Magnificent Mitscher

Air Admiral Marc Mitscher, who led the U.S. attack across the Pacific, is a legend in military circles for developing an entirely new concept of war at sea. His skills as a carrier tactician and genius for leading men rank him with the best World War II combat commanders, yet because he shunned publicity and destroyed his private papers shortly before his death in 1947, his accomplishments are not widely known. Mitscher's sound decisions and successful tactics helped create the greatest striking weapon in history-the carrier force that could put up a thousand planes in half an hour, the task force that sank a thousand ships and destroyed the Japanese air force, the fleet that opened a direct route to Japan. Written by a former naval officer and well-known journalist, this book tells the full story of this pioneer of naval aviation and his innovations. Theodore Taylor traces the aviator's brilliant career from its beginnings in 1916, when Mitscher became one of the Navy first pilots. When first published in 1954, it was hailed as a first-class biography that set down the major role played by the admiral in developing the Navy's air program, and is also credited with providing a lively and detailed history of the progress of naval aviation. The author accomplishes all this with compassion, humor, and deep respect for his subject.