Now Hear This: The Story of American Sailors in World War II

This collection of entertaining, often stirring stories about the adventures/misadventures of young ``gobs'' and junior-grade officers captures the exhilaration, terror and bewilderment experienced by U.S. Navy volunteers during WW II. Drawing on diaries, letters and interviews, military historian Hoyt ( The GI's War ) assembles the recollections of sailors who served on warships from carriers to minesweepers, performing every type of job from gunner's mate to salvage diver, in such major battles as Pearl Harbor and Okinawa. The recollections are not confined to campaigns; typical are the unconventional story of a submarine crew's reaction to their Christian Scientist commander and the anecdotes of the battle-rattled sailor who frequently went AWOL. There are also vivid tales of collisions at sea, ferocious typhoons and shipwreck survivals. Photos. (May)