Clash of the Carriers : The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II

by Tillman, Barrett; Coonts, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780451216700
• ISBN10: 0451216709
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-01
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover

Summary

"In June 1944, American and Japanese carrier fleets steamed toward each other, seeking battle in the Philippine Sea." "Their clashing objectives: retaining the vital Marianas for Japan versus seizing the islands for American air bases. When the fleets met, they embarked upon a naval engagement that escalated into the most spectacular aircraft carrier battle in history - a battle that would later become known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." "During two days of brutal combat, the American and Japanese carriers dueled, launching wave after wave of fighters and bombers against one another in an all-out fight for supremacy, By day and night, hundreds of planes filled the skies. When it was over, the exhausted pilots of the American Fifth Fleet had claimed more than four hundred aerial combat victories, and three Japanese carriers lay on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean." "Here is the true account of those great and terrible days, told from both sides by those who were there, in the thick of the fight. Drawing upon numerous interviews with American and Japanese veterans as well as official sources, Clash of the Carriers is a testimonial to the bravery of those who fought and those who died in a battle that will never be forgotten."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Barrett Tillman has been an aviation historian for the past 30 years, having written over 500 articles in leading military journals, as well as four novels, a novella, a screenplay, and 30 works of nonfiction. He has received numerous awards for his work, and is an honorary member of three navy squadrons and the American Fighter Aces Association.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
Prologue	p. 1
A Precarious Honor	p. 7
"Cut Their Damned Throats"	p. 52
"Your Signal: Buster"	p. 106
"Launch 'Em"	p. 201
"Turn on the Lights"	p. 241
Final Cut	p. 285
Appendices	p. 301
Acknowledgments	p. 324
Bibliography	p. 326
Notes	p. 329
Index	p. 339
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