Clash of the Carriers: The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II

"Clash Of The Carriers". By Barrett Tillman. Subtitled: "The True Story Of The Marianas Turkey Shoot Of World War II." NAL Caliber, Penguin Group, 2005. Barrett Tillman has been the author of quite a few books, fiction and non-fiction, dealing with naval aviation and the war in the Pacific. His non-fiction books are filled to overflowing with technical details about carrier aircraft (e.g. "Hellcat: The F6F In World War II"), and some of his books have been published by the prestigious U. S. Naval Institute Press. With this background, Barrett Tillman has crafted an exacting detailed history of the naval battle of the "Marianas Turkey Shoot", the popular name for the Battle of the Philippines Sea, June 19-20, 1944. Barrett Tillman has drawn upon both American and Japanese sources to describe both sides of this naval battle. His main thesis is that this was the battle in which Japanese naval aviation was utterly destroyed. After this battle, Japanese naval aviation, whose attack on Pearl Harbor had started the Second World War for the United States, played a minor role in the rest of the war. In the main portion of the book, Tillman continuously records the numbers of how Japanese naval aviation was destroyed and again in the interesting appendices at the back of the book. (See, in particular, Appendix F.) Beyond all the dry records and the technical details, the author has the ability to make the men and their human concerns come alive. This is particularly evident in the book's Part Five, entitled, "Turn On The Lights", in which he describes the agonized decision to turn on the running lights of the fleet so that the pilots could locate the American ships in the dark. This, of course, made the same ships better targets for any Japanese submarines. Finally, I looked up the term "white hat", which is defined as "... an enlisted man in the U.S. Navy". As a former "white hat", I can tell you that I would only wear a white hat with my undress whites, but I could wear either a white hat or a flat hat with my dress blues. I think that an interested novice reader can figure that out. All in all, this book makes it clear that the author is an avid supporter of the United Sates Navy.

Clash of the Carriers is Barrett Tillman's new accounting of the epic Battle of the Phillipine Sea in June 1944. Dubbed "The Marianas Turkey Shoot" because of grossly disproportionate Japanese losses, the battle cost the enemy three aircraft carriers, 476 planes, and 445 pilots and aircrewmen. Imperial Japan's desperate attempt to prevent the capture of the Marianas islands (future B-29 bases) was perhaps the final nail in its coffin; the first being its debacle at Midway two years previously. But "Clash" would be a rather ordinary book if it only told the story of the Turkey Shoot. Instead, Tillman has gone deep into the battle's background, comparing it to other great naval battles in history (it surpasses nearly all of them in some regards) and providing important insight into its principal personalities as well as the aircraft, ships, and fleet structure of both sides. He provides additional important background by painting a picture of America of the 1940s; a time and a culture that is unknown, even alien to most Americans of today. That unique character of the Greatest Generation's society played an important role in bringing about the smashing victory in the Marianas and beyond. As for the battle itself, though, the narration is all-encompassing, with nonstop action in the air as well as on and under the sea. It would be tough to conceive of any element of the wide-ranging conflict that isn't covered in gripping detail. The hardbound book itself is also a winner: 348 pages of easy-to-read text supplemented with photos, a glossary, and an index. I never review a book without mentioning its failings (they all have some), but there were precious few to be found in "Clash." An error regarding linear measurement went uncorrected in the Preface. Battle of Midway nitpickers like me will react to Tillman's statement that four Japanese carriers were sunk at Midway "in one day." (Four were out of action on 4 June '42, but two of them didn't sink until the 5th.) And he frequently uses naval and military vernacular terms that might puzzle a novice reader (does everyone everywhere know what a "whitehat" is in the U.S. Navy? Or the difference between a "bogey" and a "bandit" on a radar scope?). I note that several reviewers here rate the book at a one or two-star level because of Tillman's folksy writing style and his bias towards nonstop action as opposed to a more scholarly approach to the subject. But that's what makes Clash of the Carriers a winner--if you want a historical reference manual on the Battle of the Phillipine Sea, yes, there may be better choices. But if you want a doggone good nonfiction tale chock full of blistering naval combat, "Clash" is a blue-ribbon choice.

After their stunning defeat at the battle of Midway, the Imperial Japanese Navy went into hiding, fearing the prospect of having to face a much larger U.S. Navy that had a new fighter that was superior to their own Zero. This fighter was called the Hellcat, and it became legendary during a few days in June, 1944, when it virtually destroyed the remaining Japanese carrier aircraft. This battle became known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, and for all intents and purposes, the end of the Japanese Navy as an effective fighting force. Seeing their inner ring of islands threatened by the advancing Americans, the Japanese had no choice but to sortie their remaining ships in the hope of stopping the huge American task force. The target of the Americans was the Marianas islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. The Americans intended to use these islands as bases for their new B-29 Superfortress long-range bombers. If these islands were to fall, the road to Tokyo would be wide open, and the Japanese home islands would be within range of the new B-29s. Japanese Admiral Ozawa set sail with a force of nine carriers plus various escorts to meet the mighty American task force 58, commanded by Midway hero Admiral Raymond Spruance. Described as a man of caution, Spruance was still aggressive and longed to destroy the last of the Japanese fleet. American submarines drew first blood in the battle, sinking two of Ozawa's prized flattops. However, the Japanese still packed a powerful punch, and after discovering the American fleet, he launched a massive attack. However, the Americans were ready, thanks to their radar and fighter vectoring capabilities. The Japanese were no match for the Americans, both in terms of quality of aircraft and pilot. In the span of a couple of days, American carrier pilots shot down over 300 Japanese planes. Another Japanese carrier went to the bottom, bringing the total to three, but the greatest losses were in aircraft and experienced pilots. Although the Japanese Navy sortied once more during the American invasion of the Phillipines, this battle effectively ended the effectiveness of the Japanese Navy. Author Barrett Tillman has done a masterful job of describing this key battle of the Pacific war. Not only does he describe each phase of the battle, from the opening shots to the final Japanese withdrawl, he also describes the planes, ships, and tactics used by each side. This additional insight made the book that much better. I've read many books on the Pacific war, and I would rate this book as one of my favorites. The story is told in glaring detail, and the accuracy is precise, right down to the number of losses on each side. The appendicies in the back of the book are very helpful reading tools for the reader to refer to. I give this book my highest recommendation. Read it and learn about the final destruction of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

One of the few books to cover the last great carrier battle fought in WWII, Clash of the Carriers is a wonderful book for anyone that has an interest in the Pacific War. Barrett Tillman does a wonderful job of not only giving the reader an idea of what it was like to be there, but also gives a glimpse into the stories of the major players involved. What was it like for the FDO's directing Hellcats into the incoming raids? What was going through the pilots' minds as they searched for their carriers in the dark of night? This book answers those questions and more without getting too caught up in the minutia. If you have an interest in World War Two, the naval war in particular, this book would make an excellent addition to your library.

This is an excellent book that not only documents a great, but not well known, battle, but also documents a past time for us. A time when, as mentioned in the preface, "carriers had decks that were straight, Grummans had tail hooks, and Pratt and Whitneys had props". It tells the story of the largest carrier battle of World War II... yes, the largest, and the third largest naval battle ever in terms of ships employed (behind Leyte Gulf and Jutland). When 15 US carriers met 9 Japanese carriers in the middle of the Philippine Sea, thousands of miles from the US mainland and above a trench that goes to 30,000 feet in depth. The battle described in the pages, quite eloquently, tells how the US fleet routed the Japanese, sinking one third of their carriers and shooting down 90% of their aircraft, out of the sky... like turkeys. And, in the process, the author describes what it was like to operate an aircraft, an anti-aircraft gun, a submarine, land aircraft as part of a team, and the importance of radar. This is a well-written, eloquent book that goes beyond accurately telling the story of this great battle to giving us a glimpse, yes, just a glimpse, but well worth it, of being there.