War in the Pacific: End of the Asiatic Fleet and the Classified Report of Admiral Thomas C. Hart

It is a small volume, but a lot in there, Admiral Hart was blamed by MacArthur for his own blunders, but Hart did his best to prepare the US Asiatic navy and this is his story.

Admiral Thomas Hart was the chief of the Asiatic Fleet and had the unenviable role of trying to salvage a fleet and keep the Japanese from conquering much of SE Asia. With ships built at the close of WW1, and trying to unite the ships of Britain, Australia and the Dutch, Admiral had a near impossible task. With the loss of air support due to a MacArthur blunder in the Phillippines Hart had to send his ships to sea with out air cover to protect them from the Japanese air forces. Ships without adequate air defense weapons and faulty anti-aircraft ammunition, the ships relied on the skills of the ship captains to evade the Japanese bombs. Admiral Hart also had to contend with a subordinate rear admiral who did not do well as a task force commander. The book paints a bleak picture of the activities of the Asiatic Fleet from Pearl Harbor day to the end of the fleet in early April 1942, This is a scholarly book to have.

The best thing about this book is that it presents Admiral Thomas Hart's own account of the Japanese advance in the Pacific and the end of the Asiatic Fleet. That's important to me as a researcher. I've found lots of descriptions of what was going on in the region at that time, and I've seen the admiral quoted here and there, but I've never, ever seen the original classified report drawn up by Hart himself. It's here, and overall it's a great resource. Hart wasn't a scintillating writer, but his account is lucid and really jam-packed with information. I found the introduction and bio also of value. Good buy for the money.

A riveting account of the early days, the mistakes made and things done right. A perspective the history books have missed. Highly recommended for any student of the Pacific war.

OUTSTANDING, if you have interest in WWII in the Pacific you must read this book. It's just the facts from Admiral Hart. Something I will re-read.