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Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945 | 
| Author: Evan Thomas
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $27.00
Buy Used: $1.79
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Avg. Customer Rating:  86 reviews
Sales Rank: 113974
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.4
ISBN: 0743252217
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5426
EAN: 9780743252218
ASIN: 0743252217
Publication Date: November 7, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: A nice ex-library copy. Gently used. All pages and cover clear except for a few library markings. Softly worn around edges and corners. Binding solid and tight. No creases.
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Product Description
Evan Thomas takes us inside the naval war of 1941-1945 in the South Pacific in a way that blends the best of military and cultural history and riveting narrative drama. He follows four men throughout: Admiral William ("Bull") Halsey, the macho, gallant, racist American fleet commander; Admiral Takeo Kurita, the Japanese battleship commander charged with making what was, in essence, a suicidal fleet attack against the American invasion of the Philippines; Admiral Matome Ugaki, a self-styled samurai who was the commander of all kamikazes and himself the last kamikaze of the war; and Commander Ernest Evans, a Cherokee Indian and Annapolis graduate who led his destroyer on the last great charge in the last great naval battle in history.Sea of Thunder climaxes with the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the biggest naval battle ever fought, over four bloody and harrowing days in October 1944. We see Halsey make an epic blunder just as he reaches for true glory; we see the Japanese navy literally sailing in circles, torn between the desire to die heroically and the exhausted, unacceptable realization that death is futile; we sail with Commander Evans and the men of the USS Johnston into the jaws of the Japanese fleet and exult and suffer with them as they torpedo a cruiser, bluff and confuse the enemy -- and then, their ship sunk, endure fifty horrific hours in shark-infested water. Thomas, a journalist and historian, traveled to Japan, where he interviewed veterans of the Imperial Japanese Navy who survived the Battle of Leyte Gulf and friends and family of the two Japanese admirals. From new documents and interviews, he was able to piece together and answer mysteries about the Battle of Leyte Gulf that have puzzled historians for decades. He writes with a knowing feel for the clash of cultures. Sea of Thunder is a taut, fast-paced, suspenseful narrative of the last great naval war, an important contribution to the history of the Second World War.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 81 more reviews...
 more personal than detailed history June 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Evan Thomas examines more of the personalities of individuals and a general sweep of some of the Pacific war than providing a detailed military history of engagements and their root causes. He assumes the reader is somewhat familiar with World War II and the basics in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Even so, he touches on key points and themes to refresh the reader's understanding, perhaps to fill in some gaps, and to give his own orientation and spin on events and some people involved.
The actual battle that is intended as a climax is only a modest portion of the book. Fortunately, I was not very familiar with Leyte Gulf or the "turkey shoot" leading up to it, so Mr. Thomas was informative. That also means I cannot debate whether the account is biased or lacking. After reading some other online summaries since then, the book seems reasonable. He did appear to be rather uncharitable toward Admiral Halsey about the battle and its aftermath, however, a sense that surfaced several times. Halsey was praised for his aggressive response when America needed it, and for his hands-on leadership and successes. Beyond that, the guy takes plenty of lumps.
Admiral Kurita is presented as an admiral who rose through the ranks via seniority, without major accomplishment, far from the skills and foresight of Yamamoto, who is one of few Japanese singled out as exceptional. Mr. Thomas's emphasis on the human side also focuses on Kurita's wisdom (?) in avoiding what he felt was undue sacrifice. The look into Japanese warrior culture through the contrasting eyes of Adm. Kurita and Ugaki was a strength.
The comparisons between Americans and Japanese and how they viewed each other were also illuminating. Sometimes the opinions about Yanks and Japs were racist and dangerously false, such as Americans being too lazy for a sustained fight and too dumb for code breaking. Sometimes the opinions were valid and could be the source of great insight and success. For example, if Japanese field leadership relied on detailed instructions from HQ and did not show creativity when circumstances went awry, then the Americans could exploit that weakness. Similarly, if Halsey and other Americans were aggressive and susceptible to deception, then why not try to trick them with a major feint?
The USS Johnston and Ernest Evans appear relatively briefly, with a little backstory on Evans and how he dealt with being part-Indian. Evans was brave and heroic and deserves recognition, as does his crew. That specific engagement was also a highlight.
 A Different Perspective June 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sea of Thunder was an interesting history of the latter part of the naval war in the Pacific during WWII. The author looked at the lives of four leaders, 2 American and 2 Japanese and how their lives developed and how they affected the battles in whihch they were engaged. It added to the understanding of why theses sea battles went in the direction they did. It was an easy reading book and an enjoyable biography of 4 men doing their duty as they saw it.
An ocean of detail. June 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sea of Thunder, as the title implies tell the story of the last great naval battle -- ever. In almost unbelievable detail the author spends the first two-thirds of the book "setting the stage". He captures the personalities of the American AND Japanese admimrals. As the names of all but the most important Japanese admirals would be unfamilar to most readers, it gets confusing with the stories of the Japanese seamen, but be patient. When the author recounts the actual battle, it becomes quite dramatic. Even sixty years later there is suspense. I kept seeing "war movies" I know in my minds' eye while I read, but there is, of course, no Hollywood ending in war.
The author's main thesis is that Halsey should have been more diligent in following orders and that a particular Japanese admiral was much less aggressive than was the norm for his kind.
My grandfather, in all liklihood was somewhere in that battle. He lived, others didn't. The author doesn't say so directly, but if his analysis of the battle is correct, a lot more "grandfathers" would have come home if Halsey has done what was expected of him and a lot fewer would have come had the Japanese admiral acted as was expected of him. If your grandfather (or father) served in the Pacific in WWII, read this book with him in mind.
 A facinating yet dry read at times. February 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was a suggested read by a fellow at the library over a chat about WWII.
As the book mentions, it centers around four commanders. For the Americans Admiral William "Bull" and Commander Ernest Evans.
Halsey is an interesting character. A man of him times and yet a publicity prop used to bulster American courage during the war. Usually in history classes we get a "white washed" version of whom we declare heros. It was refreshing to read about his idiosyncrasies and faults. I had never heard his declaration of "kill japs and then kill more japs"
And often overlooked thing in WWII is the bigotry used to dehumanize the enemy. Mentioned in the book was a song of the time "I am going to slap the dirty little jap" and the mention of a parade float where it showed plans bombing yellow rats. Interesting info I think it was used by the author to explain some of Halseys rather nasty attitude towards the enemy.
The book makes mention of Halseys high points (ie the early raids) and low points(the Battle of Leyte and turning into a hurricane).
One thing for sure is that Halsey was a complex man that can't simply be explained in a paragraph.
Commander Evans was a person I had not heard about and found his upbringing and involvement in the early part of the war interesting. His declaration of taking his new ship into Harms way was rather prophetic for the future of the ship and it's sacrifice at the Battle of Leyte.
The two main names for the Japanese are Takeo Kurita and Matome Ugaki.
Matome Ugaki is probably not one of the more interesting personas of the war. A rather stoic individual who does not say much and longs for a warriors death. It's interesting to see that Admiral Yamamoto did not like him much in the beginning but over time they became friends. Ugaki was present when Yamamoto was shot down. Ugakis plan crashed into the ocean. The one thing that probably set's Ugaki apart is the amount of detail he put into his personal diaries. A fact that does not appear in this book. Again, I will mention, he was not the most interesting character and met his warriors death in a Kamikaze attempt.
Admiral Takeo Kurita is another strange yet interesting character of the war. He is not gungho as his counter parts and seems to have made questionable calls at times that involve saving his ships rather then carrying out his mission. During Guadalcanal he ended a bombardment of Henderson airfield when it might be argued that he he continued, it would have really messed things ups. Even at Leyte is gave up pursuit at a critical time which he quite possible could have wiped out the taffy groups.
Many armchair strategies will argue the merits and actions of wars past and this book will add to the discussions.
I found it interesting overall and gladly recommend it.
GIGANTIC CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS January 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In the Prologue the author, Evan Thomas, notes "Americans routinely referred to the Japanese as "Japs" and "Nips" and often as animals or insects. . . .The Japanese were just as bigoted. They depicted Americans . . . .as reptiles, worms, insects. . . ." These racial prejudices led to fatal misjudgments by both. This book is the story of four commanders, two American (Admiral Halsey and Commander Evans) and two Japanese (Admiral Kurita and Admiral Ugaki); they faced each other in the Pacific during World War II.
The text briefly narrates the naval war in the Pacific up to the Battle of Leyte Gulf which is narrated in greater detail. Most interesting is the account of successfully attacking and killing Admiral Yamamoto in his airplane. Like General MacArthur in the west, initially Halsey tried to dislodge the Japanese from their South Pacific bastions. Rather than continue bloody frontal assaults against die-hard Japanese troops, Halsey and General MacArthur, began using "end runs" isolating Japanese forces who could not survive cut off from headquarters. Halsey and Spruance alternated command of the Big Blue Fleet which worked well. However, on occasion the divided command between Halsey and MacArthur seemed a bigger threat than the Japanese fleet.
The Japanese gave little consideration to attacking the enemy elements easy to destroy instead always sought a "decisive battle." The Japanese Sho-Go plan's,was to use a "decisive battle" as the major strategy. Admiral Kurita was to enter the Leyte Gulf through the San Bernardino Strait while Admiral Nishimura was to approach Leyte Gulf through the Surigao Strait and attack the American transports landing MacArthur on Leyte. U.S. Admiral Oldendorf soundly defeated Nishimura in the Surigao Strait during the night of October 24, 1944.
The Japanese with their carriers established a decoy north of Leyte Gulf that led Halsey to abandon guarding the San Bernardino Strait and go after the Japanese carriers and other warships. This allowed Admiral Kurita to enter and steam to attack Admiral Kinkaid in the Leyte Gulf. The text gives an excellent account of the battle between Kinkaid and Kurita. Meanwhile Halsey was attacking enemy carriers and too far north to help Admiral Kinkaid. Commander Evans captain of the destroyer USS Johnson and his crew took early action which contributed to influence Admiral Kurita to abandon the attack and head back north. In spite of desperate pleas to Admiral Halsey, communications problems and distance prevented his joining the action in Leyte Gulf. The account of Commander Evans and the officers and crew of the USS Johnson distinguished early action is well worth reading.
The text continues through the final surrender in Tokyo. Most interesting are the accounts of the postwar status of the commanders The writer had excellent connections in Japan and his post war interviews in both Japan and America are informative. In postwar interviews Kurita ultimately admitted leaving Leyte Gulf because he considered further fighting would be a waste of human life. Halsey suffered from continued criticism for his abandoning the San Bernardino Strait. Commander Evans, who was lost when his ship sank, was posthumously awarded the Metal of Honor.
The author experiences teaching writing at Harvard and Princeton plus writing five previous books is put to good use in this text. This is an excellent work and well worth reading.
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