PT Boats Widely Acclaimed History USN SW Pacific New Guinea MacArthur USN WW II

Description: DEADLY PT BOAT PATROLS (A History: Task Group 50.1 New Guinea 1942-43) FREE SHIPPING (Primarily MTB Squadrons 2, 5, 6, 8, and Division 17) Hard Bound Library Binding. With a FOREWORD by James H. Patton, Jr., Capt., USN (Ret), a decorated Cold War nuclear attack submarine commander, this book has been accepted into the US Naval Historical and Heritage Command, Naval Historical Foundation and the U.S. Navy Department Library. It is acclaimed by Bruce DeMars, Adm., USN (Ret), a 4-star admiral whose illustrious career spanned forty-four years. Consisting of 54 chapters, 417 pages, a word count exceeding 220,000, more than 470 indexed names, more than 200 wartime photos, 6 maps and 240 end notes, this is a PT Boat book unlike any yet written. PLEASE NOTE: While some photos are shown here in sepia color, ALL photos within the book (front and back covers excepted) are reproduced in black-and-white only, due to production costs. WAR TAKES EVERYTHING- NOT ONLY LIFE, BUT ALL DECENCY AND DIGNITY. Good men do very bad things in war- because they must. Motor Torpedo Boat Division 17 was that part of Task Group 50.1 that delivered the fight to the enemy, night after night, face-to-face… hand-to-hand combat…in the far reaches of the Southwest Pacific. This is an exacting history of the PT Boat Service in New Guinea in 1942 and 1943 when Division 17 was operating with just six boats on an island covered with thousands of Japanese as the Empire fortified its troops in preparation for an invasion of Australia. DUTY - HONOR - SACRIFICE: The Greatest Generation The stench of death, the screams, the incessant din of gunfire with its pounding noise and choking smoke accompanied by brilliant and blinding flashes, the exhaustion, the heat and humidity, the hunger, the sickness and the solitude—the uncertainty, the physical deprivation, the toils of war—would fade over time, but their war would always be there just under the surface of everyday life. The men tolerated and suppressed their innermost thoughts and remained silent. They burdened no one as they scraped and searched for their pathways to productive lives. Division SEVENTEEN sailors broke into both time and history, and in so doing, made their mark on the world sufficient for all time. As Lawrence, Sr. so often said, always after a long silence and always in a low, almost muted voice, as tears welled in his eyes—"Every son-of-a-bitch out there was a hero." Review by the Naval Historical Foundation by Nathan D. Wells, Adjunct Instructor of History, Quincy College, Quincy, MA: "... While the SWPA contained hundreds of miles of coastline and many islands, there were no major naval units initially assigned to it. The first naval force stationed in the area was Naval Division Seventeen, and in particular Task Force 50.1, a PT Boat force. As the author’s father would soon find out, operating as a semi-autonomous naval force under army jurisdiction made an already complicated zone of operation that much more difficult. The issue of maintenance facilities and spare parts for the hard-riding PT Boats was a constant source of tension. While nominally assigned just six boats, the division was often down to two or three crafts. They once had no boats serviceable for action. This work explains quite well... "While the SWPA was under Army command, it was also an international affair. General MacArthur’s headquarters were in Australia. That nation contributed mightily to the effort in the theater. One of the criticisms that MacArthur has come under fire for is how he often downplayed the vital role that Australian forces had in securing victory. Much the same could be said of those Marines and sailors in the SWPA. The main role for Task Force 50.1 was to interdict Japanese reinforcements arriving in the battle area via barges. "Along with destroying the landing craft, Task Force 50.1 crews were tasked with the unsettling job of liquidating any Japanese in the water within a mile from shore. Most Japanese at this stage in the war were unwilling to surrender, so all PT Boat crewmen were issued a sidearm. The US Navy had actually contracted Colt to produce 1,591 M1911-A1 automatic pistols for PT Boat crews. The boats usually operated at night because the Japanese had air superiority initially. The dark would help mask the direction that they were approaching from. They were mostly used for lightning hit-and-run attacks. They also helped serve a 'mopping-up' function in one well-known battle. The Battle of the Bismarck Sea (March 2-4, 1943) is best known as a sort of payback for Pearl Harbor. Aircraft of the U.S. Fifth Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force(RAAF) attacked a large Japanese convoy carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea, causing heavy damage. This was the case during daylight hours; but once the sun set, the area became a PT Boat hunting ground. The crews referred to the battle simply as 'The Lae Convoy Job.' This is a fine book overall. I recommend the volume to anyone interested in PT Boats... ." Review by Lindsey Buzzell, CAPT, USN: "The December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had a profound impact on the lives of American men and their families, rousting them from their civilian pursuits and dreams of the future to engage in a fight of world-wide proportions to ensure their safety. "An original task force of but six Motor Torpedo Boats (PTs) was sent to New Guinea to stem the tide of Japanese aggression aimed at dominating the Southwest Pacific and culminate with an invasion of Australia. The effect of those six boats was expected to be of little consequence. However, the night stalkers prevailed as they destroyed enemy encampments, sank troop-carrying barges, cut off communication and supply lines and effectively nullified the enemy effort to resupply with both men and munitions. "Much has been written about the New Guinea Campaign, a long and bloody battle. But this author focuses upon the hunger, sleep deprivation, malaria, dengue fever, malnutrition, fear, loneliness and 'jungle rot' which rode with those PT sailors every night. They operated with shortages of food, water, medicines, spare parts and, at one point, had no boats 'war ready.' They borrowed or bartered what they ultimately needed to survive in that lonely, far away, dank and death-ridden place. "The author presents this intensively researched and extremely well documented story of the PT sailors like no other has. It is not about any given sailor in that division, it is about all of them. He provides interesting background information on several of the officers and men and presents insight from those who operated there using commanders' documents, the sailors' personal recollections, their diaries, their scrapbooks and their photo albums. "The story is almost exclusively of historical facts with extremely few editorial comments from the author. He presents maps enhanced to relate time and place and includes more than two hundred photos never published before. The book rises to historical significance and to its proper place in naval history by documenting in the greatest detail ever, the operations of Motor Torpedo Boat Division Seventeen. In doing so the author presents some very interesting artifacts pictorially. He has honored those courageous men who have by now made their 'Last Patrol,' thus guaranteeing their place in history for all time. "A true gold mine for historians and an excellent starting point for both casual readers and those with an interest in PT boats, this book is unique in every aspect. It is a captivating read, the photos aid greatly in supporting the presentation and I will likely revisit this book again and again." Review by Frank Andruss, Owner, "The Mosquito Fleet" (a highly acclaimed PT boat historical display): " … what I like about the book 'Deadly PT Boat Patrols' is (the author's) look at the boats and how they operated. We know the boats patrolled certain areas, but this book takes us inside the very life of the Sailors and Officers that had to live it. Boring patrols, heat, not the best food, lack of spare parts, local island diseases all played havoc with the crew’s ability to perform their duties. "PT Boat Tenders played a large role in the survival of the little PT Boats and this book brings us right alongside the ship, to talk about the work these specialized Sailors performed to keep the boats running. In one section of the book it talks about a shortage of struts, shafts, and wheels and the task of trying to have them made, then finding out that they were less than perfect and the Tender boys having to fix things to make them work. This book takes us deep inside the daily grind of the PT sailor and his ability to survive. I am amazed at the amount of work that was undertaken after a patrol just to keep the guns and ammunition clean and ready for the next patrol. The incredible heat and humidity that Motor Macs had to endure should have gotten them medals. I like the fact that we see some humor attached to this book in the exploits of the PT Boys while on Liberty and the humor that was exposed in their sometimes repetitive grind. "The detail in this book is mind blowing and one can’t help but get caught up in all of the facts about MTB Division 17 in New Guinea. I loved all of the photos and was generally drawn to the artifacts from Mr. Lawrence Sr. One in my position can’t help but be taken in by these historical artifacts. It would have been great if the artifacts sections were in color. I love the book in that it takes us into the life after the war of some of these Sailors. I think historically this book is a real winner. I am proud to add it to my PT BOAT Library of books, and would highly recommend it to those wanting to learn about the Mosquito Fleet Sailors of World War II." Review by Sheri M., a buyer for her Dad: "Good morning. Want to thank you for your book. Wow! What a fantastic work! I received it last Saturday and read it cover to cover before sending it on to my dad. An intriguing and in-depth masterpiece dedicated to such fine men and women who are often forgotten as time marches on. I can't thank you enough for your research and honor to all our soldiers and sailors, especially on this Veterans Day!! Your dad would be very proud indeed! God bless you and your dear family now and always. Thank you!" For sale in the United States; world-wide sales are available ONLY after contacting the seller. The author's signature will be provided unless you notify the seller that no signature is desired. Via "Contact the Seller," please inform us if you desire an inscription, personalization, dedication, or presentation and what that is to be. FREE safe and secure shipping inside the US only. Free shipping does not extend to an offer of Expedited shipping; world-wide sales ONLY after contacting the seller.

Price: 74 USD

Location: Ellington, Connecticut

End Time: 2025-02-12T04:18:21.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD