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Crossing the Line: A Bluejacket's Odyssey in World War II (Yale Library of Military History) PDF

209 Pages·2007·1.19 MB·English
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Preview Crossing the Line: A Bluejacket's Odyssey in World War II (Yale Library of Military History)

The Yale Library of Military History Donald Kagan and Frederick Kagan, Series Editors CroSSing thE LinE A BLuejAckeT’s OdYsseY in WOrLd WAr ii ALvin KErnAn Foreword by DonalD Kagan and FreDericK Kagan introduction by lawrence Stone Yale University Press / new Haven and london First Yale University Press edition, 2007. First published by Naval Institute Press in 1994. Copyright © 2007 by Yale University. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Designed by Mary Valencia. Set in Minion by Tseng Information Systems, Inc., Durham, North Carolina. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kernan, Alvin B. Crossing the line : a Bluejacket’s odyssey in World War II / Alvin Kernan ; foreword by Donald Kagan and Frederick Kagan ; introduction by Lawrence Stone. — 1st Yale University Press ed. p. cm. — (The Yale library of military history) Originally published: Annapolis : Naval Institute Press, 1994. Includes index. ISBN: 978-0-300-12315-9 (alk. paper) 1. Kernan, Alvin B. 2. World War, 1939–1945—Naval operations, American. 3. World War, 1939–1945—Campaigns—Pacific Ocean. 4. World War, 1939–1945—Personal narratives, American. 5. Sailors—United States—Biography. I. Title. D773.K46 2007 940.54'5973092—dc22 [B] 2006038455 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For my children ContEntS ForEworD, by Donald Kagan and Frederick Kagan ix introDuCtion, by Lawrence Stone xi PrEFACE to thE YALE EDition xv one snow 1 two Boots 8 three Pearl 23 Four cruising 35 Five Midway 52 Six sunk 68 Seven Wandering 88 Eight stateside 102 nine Black Panthers 113 ten solo 133 Eleven War’s end 149 twelve Peace 162 thirteen uncle sugar 173 inDEx 177 Illustrations follow page 112 ForEworD War has been a subject of intense interest from the beginning of litera- ture around the world. Whether it be in the earliest literary work in the Western tradition, Homer’s Iliad, or the Rigvedic hymns of ancient In- dia, people have always been fascinated by this dangerous and challeng- ing phenomenon. Few can fail to be stirred by such questions as: How and why do wars come about? How and why do they end? Why did the winners win and the losers lose? How do leaders make life-and-death decisions? Why do combatants follow orders that put their lives at risk? How do individuals and societies behave in war, and how are they af- fected by it? Recent events have raised the study of war from one of in- tellectual interest to a matter of vital importance to Americans and the world. Ordinary citizens must understand war in order to choose their leaders wisely, and leaders must understand it if they are to prevent wars where possible and win them when necessary. This series, therefore, seeks to present the keenest analyses of war in its different aspects, the sharpest evaluations of political and military deci- sion-making, and descriptive accounts of military activity that illuminate its human elements. It will do so drawing on the full range of military history from ancient times to the present and in every part of the globe in order to make available to the general public readable and accurate scholarly accounts of this most fascinating and dangerous of human ac- tivities. Alvin Kernan, the author of The Unknown Battle of Midway, is a teacher and scholar of great experience and outstanding talent who has made a great name for himself in both fields at Yale and Princeton. But on ix

Description:
In this memoir of life aboard aircraft carriers during World War II, Alvin Kernan combines vivid recollections of his experience as a young enlisted sailor with a rich historical account of the Pacific war. Kernan served in many battles and was aboard the Hornet when it was sunk by torpedoes in the
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