Description
The U.S. Naval Construction Battalions, known as the "Seabees," were formed in March 1942. Their duties were to build military facilities and airfields overseas, in both the European and Pacific Theaters. In the Pacific Theater alone, including the Aleutians, the Seabees built 111 major airstrips, 441 piers, 2258 ammunition magazines, and much more.
Ritter tells the story of two Seabee Battalions, one in the Aleutians and one in the Central Pacific. He describes the Aleutian Islands Campaign during 1942-1943, when there was a real concern that Japan might try to attack Alaska and the continental United States through the "back door." Ritter also gives an eyewitness account of the building of the airfields on Tinian Island in the Northern Marianas that enabled the B-29 fire raids on Japan-the "Empire Run" - which culminated in the two missions that dropped the atomic bombs in August 1945, ending the Pacific War.
This book provides a major contribution to the wartime literature about the Seabees, those brave, resourceful, and hard-working American patriots, whose mottos were "Can do!" and "The difficult we do now; the impossible takes a little longer.
About the Author
Jonathan Templin Ritter is an archivist, historian, and author of Stilwell and Mountbatten in Burma (UNT Press). He earned a Master's Degree in History from San Francisco State University and a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. He lives in Northern Virginia.
Reviews
There are few books on the Seabees, and Ritter's memoir gives an immediate and personal touch on them. His voice is pleasing enough and honest." - Don Noble, editor and foreword to classic Seabee account Can Do!
Book Information
ISBN 9781574417715
Author Jonathan Templin Ritter
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint University of North Texas Press,U.S.
Publisher University of North Texas Press,U.S.
Weight(grams) 400g