Author Dick Keresey has written a first-class account of his experiences as a PT boat skipper in WW2; he covers his time from his induction into the US Navy until his eventual posting back home and discharge from the service, where he picked up the threads of his pre-war life and got on with it.
This book covers one man's experiences from being in school and the graduating on to the point of getting ready to start a career, when his plans were blinded by a left field intrusion of the greatest world conflict in modern history. I was drawn to his early experiences and 'stumbling' from trying to learn trigonometry and astro-navigation to trying to bring a 50 ton PT boat in and out of a dock...his first attempt rearranged all the paint work and wood craftsmanship of the boat builders...
Progressing from the 'early days' of learning about PT boats he was then thrust into the war in the Pacific where he not only had to contend with developing his skills in boatmanship, but added the demands of leadership of the boat's crew and survival in a real live shooting war at a very fast pace. PT boat crews were always at the forefront of the action and had little time to get to learn the intricacies of the 'neighbourhood' they were operating in before they were moved up to another place with fresh dangers and challenges.
By the time of his transfer back the the 'States', Dick had done it all, from attacking enemy barges, to rescuing downed airmen to joining a major assault and being responsible for identifying the location of the next set of forward bases for a PT boat squadron and working with the Coast Watchers his last operation was collecting seventy Japanese from out of the water after their ship had been torpedoed. Along the way he was part of the same unit future US president John F. Kennedy was part of and was on the same mission where Kennedy had his boat cut in two on a night operation.
I enjoyed this book immensely as it is rich in experiences and illustrates how people rapidly adapt to challenges and dangerous situations in a highly mobile and often changing environment. Often these operations were conducted at night and were at a time when such equipment as Radar were very much an unknown and radios were a still to be improved device.
In summary a very well written and enthralling account of PT boats and their operations as well as the human endeavour in a wartime setting. Well worth the read and very rich in detail and narrative. Well done, Dick Keresey!
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Small but deadly
Extremely realistic account of a PT squadron in the south Pacific in WWII. Dick Keresey tells what it was really like, the commanderie, the action, the stupidity of some missions, and yes, what happened to Kennedy and the 109. These guys were the tip of the spear in the effort to shut down Japanese resupply and reinforcement during the Guadalcanal and the overall Solomon Islands campaign and while their efforts are often overshadowed by the Marines dug into those islands they nevertheless made a significant contribution to the war effort. Go behind the scenes at a PT base and ride along in nighttime combat missions. Highly recommended!
Top reviews from other countries
stevesview
Well written and incredibly informative account. I thought I ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2017