Publisher Description
“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.
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“This is the most gripping story I’ve EVER read. If it were offered as fiction, nobody would believe it. It’s the story of how a small group of small ships held back a huge Japanese armada that could have completely devastated the allied war effort in the Pacific. The skill and determination of these mostly very young sailors is almost incredible. As part of the research on my Civil War novel, I have read probably over a hundred books about soldiers and sailors and war. “Last Stand” has very few peers, both in the story and how it’s told. I regret giving away my copy, but will buy and read this book again, and make room for it in my “permanent collection.””
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Paulmbauer (5 out of 5 stars)
