U.S. Navy Against the Axis: Surface Combat, 1941-1945

The U.S. Navy against the Axis tells the story of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet in World War II with an emphasis on ship-to-ship combat. It advances the thesis that the fleet's role in America's ultimate victory was more crucial than commonly realized and that it holds many lessons for today's Navy and the nation as a whole.The book refutes the widely-held notion that the attack on Pearl Harbor suddenly rendered surface combatants obsolete and that aviation and submarines dominated the Pacific War; it demonstrates that the battleships, cruisers and destroyers made major contributions to America's victory and played decisive roles at critical junctures. The U.S. Navy against the Axis offers a cautionary parable relevant to today's Navy. It demonstrates how swift adaptability and intellectual honesty were fundamental to the Navy's success against Japan. The book's underlying premises is that we cannot assume that in a conflict against conventional or asymmetric enemies, the nation holds title to the same virtues demonstrated by the Navy three generations past. Instead those lessons need to be constantly studied and validated in the face of postwar mythologies, lest they be forgotten.

About the Author :
Vincent P. O'Hara is an independent scholar and the author of eleven books and many articles. He is the Naval Institute Press 2015 Author of the Year for his most recent work, Torch: North Africa and the Allied Path to Victory. O'Hara holds a history degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Chula Vista, California.

Review :
"This book...demonstrates how the surface fleet payed a decisive role at critical junctures. It was crucial to America's ultimate victory, and its story holds many lessons for today's Navy and the nation." - SeaTechnology Magazine "The naval aspect of World War II is often seen as a carrier war, but there is more to the story. In this book, a prominent naval historian makes the case that battleships and other surface vessels played just as important a role in defeating the Axis powers." - WWII History Magazine "If one is only interested in the story of the U.S. Navy's ship-to-ship encounters during World War II, one will not find a finer book on the subject than this volume. The text is supported by a series of excellent maps, charts, tables, and photographs that clarify and illuminate the written story." --The Journal of America's Military Past "The U.S. Navy Against the Axis: Surface Combat, 1941-1945 is a thoroughly researched work that fills a crucial gap in the understanding of the naval victory in World War II. Its organization is both logical and methodical, weaving an overarching narrative between the magnified explorations of specific engagements. O'Hara's narrative brings character and definition to the cold facts of naval engagements. This volume stands out as a defining work on American surface warfare in World War II." --Nautical Research Journal