War II.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction
1. Prewar: Hart Assumes Command
2. As Is: The Asiatic Fleet at War’s Outbreak
3. Manila Abandoned: South from the Philippines
4. Birth of a Nasty, Brutish, and Short Life: ABDA Is Formed
5. Overtures in Blood and Oil: Tarakan and Balikpapan
6. First Sortie of the Striking Force: Flores Sea
7. Abortive Efforts East and West: Banka Strait Sortie and Timor Relief Convoy
8. Axidents, Surprisals, and Terrifications: The Battle of Badoeng Strait
9. Disaster at Darwin: The Fate of Peary
10. Six Days to Oblivion: The Langley Episode
11. Chaos and Night: The Battle of the Java Sea
12. A Death So Valiant and True: The Last Fight of Perth and Houston
13. They Fled to Bliss or Woe: The End of the Game
14. Post Diem: In the Highest Degree Tragic
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
