and Admirals, Nimitz, Halsey, Ainsworth, and Spruance, and so, so many other top American“Sea Brains”, heroes all.The years of the Pacific War were brought to a close with the unconditional surrender ofJapan in August 1945, 26 months later. The war, though neither unexpected nor inexplicable,came suddenly to the United States in December of 1941. For a year and half, the harrowingoutcome hung in the balance. Of course, the Allies would win. But how? And at what cost in thelives of our men, to say nothing of the innocent?Highly regarded and respected, soon to be valued as one our country’s most valued PacificWar historians, Jeffrey Cox hands us his years of study in such cogent narration we, too, arepresent, side-by-side, with our boys, some as young as 18, via “instant contact”, that is, in theheart of the fiery hours, the nervous weeks, the increasingly hopeful and victory-confidentmonths. What a Godsend “Dark Waters, Starry Skies” is – – this sobering, riveting historyweaving strategy, tactics, with blow-by-blow explanations of every bloody incident and fight tothe death to drive the Japanese back into isolation for ceaseless bombing, then invasion, until
unconditional surrender.
