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5.0étoiles sur 5
At Sea with The Greatest Generation, Juil 10 2004
The October 25, 1944 naval battle off Samar, the Philippines, is not as well known as other WWII Pacific naval battles. After MacArthur landed on Leyte in the Philippines, the Japanese countered by sending battleship/cruiser groups to attack the transports and supply ships at the beachhead: the Southern Force under Admiral Nishmura to attack from the south; the Center Force under Admiral Kurita to attack from the north; and the Northern Force with its aircraft carriers under Admiral Ozawa as a decoy to Halsey 3rd Fleet carriers.The Southern Force was devastated on the night of October 24 in the Surigao Straits by American Admiral Oldendorf's old battleships. Halsey had failed to leave a battleship/cruiser force to guard the San Bernardino Strait and had fallen for the lure of Ozawa's decoy and moved north to attack the Japanese carriers. Therefore, the Center Force at 3:00 A.M. October 25 passed unchallenged through the San Bernardino Strait and entered the Philippine Sea north of Samar. At 6:47 A.M. an American pilot from Taffy 3 spotted the Japanese heading south. American Admiral Kinkaid's 7th Fleet protected the Leyte beachhead with three Task Units comprised of escort carriers (CVE), destroyers (DD) and destroyer escorts (DE). Kinkaid's only Task Unit in a position to intercept the Japanese force was Taffy 3. The author, James D. Hornfischer, has written an excellent narrative of outgunned and out numbered Taffy 3's battle to protect the 7th Fleet and the Leyte beachhead. The text presents a brief description of the characteristics of Taffy 3's ships: 6 escort carriers, 3 destroyers and 4 destroyer escorts. The USS Samuel B. Roberts, DE-413, is used as the narrative vehicle, and a brief history of this destroyer escort from its 1944 commissioning to the Samar battle is given. Although in-depth narration is given the actions of Taffy 3 ship captains and officers, the text devotes considerable narrative to enlisted men and their magnificent performance under fire. On page 165, the author notes "By any measure the mathematics of the engagement were preposterously against them" as destroyers and destroyer escorts were not designed to fight battleships and cruisers. However, they were all that stood between the Japanese and the CVEs and the Leyte beachhead. Unfortunately Taffy 3's in-flight aircraft carried bombs and ammunition for attacking ground forces limiting them only to harassing the Japanese warships. On instinct, Commander Evans, Captain of the destroyer USS Johnston, ahead of orders engaged the Japanese and launched a torpedo attack that struck the cruiser Kumano ripping off its bow. With salvos from the Japanese warships landing close to Taffy 3s carriers, Admiral Clifton Sprague ordered his destroyers into the breach. Ultimately, the escort destroyers were also ordered into the battle. The text notes "It was preposterous to send a destroyer escort against an enemy's main surface fleet....Bob Copeland's ship (Samuel B. Roberts) was fighting like a true hunter-killer bidding to take down a heavy cruiser on the open sea." As the Roberts headed for battle a carrier officer remarked "Look at that little DE committing suicide." The author gives an excellent account of the gallant battle put up by the destroyers and destroyer escorts. Regarding the destroyer USS Heermann, the author writes "Few warships in history had ever spent ten minutes more productively." In spite of the tin can's (DD's and DE's) efforts, the CVE Gambier Bay was soon bracketed by shells, was hit and sank becoming the only U.S. carrier of the war sunk by surface fire. The tin cans of Taffy 3 held the line until airplanes armed to attack surface ships came to turn the tide so that Taffy 3's tin cans would no longer have to carry the hopeless fight any longer. As the text correctly states "The men of the destroyers and destroyer escorts had helped win a victory of the most impossible resounding kind. Their dashing skippers had put themselves on the line first and started an improbable rout. Now.... avenging angels from the escort carrier squadrons, would help finish it." The price, however, was high, as two destroyers and one destroyer escort (Samuel B. Roberts) were sunk in addition to the CVE Gambier Bay. During the battle, the war's first kamikaze sinking occurred when the CVE St.Lo was sunk by kamikaze aircraft. Tragically, it was not until10:10 A.M. two days later that a seven-ship rescue task group rescued 1,150 battle survivors. Because of the rescue delay, some 116 men had died at sea while a few others made it over land to safety. The author's account of the survivor's ordeal awaiting rescue is gripping. "The Battle of Samar was a battle of firsts: the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier was destroyed by surface gunfire; the first time a ship was sunk by a suicide plane.... ; the last time small destroyers charged an opposing battle line." According to Admiral Nimitz "The history of the United States Navy records no more glorious two hours of resolution, sacrifice, and success." The American invasion of the Philippines could have suffered a critical setback had the Japanese prevailed off Samar and attacked MacArthur's transports. The officers and men of Taffy 3 were indeed part of the "Greatest Generation.". James Hornfischer narrates their sacrifices and success in riveting detail.
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de Jonathan Parshall
de James D. Hornfischer
