The Magnificent Mitscher
Published on 30. August 2022
399 pages
978-1-5040-7714-9 (ISBN)
Description
"First-class... more than the biography of a great aviator and military leader. It also is a detailed and lively history of naval aviation." -
The New York Times
Air Adm. Marc Mitscher is a legend in military circles for developing an entirely new concept of war at sea. His skills as both a carrier tactician and genius for leading men rank him with the best World War II combat commanders. However, because Mitscher shunned publicity and destroyed his private papers shortly before his death in 1947, his accomplishments are not widely known.
In this outstanding biography, Theodore Taylor traces the aviator's brilliant career from its beginnings and makes clear the major role played by the admiral in developing the Navy's air program, providing a lively and detailed history of the progress of naval aviation.
"The likable personality and day by day achievements of Mitscher shine through to lift this above the run of the mill military biography." - Kirkus Reviews
Air Adm. Marc Mitscher is a legend in military circles for developing an entirely new concept of war at sea. His skills as both a carrier tactician and genius for leading men rank him with the best World War II combat commanders. However, because Mitscher shunned publicity and destroyed his private papers shortly before his death in 1947, his accomplishments are not widely known.
In this outstanding biography, Theodore Taylor traces the aviator's brilliant career from its beginnings and makes clear the major role played by the admiral in developing the Navy's air program, providing a lively and detailed history of the progress of naval aviation.
"The likable personality and day by day achievements of Mitscher shine through to lift this above the run of the mill military biography." - Kirkus Reviews
More details
Person
Theodore Taylor was an American author of more than fifty fiction and nonfiction books for young adult and adult readers. During World War II, he first served as a cadet-AB seaman on a gasoline tanker, then became a naval officer in the Pacific Theater. Taylor published his first book,
The Magnificent Mitscher, in 1955. His novel
The Cay won eleven literary awards, including the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was adapted into a film in 1974. In 2006, Taylor passed away in his beloved "house in the woods" in Laguna Beach, California. He was surrounded by his family, his books, and years of wonderful memories.
Content
- Cover
- Title Page
- Contents
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Culmination
- I. THE AIR ABOVE THE SEA
- 1. Early Days
- 2. The Naval Academy
- 3. First Sea Duty
- 4. Flying on Wood, Wire, and Canvas
- 5. Sea Aviator
- 6. In Command at Miami
- 7. The "Nancys"
- 8. NC-1-Down at Sea
- 9. The Navy versus Billy Mitchell
- 10. First Aircraft Carrier
- 11. Lean Years
- 12. The End of the Dirigibles
- 13. Flight to Pearl Harbor
- 14. Prelude to War
- II. FROM TOKYO TO THE SOLOMONS
- 15. Hornet
- 16. Doolittle's Raiders
- 17. Carrier Operations
- 18. Air Group Eight
- 19. The Battle of Midway
- 20. Shore-Based
- 21. Guadalcanal Command
- 22. The Interception of Admiral Yamamoto
- 23. Last Days at Guadalcanal
- 24. Fleet Air, West Coast
- III. FAST-CARRIER TASK FORCE
- 25. Command Organization
- 26. The Invasion of the Marshall Islands
- 27. Truk
- 28. Scouting the Marianas
- 29. Arleigh Burke Arrives
- 30. "Bald Eagle"
- 31. Hollandia and Truk Again
- 32. Softening the Marianas
- 33. The Japanese Fleet Comes Out
- 34. First Battle of the Philippine Sea (1)
- 35. First Battle of the Philippine Sea (2)
- 36. The Controversial Decision
- 37. Leader of Pilots
- 38. Next Stop Manila
- 39. Leyte Gulf (1)
- 40. Leyte Gulf (2)
- 41. Return to Pearl Harbor
- 42. The End of the Japanese Fleet
- 43. Bombed Out
- 44. Last Days of Combat
- IV. PEACE AGAIN
- 45. Fishing
- 46. Home to Hillsboro
- 47. The Lessons Learned
- 48. The "Super Carrier"
- 49. Eighth Fleet
- 50. The Last Effort
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Bibliography
- About the Author
- Copyright
