Neptune's Inferno
The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
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4.6 • 267 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“A literary tour de force that is destined to become one of the . . . definitive works about the battle for Guadalcanal . . . [James D.] Hornfischer deftly captures the essence of the most pivotal naval campaign of the Pacific war.”—San Antonio Express-News
The Battle of Guadalcanal has long been heralded as a Marine victory. Now, with his powerful portrait of the Navy’s sacrifice, James D. Hornfischer tells for the first time the full story of the men who fought in destroyers, cruisers, and battleships in the narrow, deadly waters of “Ironbottom Sound.” Here, in stunning cinematic detail, are the seven major naval actions that began in August 1942, a time when the war seemed unwinnable and America fought on a shoestring, with the outcome always in doubt. Working from new interviews with survivors, unpublished eyewitness accounts, and newly available documents, Hornfischer paints a vivid picture of the officers and enlisted men who opposed the Japanese in America’s hour of need. The first major work on this subject in almost two decades, Neptune’s Inferno does what all great battle narratives do: It tells the gripping human stories behind the momentous events and critical decisions that altered the course of history and shaped so many lives.
Praise for Neptune’s Inferno
“Vivid and engaging . . . extremely readable, comprehensive and thoroughly researched.”—Ronald Spector, The Wall Street Journal
“Superlative storytelling . . . the masterwork on the long-neglected topic of World War II’s surface ship combat.”—Richard B. Frank, World War II
“The author’s two previous World War II books . . . thrust him into the major leagues of American military history writers. Neptune’s Inferno is solid proof he deserves to be there.”—The Dallas Morning News
“Outstanding . . . The author’s narrative gifts and excellent choice of detail give an almost Homeric quality to the men who met on the sea in steel titans.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Brilliant . . . a compelling narrative of naval combat . . . simply superb.”—The Washington Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hornfischer (Ship of Ghosts) understands the human dynamics of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific war as well as any student of the subject. Here he focuses on the period when the Navy underwent its sternest test. The struggle for Guadalcanal, he writes, was "the most sustained and vicious fight of the Pacific war." It featured seven major naval actions and required the Navy to master a new kind of war: it was the first of the amphibious expeditionary campaigns charcteristic of the Pacific theater, combining air, land, and sea forces,and the U.S. was spectacularly unprepared to cope with its demands. Nor did the U.S. understand as yet how effective its Japanese opponent was eventually, this knowledge was purchased with blood, and Hornfischer gives an empathetic but balanced account of that process. He reconstructs the fighting in a masterful synthesis of technical analysis, operational narrative, and tales of courage. His listing of one set of commendations submitted by one ship after one action stands in particular for all "the men without rank" who made up for the shortcomings of ship designers, admirals, and captains in the waters of Ironbottom Sound. 16 pages of b&w photos, 9 maps.
Customer Reviews
Change is not easy
This is the book I have been waiting for to fill important gaps. It goes well with Pacific Crucible, but defines the intense difficulty adapting and adjusting to new roles and requirements can be. It also shows how complicated war, but especially war at sea can be. It is a wonderful book that truly put's a different perspective during these crucial moments in the campaign in the Pacific.
Intersting Read
I’ve read books on the land battle at Guadacanal, but this was a good read on the US Navy’s part in the battle.
Another Outstanding Work by James D. Hornfischer
As a son of a World War II veteran, now in my own retirement from a career in education, I have come to view this author as the most preeminent modern-day historian of the Pacific War. I have now finished "Neptune's Inferno", and although reading them slightly "out of order", I have completed all of Hornfischer's outstanding contributions to Naval history. His works have been utterly captivating, extremely well-researched, and composed in a thoroughly engaging literary style. Mr. Hornfischer has once again proven himself to be qualified as the most responsible naval researcher and author of our generation, documenting and preserving these stories of sacrifice and bravery in naval battles the likes of which our world will simply never experience again. All Iike me who have enjoyed his works so much owe him a debt of gratitude for once again proving that these men, many of whom had best been described at the time as mere boys, were truly the Greatest Generation to adorn the century. As with his other books, I am actually truly sad that I have finished reading "Neptune's Inferno". The experience was such a pleasure!