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Hell from the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II's Greatest Kamikaze Attack, by John Wukovits
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Looking toward the heavens, the destroyer crew saw what seemed to be the entire Japanese Air Force assembled directly above. Hell was about to be unleashed on them in the largest single-ship kamikaze attack of World War II.
On April 16, 1945, the crewmen of the USS Laffey were battle hardened and prepared. They had engaged in combat off the Normandy coast in June 1944. They had been involved in three prior assaults of enemy positions in the Pacific—at Leyte and Lingayen in the Philippines and at Iwo Jima. They had seen kamikazes purposely crash into other destroyers and cruisers in their unit and had seen firsthand the bloody results of those crazed tactics. But nothing could have prepared the crew for this moment—an eighty-minute ordeal in which the single small ship was targeted by no fewer than twenty-two Japanese suicide aircraft.
By the time the unprecedented attack on the Laffey was finished, thirty-two sailors lay dead, more than seventy were wounded, and the ship was grievously damaged. Although she lay shrouded in smoke and fire for hours, the Laffey somehow survived, and the gutted American warship limped from Okinawa’s shore for home, where the ship and crew would be feted as heroes.
Using scores of personal interviews with survivors, the memoirs of crew members, and the sailors' wartime correspondence, historian and author John Wukovits breathes life into the story of this nearly forgotten historic event. The US Navy described the kamikaze attack on the Laffey "as one of the great sea epics of the war." In Hell from the Heavens, the author makes the ordeal of the Laffey and her crew a story for the ages.
- Sales Rank: #223885 in Books
- Brand: Wukovits, John F.
- Published on: 2015-04-07
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.10" h x 1.30" w x 6.10" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 336 pages
Review
Advance praise for Hell from the Heavens
Evan Thomas, bestselling author of Sea of Thunder and John Paul Jones
"John Wukovits is a master storyteller of battle at sea. With a fine eye for revealing detail, he re-creates, with sure and dramatic strokes, the almost unbelievable story of a destroyer, its dauntless captain, and its brave men under assault by a score of kamikazes in the climactic days of the Pacific War. A great read about one of the Navy's most stirring single-ship actions."
Bruce Henderson, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller And the Sea Will Tell
"Inspiring true story of a legendary World War II warship that famously refused to die and her intrepid crew of tin can soldiers who fought their way across the seas from Normandy to Okinawa. John Wukovits's Hell from the Heavens is naval history at its compelling best."
Flint Whitlock, editor of WWII Quarterly
"John Wukovits is one of those rare authors with the ability to capture the stink, the heat, and the fear of battle. In Hell from the Heavens, he almost without mercy thrusts the reader into the terrifying experience of being on the receiving end of Japanese suicide attacks. If your palms aren't sweating while reading this book, you need to have your vital signs checked!"
Stephen Harding, author of the New York Times bestseller The Last Battle
"Well researched and finely written, Hell from the Heavens brings vividly to life the story of USS Laffey's life-or-death struggle against kamikazes determined to send her to the bottom. The story of 'The Ship That Wouldn't Die' is a nail-biter, and John Wukovits tells it with panache."
Kirkus Reviews, 2/15/15
“The incredible story of the ‘destroyer with a heart that couldn’t be broken'.... For WWII buffs, surely, but also for general readers looking to understand the damage inflicted and the terror inspired by the Japanese suicide squadrons.”
Roanoke Times, 4/5/15
“A stirring account of the ordeal of the USS Laffey.”
Bookreporter.com, April 2015
“Wukovits breathes life into the story of this nearly forgotten historic event.”
New York Journal of Books, 4/6/15
“Well-researched…For a well-written story of a truly epic World War II fight, one should not hesitate with this volume. It is highly recommended.”
Notre Dame Magazine, Spring issue
“Through interviews with survivors and the memoirs of crew members, the author re-creates the events of that 80-minute firefight and the return of the crippled American warship from Okinawa to Seattle, where the surviving shipmates were welcomed as heroes.”
San Francisco Book Review, 4/28/15
"Vivid detail…Wukovits lays bare the desperation of the Japanese high command.”
InfoDad blog, 4/30/15
“The overarching story of men battling long odds, fighting opponents who were not only ready but also determined to die rather than surrender, is one that continues to resonate today.”
WWII History, August 2015
“Well researched and pulls the reader into the story of the ship and her crew…An interesting look at a harrowing 80-minute period when a group of sailors faced the worst their enemies could throw at them, paid a fearful toll, but emerged victorious.”
Proceedings (magazine of the U.S. Naval Institute), August 2015
“Wukovits does an admirable job balancing the crew’s experiences with historic events, strategic and tactical considerations, and enemy perspectives, which are too often absent in our World War II libraries.”
Military Review, January-February 2016
“[A] gripping story…which reads like a thrilling war novel…Wukovits’s account of this action is spellbinding in its drama and detail…This book presents a personal, brutal account of war at sea…richly documented with primary sources…[An] outstanding book…While the events described are seven decades old, this book holds priceless lessons for men and women who today take fast ships into harm’s way.”
About the Author
John Wukovits is a military expert specializing in the Pacific Theater of World War II. He is the author of many books, including For Crew and Country, One Square Mile of Hell, and Pacific Alamo. He has also written numerous articles for such publications as WWII History, Naval History, and World War II. He lives in Michigan.
Most helpful customer reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful.
The Ship Which Would Not Die
By Marc L. Tavasci
Many years ago, I read "The Ship That Would Not Die." Written by the USS Laffey's commanding officer, Julian Becton, it told the story of the Laffey's 80-minute ordeal off the coast of Japan during the invasion of Okinawa as seen by Becton. Now, many years later, along comes John Wukovits to tell the story again, this time from the perspective of several of the crew who served about this heroic ship.
The Laffey participated in the D-Day landings at Normandy, providing support for U.S. troops on Utah Beach. It then went to the Pacific and participated in the landings at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines and Iwo Jima before becoming part of the naval forces supporting the invasion of Okinawa. Part of the forces arrayed against the U.S. Navy at Okinawa was a vast armada of kamikaze aircraft. These planes and their pilots had one singular goal: to crash their plane into an American ship and inflict as much death and destruction as possible at the cost of their own life. Originally introduced during the fighting in the Philippines, the kamikazes were a difficult and terrifying menace which chilled the blood of many American sailors. To help fight this menace, advance warning was needed of their arrival and thus ships were assigned to picket duty far out at sea in order to give notice of incoming kamikaze attacks. The USS Laffey ended up at Picket Station No. 1, and on April 16, 1945, the Japanese unleashed a massive wave of kamikazes which targeted her. For eighty minutes, she withstood attacks from 22 separate aircraft in an incredible display of seamanship, heroism, courage, fortitude and a little bit of luck.
Drawing upon interviews, personal memoirs and letters, and reports written after the action, Wukovits has woven a fantastic tale of the gallant ship's fight against tremendous odds. It's a story which lets you get to know many of the sailors aboard the ship, both the survivors and those who paid the ultimate price. It's also a story of a ship of brothers who would do anything to help their fellow sailors, from manning a gun when a gunner went down, to fighting fires, participating in damage control or helping wounded comrades in their time of need. In the long and storied annals of the U.S. Navy, the stand of the USS Laffey will long remain one of its finest hours.
I've said in the past that another book by John Wukovits, "One Square Mile of Hell," is one of the very best books I've ever read on the U.S. Marines in World War II. Well, I can now say "Hell From the Heavens" is one of the very best books I've ever read on the U.S. Navy in World War II. Simply excellent.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
The Ship That Refused To Die
By Jeffrey T. Munson
On April 16th, 1945, the crew of the destroyer USS Laffey were informed that their ship was being moved to radar picket station #1, north of Okinawa. This station was the closest picket station to Japan and, therefore, the first station that Japanese kamikazes would see on their flight to Okinawa. Over the preceding days, several American ships had been sunk or severely damaged while serving at station #1. The men of the Laffey knew what they were sailing into; an inferno of steel and pilots willing to dive their planes into American ships. For eighty minutes on that fateful April morning, the crew of the USS Laffey faced over twenty individual kamikaze attacks. "Hell From The Heavens" is their testimony.
Before that April morning, the USS Laffey had served with distinction in the U.S Navy. Commissioned in February, 1944, the Laffey fought in her initial battle off of Normandy during the D-Day landings. She provided fire support and anti-submarine protection. Next, the Laffey moved through the Panama Canal to the Pacific, where she served in the Philippine campaign and as a carrier escort for raids on the Japanese homeland. Led by Commander F. Julian Becton, the Laffey had become a well-seasoned veteran.
Becton and the crew took their assignment to radar picket station #1 as they had in the past; they were prepared to do their best in the task assigned to them. But nothing could have prepared them for the onslaught they were about to face. Over the course of eighty minutes, the crew shot down several attacking Japanese planes, but several got through to crash into the ship. Aside from the kamikaze attacks, the Laffey also sustained bomb hits as well. Over thirty sailors were killed and many others were injured, but the ship would not sink. Despite being hit by no fewer than six of the attackers, Becton and his heroic crew would save their ship and ultimately return to the United States as heroes.
Author John Wukovits has written a wonderful book about one of the most famous ships in the U.S. Navy. He starts with the commissioning of the Laffey and continues describing the other campaigns she fought in. The sections devoted to the kamikaze attacks are loaded with stories of individual heroism as the men struggled to save their ship. Included throughout Wukovits' narrative are numerous quotes and remembrances from the Laffey's crew members.
I give this book my highest recommendation. John Wukovits has written a fine tribute to one of the U.S. Navy's most memorable ships and her fine crew.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Story of a Tin Can Prepared to Fight.
By John Herzfeld
This is an amazing story of a destroyer that survived hits by
six kamakazes off of Okinawa. The ship's captain prepared his
crew after launching this Sumner class tin can at Bath Maine.
They weer involved in the Normandy invasion at Dday and then
sent to the Pacific theater snd Participated in the Phillipines and Iwo Jima.
The gunners were prepared, and the Japanese paid dearly since 22
of their planes were involved, and only 6 succeeded. The author also researched the
opponents, and told the story of the beginning of their last ditch stand. The ship survived, and
participated in the Korean war. It suffered hits at Wonsan harbor in North
Korea.. I was on another destroyer in that area, and, fortunately, we were not hit.
iwas ther on another sestroyer during that
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