World War II Database

Full Title: Escort Carrier WW II: War In The Pacific On The Aircraft Carrier USS Petrof Bay

In writing this compact book, the author was doing two things: paying tribute to his father's service and bravery aboard the Escort Carrier USS Petrof Bay during World War II and paying tribute to the service from all 86 escort carriers in USN war-time service as told through the story of this single vessel. In writing this book, Rick Cline drew heavily from Naval records including the Ship's Log and After Action Reports from her Air Squadrons. While the book essentially restates the content of these records, the material is reduced to a more readable format while retaining tremendous detail.

The Petrof Bay entered combat with the landings on Peleliu, followed by Leyte Gulf (as a member of Taffy One in support of Taffy Three), Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. As such, the story of the Petrof Bay is the story of the last half of the Pacific War itself, with an inside look at some of the most important and decisive battles.

I am pleased to add this book to my World War II library; but due to its level of detail and specificity, I would not necessarily recommend it to a casual WWII buff without a specific interest in this vessel or these campaigns.