Pawns of War: The Loss of the USS Langley and the USS Pecos

ISBN: 0870215159

Author: Messimer, Dwight R.

Condition: New

In February 1942 as the war in the Pacific came into full swing, a proud old aircraft carrier, the USS Langley, was called upon to attempt a mad dash across the Indian Ocean to deliver P-40 fighter planes to the Allies at Tjilatjap. To many, her mission seemed pointless, a desperate bid to serve a hopeless cause. To Dwight Messimer, the author of this carefully researched book, it was one of the monumentally stupid decisions of World War II, filled with political expediency and bureaucratic bumbling. Above all, it was a costly mistake in which nearly 800 men and three U.S. Navy ships were lost. Here at last is the full story behind this tragic episode. Based on over fifty eyewitness accounts by survivors, war documents never before cited, and original Japanese sources, Pawns of War describes in captivating detail the events that led up to the mission, the attack on the Langley by Japanese bombers, her abandonment and eventual sinking, the rescue of her survivors, and the attack on and sinking of the USS Pecos, the fleet oiler that took on most of her crew. But this book is more than just the story of the sinking of the Langley and the Pecos. It is also an in-depth examination of the circumstances surrounding the disaster, including the command mistakes that were partially responsible for the ships' predicaments and the tragedy's controversial aftermath in which the Langley's captain was charged with prematurely abandoning his ship. Messimer brings to light considerable new information on this period that heretofore has received surprisingly little coverage. At the same time, he offers a fast-paced, action-filled account of a thrilling moment in history that includes its share of heroes and comic anecdotes. His ability to humanize dry official reports, to place the reader squarely in the midst of the battle, is nonfiction writing at its best.