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The Battle of Leyte Gulf: 23-26 October 1944 (Bluejacket Books) | 
 enlarge | Author: Thomas J. Cutler
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $3.90
You Save: $16.05 (80%)
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Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 95695
Media: Paperback
Pages: 343
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 1557502439
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5425
EAN: 9781557502438
ASIN: 1557502439
Publication Date: November 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The last great naval battle of World War II, Leyte Gulf also is remembered as the biggest naval battle ever fought anywhere, and this book has been called the best account of it ever written. First published in hardcover on the battle's fiftieth anniversary in 1994 and drawing on materials not previously available, it blends history with human drama to give a real sense of what happened--despite the mammoth scope of the battle. Every facet of naval warfare was involved in the struggle that engaged some two hundred thousand men and 282 American, Japanese, and Australian ships over more than a hundred thousand square miles of sea. That Tom Cutler succeeded at such a difficult task is no surprise. The award-winning author saw combat service aboard many types of ships during his naval career, and as a historian and professor of strategy and policy at the Naval War College, he has studied the battle for many years. Cutler captures the milieu, analyzes the strategy and tactics employed, and re-creates the experiences of the participants--from seaman to admiral, both Japanese and American. It is a story replete with awe-inspiring heroism, failed intelligence, flawed strategy, brilliant deception, great controversies, and a cast of characters with names like Halsey, Nimitz, Ozawa, and MacArthur. Such an exciting and revealing account of the battle is unlikely to be equaled by future writers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Probably The Best September 6, 2008
David Van Keuren (San Diego, Ca United States)
Probably the best book out there on the subject. I have read just about everything out there on BLG and so many other authors just don't know how to tell this story with a style and flair that draws you into the battle and won't let you go. Cutler by all means does this. I have read several other books on BLG and simply tossed them when I was done because I knew I would never subject myself again to the author's boring and stiff writting style. BTW, I have seen many reviews stating that Hornfischer's "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" to be the best rendering of the BLG. Sorry, I must disagree. LSTCS is indeed a GREAT book written by a very gifted author and it is definitley a MUST read. But LSTCS is more the story of the Battle of Samar Island and focues mainly on the horrific tale of Taffy 3. Cutler's book gives the reader a much broader picture of the entire BLG while including Taffy 3's spellbinding story as well. As a matter of fact, Cutler's chapter dealing with the DD's and DE's that charged into certain death and destruction at the hands of the Kurita's heavies is in my opinion one of the greatest chapters of reading in any book I have read on any topic on the war in the Pacific. He entitled the chapter "The Charge of the Light Brigade," after the 1854 Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean Pennisula of the Ukraine in which a courageous and lightly armed British calvalry unit of only 600 men charged into a valley floor overlooked by Russian heavy artillery and were decimated to the last man. Cutler tells the story of Taffy 3's DD's and DE's sacrifice and bravery as he intersperses lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson's classic and masterful poem that describes the 1854 "Charge of the Light Brigade." I can tell you that my eyes certainly weren't dry at the end of THAT chapter.
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors draws the microscope down on Taffy 3 with a general overall rendering of the BLG. Cutler's book does just the opposite in drawing the microscope off of Taffy 3 and giving an outstanding and highly enjoyable and easily understood overall account of the BLG while at the same time ensuring the story of the bravery and sacrifice of the heros of the DD's and DE's of Taffy 3 are never to be forgotten in his unforgettable chapter "Charge of the Light Brigade."
I highly recommend this book to any Pacific War enthusiast, especially those who have attempted to get a handle on BLG from other authors and came away unsattisfied, or simply to anyone who just flat out enjoys a GREAT read no matter what the topic. Cutler's BLG is one truly incredible book. Don't miss it if you haven't read it. I can assure you, you won't be tossing this one when you're done with it. You'll put in on your bookshelf and look forward to reading it again.
Excellent navel battle book June 10, 2008
G. Powell (Seattle, WA USA)
An incredible story well told. Once I cracked this book open, I couldn't put it down even though I had already read another account of this battle. It's excellently written. It as a good analysis of the overall importance of the battle, and the failures on both sides as well as the politics. "The last stand of the Tin Can sailors" goes into more detail on the last phase of the battle, but this book has more of the big picture, why things happened when the did. WWII navel historians will enjoy it, as do us armchair warriors.
 "Where is Task Force 34? The World Wonders" May 21, 2008
Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In late October, 1944, the U.S. Navy and the remnants of the Imperial Japanese Navy met in the waters near the Philippine Islands in what was to become the largest naval engagement of World War II. By the time the battle was over, numerous ships from both sides had been sunk. But, the Japanese had missed a golden opportunity to reach the American invasion beaches and destroy the transports anchored off shore. Also, Admiral William F. Halsey would commit a blunder that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
The Japanese had divided their forces into three separate groups: the northern force, under the command of Admiral Ozawa and containing Japan's last four aircraft carriers, was to lure Halsey's powerful Third Fleet away from the Leyte beaches; the center force, under the command of Admiral Kurita, was to sail through the San Bernadino Strait and smash the unprotected American transports anchored off Leyte; and the southern force, under the command of Admiral Nishimura, was to sail through the Surigao Strait and form a pincer attack with Kurita's center force.
Nishimura's force ran into a force of American battleships, destroyers, cruisers, and PT boats. In the ensuing battle, Nishimura lost almost his entire fleet. Ozawa succeeded in luring the overzealous Halsey away from the Leyte beaches, leaving them wide open for Kurita's center force. Despite losing all of his carriers, Ozawa accomplished his mission. Kurita's force suffered great damage at the outset of the battle, but he re-grouped his assets and continued on toward the American beaches. The only force guarding the approaches to the beaches was a small group of American escort carriers and destroyers. Kurita's force was soon giving chase and had succeeded in sinking several of the destroyers and carriers.
However, it is here that Kurita made perhaps one of the most fateful decisions of the war. Instead of pressing his attack against the overmatched Americans, he decided to withdraw to the north. The remaining ships in the American force were spared almost certain destruction. Halsey, after receiving the curt "Where is task force 34" message from Nimitz, dispatched his battleships to sail back to San Bernadino Strait to protect the landing beaches, but by the time they arrived, the battle was already over. Halsey had once again missed his chance for a surface battle with the Japanese navy.
This book does a good job of describing all aspects of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The first few chapters provide biographical sketches of the major players in the battle, and the description of the battle itself is handled very well. I've read several accounts of this battle, and author Thomas J. Cutler's assessment is one of the best I've read. I was especially impressed with his analysis as to why Kurita decided to withdraw his forces, and the description of Halsey's decision to charge after the Japanese carriers was explained in great detail as well.
This is a great book. It is loaded with facts about the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the author expertly intertwines the human side of battle into the narrative. Highly recommended.
 Mostly Name Dropping March 5, 2007
Scott Guthery (Boston, MA, USA)
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
The book is more about the biographies of the Pacific military big wigs than it is about the Battle of Leyte Gulf. If you are looking for a first rate description of the battle itself there's no better book than The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.
Courage Under Fire September 5, 2006
John S. Rice (Weddington, NC United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A moving and inspiring portrait of men most people will never know about but will always be remembered by those touched by their deeds and courage in places we don't remember much anymore. I am thankful for the sacrifice they made so I could freely write this.
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