This book is the result of a cooperative effort by a number of noted experts in the field of naval history. It provides the latest known facts regarding tactical details, numerous pertinent photos and previously unpublished (to my knowledge) biographical info about many heros of the battle. Every student of the war in the Pacific needs this book.

This is another book about the critical Battle of Midway in WWII- but not just any book. I first read about this story in grade school. The fate of our country came down to a small outnumbered fleet and a few obsolete airplanes. The aircrew in particular faced almost certain death in many cases but the battle was so critical they took off anyhow... Needless to say I was hooked from then on. That has always inspired me- the unbelievable courage displayed here. I have tried to find out more ever since. This book is promoted as a pictorial history and the pictures are excellent and cover almost all of the amazing aircrew. But the narrative could also easily stand by itself. It is as detailed as any I have ever read about this. A must-have for Midway buffs. How did they get so much in this small space? The best account I have ever read about a truly inspiring story.

There have been numerous accounts of Midway, to mention just two, Walter Lord's wonderful _Incredible Victory_ and Fuchida et al's _Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan. Each of these is superb in its own right, but what the collaborative effort of these writers had turned out is certain to rank not much from the top of the list. There are probably more illustrations in this one book than in the others combined, and the fine text clears up many points in which earlier accounts were mistaken. By tracing the history of Midway from its first U.S. occupation until much after the battle itself, a nice framework is given into which the battle is set; and in its own right, what the writers termed their book's appendix, is a superb collection of Midway-related essays that alone would have made me spend my money.

It is unusually difficult to find good books on this subject. It has a brief history of each ship, and some excellent photos. I highly recommend it.

This book contained what I was looking for. My Dad sereved on the USS Phoenix CL46. I found books that never gave Dads ship any credit for her war record, although this book dosen't list all the details, it sure did give Phoenix (and all other cruisers) credit well deserved. Excellent book!!

If you find it somewhere, grab it! This is a great book. It covers 74 US Cruisers that saw action in WW2, that earned at least one battle star. It covers Heavy Cruisers, Light Cruisers, and the Alaska-class Battlecruisers. It also briefly covers the Princeton-class Light Carriers that were built on Cleveland-class cruiser hulls. The book covers the ship by class, with a short introduction. A summary of each ship's WW2 history then follows. There's at least one photo of every cruiser.

Having read Lundstrom's excellent First Team books, I was anxious to get my hands on this book which he co-authored. After the first fifty pages, though, I was beginning to wonder about the tune of the book; I had anticipated a bit more down-to-earth approach, but the authors opted for the "hero in the making" style. Actually, the only interesting bits are in the latter half of the book, when Butch finally gets into combat flying, and as is the case with all Lundstrom's combat books, the dogfight descriptions are absolutely great. Likewise, the account of the death of Butch O'Hare is excellent.

The problem is that they only fill about a fourth of the book. The rest is filled with hagiography, which I was surprised to find. After all, we have the book "Bader - the man and his men", giving a detailed account of England's O'Hare, Douglas Bader, minus the holy approach. It is possible to present the life of a true hero without superficial glamour, but Lundstrom and Ewing missed it here.

Another case in point is Blackburn and Hammel's "Jolly Rogers". There, too, a hero is given a thorough treatment, but there's no added sugar. Maybe it is because the authors are not accustomed to writing from this angle; I think I'll stick to their pure combat books.

Authors Ewing and Lundstrom have done an excellent job of telling the story of Butch O'Hare. Born in March, 1914 and raised in St. Louis, Butch loved the simpler things in life. He enjoyed spending time with his father hunting or fishing, or playing with his younger sisters. Family was always important to Butch, and the authors do a good job of stressing this throughout the book. Butch eventually left St. Louis and attend Annapolis, graduating in 1937. Butch's first assignment was aboard the battleship New Mexico, and he quickly developed an affection for the ship's float planes. After serving aboard the New Mexico, Butch signed up for flight training and was stationed at Pensacola, Florida. There, Butch earned his wings.

Butch's most famous flight occurred on February 20, 1942. Butch was on board the carrier Lexington when a group of Japanese torpedo planes attacked the task force. Butch scrambled his F4F Wildcat fighter off the deck and rose to meet the enemy. In the span of about 5 minutes, Butch single-handedly shot down 6 of the attackers while saving the task force from certain damage. Butch was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt at a ceremony at the White House. Afterward, Butch embarked on a war bond tour where he visited factories and gave rally speeches. While on a visit to Grumman, Butch was able to talk to designers about the limitations of the F4F. This input led to the development of the F6F fighter, which Butch would fly later in the war.

The authors do a good job of describing in great detail Butch's war days. I felt like I was flying right along with him. Particularly interesting was the detailed description of Butch's final flight. After attacking a group of Japanese planes, Butch's night fighter group was to regroup and head back to their carrier. However, a series of unconfirmed and sketchy events occurred which led to the death of Butch. Some people believe that Butch died as a result of friendly fire, while others believe that a snooping Japanese plane managed to get close enough to shoot Butch down without being detected. The authors claim the latter, and I agree with their assessment.

Butch O'Hare was a true war hero. His bravery and courage were shining examples to others, and his heroism was a true morale booster during the dark early days of the war. A replica of Butch's F4F stands in O'Hare airport, named for him, in Chicago. Read this excellent book and experience the life of a true American hero.

The authors obviously researched their subject quite thoroughly in preparation for this excellent piece of history. In my previous readings, Butch O'Hare has remained somewhat of an enigma. This book provides great insights into the man and his times. This is a great tribute to an American hero. I wish there were more books like this about about other heroes from this time period. Men like John Basilone, Alexander Bonnyman, and Richard Bong need to have their stories retold for a new generation of readers

Being both a watcher of war documentaries and a Trekkie, I'm always on the lookout for any kind of information regarding the histories of actual vessels dubbed 'Enterprise'. This particular trade paperback, featuring over a hundred photos of the Pacific War's standout vessel, is one of the few books about one of the real Enterprise vessels I've encountered. True, this book's text lacks the sheer volume and sentimentality of Edward Stafford's 'The Big E'. But, even though 'USS Enterprise CV-6' author Steve Ewing's text is relatively brief, he does manage to give a surprisingly in-depth and occasionally heartfelt look at the ship's history, as told by both himself from his own research and the men who served aboard her. Also described in both words and pictures is the Enterprise legacy, which lives on in the veterans who were part of her crew and in the many memorials made up of both fond recollections and the Enterprise's myriad surviving components.

My only real complaint is that, despite the fact this book was last reprinted in 1998, it hasn't been updated since 1987. Other than the lack of a recent revision, however, this pictorial history is one of the best sources of information about the US Navy's most-decorated warship, and is available at a very reasonable price. Whether you're a Pacific War fans, a Naval aficionado, or a Trekkie who is both curious and appreciative of the real-life history of the greatest 'forebear' to sci-fi's most famous starship, this trade paperback is an essential addition to your bookshelf!

This is a great reference book on what is, in my opinion, the greatest American fighting ship in history. This book is packed with pictures of the ship and plenty of detail on her combat operations and what the ship did BETWEEN combat operations, what she did after the war, and her ultimate fate.

The only weak point of the book, which prevented my giving it 5-stars, is the lack of good pictures of aircraft from her airgroups. This might be beyond the authors intended scope of the book, but I would have liked to actually see what Hellcats and Avengers of 20 Air Group looked like in authentic markings and paint schemes. I mean, I could superdetail an Enterprise model with the photos from this book, but I would have to go to another source to accurately detail the aircraft on her decks.

This is an excellent book on the first aircraft carrier Enterprise. The Big E was the most decorated ship of World War II and had a charmed life. She fought in nearly all of the major naval battles in the Pacific and was awarded 20 battle stars by the government. The Enterprise was also the ONLY carrier operating in the Pacific for a time during the war. This book has good photos and the information is detailed, without being overwhelming for a basic book. (It is really an introduction to the subject and left me wanting more.) The cost of the book is quite low for so much content. The author brings across his love of the Enterprise and makes you cringe when plans to preserve the ship as a museum fall apart and the ship is scrapped.