WORLD WAR II - NONFICTION
"Little Ship Big
War" by Edward P. Stafford 
An exciting account of Destroyer Escort Abercrombie, DE 343. This little ship was 374 feet long, 37 feet wide, and could make a maximum speed of 20 knots. She was armed with two 5 inch / 38 caliber main batteries, two twin 40mm cannon mounts, ten 20mm machine guns, three center torpedo tubes, forward firing hedgehog, and side drop depth charges. She was equipped with good radar and sonar. For so small a ship, she had plenty of bite and could perform in a number of roles. The author was an officer aboard the ship from her commissioning (1944) until the end of the war.
De 343 at station Taffy Two in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, at Lingayen in the Battle for Manila, and on the dangerous stations around Okinawa fending off Kamikazes. She provided valuable escort screening for submarines, picked up downed fliers, and screened landing craft. This book is a very fine read and gives much deserved credit to the men that served on some of the lesser know ships that played a large role in the American victory.
I found it interesting that the author painted the
commander (name withheld) as such a jerk. The are instances of open and
undeserved ridicule of officers and men. When the captain was transferred, he
just packed and left without so much as a good-bye to the men he had led in
combat.
Reviewed by Kenneth S. Smith 8/01/2001
Available from:
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
www.unsi.org
