WWII Book Mr. Roosevelt's Navy - US Atlantic Fleet

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Abbazia, Patrick. Mr. Roosevelt's Navy: The Private War of the U. S. Atlantic Fleet, 1939 - 1942. Annapolis. Naval Institute Press. 1975. First edition. Hardcover in dust jacket with mylar. Very good + / very good + condition. 520 pages. Contains photos and maps! The U. S. Navy was at war in the Atlantic long before 7 December 1941, but little is known about that conflict. Mr. Roosevelt's Navy is a vivid, thoroughly researched account of this undeclared war upon which Mr. Roosevelt embarked in order to sway the desperate Battle of the Atlantic in favor of Britain's hard-pressed Royal Navy.Not only is the book a history of the U. S. Atlantic Fleet and its impact on German-American strategy and diplomacy prior to and immediately following American entry into World War II, but it is also a lively account of the muted battles and endless patrols that were the pattern of life for American sailors in the cold, gray Atlantic."Destroyermen learned to stand with feet braced apart, arching their bodies with the rolling of the ship, and they got used to the elevator-like dropping sensation in the stomach when the ship fell; they learned to climb icy, swaying ladders in the night without seeing the rungs. The seasick ones tried to eat so that they would have something in their stomachs to throw up and thus avoid the painful, bile-tasting dry heaves. One skipper was seasick in rough weather during most of his first year in a destroyer in the Atlantic and, in another destroyer, soaked officers coming off watch could always count on 'Somebody's Rocking My Dream-Boat' being on the wardroom record player. Such simple tasks as eating, sleeping, and moving about, normally performed in a relaxed manner, required intense effort and became work. Duty became hard work. Men could not move fast, nor could they do things that required two hands; one hand was always needed for holding on. The investment of concentration in simple tasks wearied men mentally and dulled their reactions, and shorthanded crews meant extra tasks and tired watchstanders; yet their lives depended on alertness. Vigilance was the prerequisite of survival. Officers checked out sonar and radar operators to make sure that they were not reading comic books or otherwise 'doping off.' Watchstanders tried to frighten each other into alertness with tales of U-boat packs nearby. Sometimes a man on watch escaped the tedium, fatigue, cold, and ubiquitous stinging spray by falling asleep, thus failing his shipmates. Destroyermen might battle shore patrols for each other, falsify ship's records for each other, and risk their lives in combat for each other, but they would rarely forgive such betrayal as sleeping on watch. When an officer saw a sailor with a black eye, or chipped teeth, or facial lacerations, he knew that crewmen had reminded the man of his responsibilities in an unofficial but nonetheless effective manner. Kisselburg Military Books. WE WILL DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO PLEASE OUR CUSTOMERS ! Please visit our website . 12,000 military history titles. ALSO, PLEASE VISIT OUR E-BAY STORE: MANY SIGNED WORLD WAR II AVIATION FIGHTER ACE PHOTOGRAPHS. MANY OTHER MILITARY ITEMS. DISCOUNTS OFF THE TOTAL PRICE FOR MULTIPLE PURCHASES AND DISCOUNTS OFF THE TOTAL POSTAGE CHARGE!! 12195 126th St. N. Stillwater MN 55082 . . Add $4.00 for media mail shipping and handling. Priority Mail or International shipments extra. We prefer PayPal but will accept VISA and Mastercard. NORTH AMERICA ’S LEADING SPECIALIST IN BOOKS ON THE SECOND WORLD WAR . read more

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