The Liberation of Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, The Visayas, 1944-1945: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume 13 (Volume 13) (History of USN Operations in WWII)

This series is reaching the end of the war and there are only a couple of volumes left. In this volume, the author address the liberation of the Philippines. While the first part of the liberation of the Philippines was addressed in the earlier volume, this one completes the picture. By this point in the war, the American Navy had been so well exercised in amphibious operations that they have become almost routines. Also, the Japanese Navy has been almost defeated and so there is almost no navy on navy action to be discussed. The two highlights of this volume are the Typhoon that Halsey’s 3rd Fleet blunders into and the Japanese innovation of the Kamikaze attacks.Early in the volume, the author devotes a significant portion of the book to the typhoon that sank 3 destroyers, damages many other ships, and results in the deaths of over 800 seamen. Not only are the various actions that each captain took discussed, but also the decisions made by various Admirals and the information on which they based their decisions is laid out for the reader. Ultimately, the author exonerates Admiral Halsey – as did the official Navy Board of Inquiry – since they all believe that he did not have enough information to let him know that he was leading his whole fleet into the path of a Typhoon. However, the Captains of the various ships that capsized or were severely damaged do not get off so lucky, with Admiral Nimitz sending out a multipage memo reminding every Captain that they need to provide good seamanship as their first responsibility.The middle part of the book is devoted to the rise of the Kamikazes and the various attacks these made on the fleets that were engaged in landing operations. Each one appears to be detailed and explores to some extent with a tally of how many casualties were caused by each successful attack. The rise of the Kamikaze was clearly a surprise to the U.S. Navy and throughout this book they struggle to come to grips with the problem. As the book makes clear, no real solution was found. The Kamikaze attacks ceased not because they were not successful, but because the Japanese ran out of airplanes, or moved them to help defend Iwo Jim and Okinawa.While it is not really emphasized, I was struck by how often and how many amphibious landing operations took place over the course of the six months or so that this volume covers. The author mentions at least 30 such operations that were part and parcel of the liberation of the Philippines. Amphibious landings are considered to be amongst the most difficult of military operations. Earlier in this series, we read about some operations that were planned for six months or more before they could be carried out. Towards the end of this volume, the author cites some examples of operations that were conceived, staffed, and brought to fruition within a span of six weeks!, While these operations were a bit smaller than some of the earlier ones, they still required coordination between the land, sea, and air forces involved as well as logistical planning. All of this had to be brought together at the right time and with the right equipment. The wonder to me is that it all was.To wrap up the book, the author spends a chapter on submarine operations around the Philippines and the South China Sea during this time period. Another interesting chapter covers the operations of the stealthy U.S. Naval Group in China. For this last, it covers its operations over the course of the whole war and this was a story that I was totally unfamiliar with.With a single lead author, the writing style is identical to the other volumes as are the graphics, maps, photos, and statistics being provided. Since I’ve grown to like this writing style, it was a pleasure to sit back and read the various descriptions being provided. On the other hand, the author is implying that many of these operations were not really needed and were carried out to satisfy the ego of Douglas MacArthur which leads to a bit of a melancholy tone as we read of the hundreds of lives lost and many thousands of casualties that came about because of this campaign. Also, this volume is lacking in any special battles or campaigns that are particularly exciting so it almost becomes a recitation of one landing after another on a different island or beach, and with so much of it having become routine, it’s almost becomes a blur. That’s too bad, but necessary for a comprehensive review of all naval operations – which is the reason for this series. This dichotomy between wanting to be comprehensive and having to cover routine operations leads to some dissatisfaction which is why I decided to rate this book as an OK book, but not much more than that.

to the read and enjoyment of this book and the writer's view on this critical part of WW ll in the Pacific front.

The content of this book is great. But my copy arrived with the cover upside down and the pages reading from the back to the front.

As a one off read (rather than having to read the whole series) it would have benn better if it included a brief summary of the Leyte landings and the developement of the facilities at Leyte Gulf.Maps are of poor quality.