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    Unavailable
    The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
    Unavailable
    The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
    Unavailable
    The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour

    Written by James D. Hornfischer

    Narrated by Grover Gardner

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can."

    With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts on the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur's vulnerable invasion force were the Roberts and the other small ships of a tiny American flotilla poised to charge into history.

    In the tradition of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flags of Our Fathers, James D. Hornfischer paints an unprecedented portrait of the Battle of Samar, a naval engagement unlike any other in U.S. history-and captures with unforgettable intensity the men, the strategies, and the sacrifices that turned certain defeat into a legendary victory.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 3, 2004
    ISBN9780739309094
    Unavailable
    The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour

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    Reviews for The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

    4.5/5

    163 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      An enthralling and wonderfully researched story about an unknown (to me) event during the war in the Pacific. Hornfischer does a great job of putting you on the ships involved, enough so that I felt as if I was dodging the incoming fire from the Japanese as these destroyers made their stand.
    • 4/5
      A penetrative and well-done portrayal of a David beats Goliath Victory by the U. S Navy during WW2
    • 4/5
      Very good description of the ships and men who fought in the Battle of Samar Island in Oct 1944. The ships on the US side were all out gunned and outmanned by the Japanes ships. The bravery of these men was beyond description given the odds against them, but they prevailed. Listening to the description of the battle and the ships' size vs the larger and more powerful foes was somewhat lost because no maps or relative pictures were available,, which I assume is present in written volume. Four stars
    • 3/5
      A great story about one of the greatest moments in US naval history. I'm glad I read it, but I really wish there had been more analysis, documentation and facts. This is the story of the sailors involved on that terrible day, not so much about the battle itself. A great tribute to those sailors.
    • 4/5
      Not normally a huge fan of nonfiction history books because of the intense ratlling off of names, places, dates, and weaponry, I found this one a page-turner. It still served to increase my distrust of those in high military rank doing what it is right. Too many cover ups of those in charge at the expense of the "little guy." Halsey should have been court-martialed! To give him some credit, however, hindsight is always 20/20. Overall, a good read. It still had LOTS of names and places which made it hard to distinguish which ship sometimes, but it had a lasting impression of the horror of war and the isolation of fighting a battle on the sea.
    • 5/5
      Hornfishcher's stirring recounting of the desperate Battle off Samar during the Leyte Gulf battles was a page turner. Excellent, excellent retelling of this critical action between an overwhelming force of Japanese surface ships including the legendary Yamato, and a much smaller force American support ships including escort carriers, destroyers and destroyer escorts. Hornfischer's account focuses on the desperate sortie of a handful of destroyers and escorts, their momentary success, and inevitable destruction. He relies on the accounts of mostly American survivors to weave together a wrenching narrative. Though mostly focused on the sacrifice of the destroyers, their captains and crews, there are also accounts of the jeep carrier pilots, poorly armed to equipped to attack the heavily armored Japanese behemoths. A must read for anyone interested in the naval war in the Pacific.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating, educational, a quick read that painted a full picture of what the battle must've been like. I could really imagine being on the boat - and if a book transports me, I like it.
    • 5/5
      The most dramatic account of any sea battle I have ever read. You get an up close and personal look at being on one of those destroyer escorts running into point blank range of the Japanese battleships and heavy cruisers.
    • 4/5
      Top account of Leyte Gulf fight in the Philippines when just a few small pocket carriers took on the last big Japanese fleet.
    • 4/5
      Great book about a lesser known but important naval battle during the Pacific Campaign of WWII.
    • 5/5
      A very easy book to read and an excellent account of a battle that's always interested me. I was compelled to read the book after watching a Military Channel program that featured the author. This book hit all the spots I wanted it to - both sides although naturally more the US side, the ships and planes covered, the actors very well covered, ther hum,an angle, and (if I may use the word) the romance of the place and time.As a side note I have a model of "The Gambier Bay" to make to which I've added "The Chikuma"!