“This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which
survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can.”
With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland
addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts on
the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of
Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese
navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a
staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas
MacArthur’s vulnerable invasion force were the Roberts and the
other small ships of a tiny American flotilla poised to charge into
history.
In the tradition of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flags of Our
Fathers, James D. Hornfischer paints an unprecedented portrait of
the Battle of Samar, a naval engagement unlike any other in U.S.
history—and captures with unforgettable intensity the men, the
strategies, and the sacrifices that turned certain defeat into a
legendary victory.
From the Hardcover edition.