The Fleet at Flood Tide

America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945

By: James D. Hornfischer

Narrated by: Pete Larkin

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The extraordinary true story of the World War II air, land, and sea campaign that brought the U.S. Navy to the apex of its strength and marked the rise of the United States as a global superpower, from the acclaimed author of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors—with original maps and more than 120 dramatic photographs

“A masterful, fresh account of the latter days of the war in the Pacific . . . Hornfischer offers perspective on world conflict and cautions for humanity that can be pondered far beyond the conclusion of World War II.”—The Dallas Morning News

WINNER: Commodore John Barry Book Aard, Navy League of the United States; John Lehman Distinguished Naval Historian Award, Naval Order of the United States

With its thunderous assault on the Mariana Islands in June 1944, the United States crossed the threshold of total war. In this tour de force of dramatic storytelling, distilled from extensive research in newly discovered primary sources, James D. Hornfischer brings to life the campaign that was the fulcrum of the drive to compel Tokyo to surrender—and that forever changed the art of modern war.

With a close focus on high commanders, front-line combatants, and ordinary people, American and Japanese alike, Hornfischer tells the story of the climactic end of the Pacific War as has never been done before. Here are the epic seaborne invasions of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam, the stunning aerial battles of the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, the first large-scale use of Navy underwater demolition teams, the largest banzai attack of the war, and the daring combat operations large and small that made possible the strategic bombing offensive culminating in the atomic strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

From the seas of the Central Pacific to the shores of Japan itself, The Fleet at Flood Tide is a stirring, authoritative, and cinematic portrayal of World War II’s world-changing finale.

Good at filling in all those other details

What did you love best about The Fleet at Flood Tide?

Getting a lot of the details from both USN and IJN about the final year of the war. I was disappointed that so little time was spent on the Battle of Samar, 25 Oct. The author has written a whole book about this and it is excellent.

Any additional comments?

Very good for those interested in WWII naval history that already know the overall picture.

great audio book. captivating and informative

This is an awesome audio book for anyone who enjoys ww2 history, aviation history, naval history, and the history of the atom bomb.

One of my new favorite WW2 audio books

This is the best book I've read or listened to about the war in the Pacific and one of the best about the entire war. The focus on Raymond Spruance, Draper Kaufman and Paul Tibbets were all wonderful. Besides Tibbets, I really didn't know much of anything about the other two and their stories are just incredible. I loved that the book was not just the rose tinted version of the history, but addressed the personal failings of the characters it covered, like Kelly Turner, who struggles with a drinking problem throughout the war, and the struggles of Kaufman and other commanding officers as their groups suffer heavy casualties is a reminder that these people were all human. On the other side, the Japanese characters they focus on from Sipan have incredibles stories. Parts of it reminded me of Stephen Ambrose book "Supreme Allied Commander" which was about Eisenhower in Europe, which is one of my all time favorites. This book is for Spruance, what that book did for Eisenhower, but where Ambrose's book has some small lulls, I feel like this book avoided some of those by keeping up with Kaufman, Tibbets, and other rank and file accounts of the moments, as well as the Japanese accounts to avoid a sole focus on Spruance. I'm a big fan of contemporary histories of WW2 and I loved this book. Great narrator and just so well written!

WW2

A very factual account of World War II in the Pacific theater, detailed ship engagements.

different but very good

new to the pacific war. I always gravitated to the tank battles of Nazi Germany. the first 2 books of Mr Hornfisher where strict navy battles and I loves them. this book was all over the pacific war and on both sides.. at first I didn't care for it but after spending $30 I pushed on.. and the book was fantastic.. definitely going to purchase the book version and reread this one to let the info really sink in..