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Title: The Battle of the Coral Sea

Subtitle: The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Ken Teutsch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-05-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi Island at 8:20 AM on May 4, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships. Six Japanese Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplanes also rested on the gentle, deep blue swell, marking Tulagi's future as an IJN floatplane base. The men on the beach, at inland construction sites, or aboard the Japanese ships, looked up towards the huge white cumulus clouds sailing on the ocean wind. Taken completely by surprise, the Japanese stood and stared as 13 sturdy-looking dive bombers dropped through the cumulus layer at 6,000 feet, plunging towards the IJN ships. As they streaked lower, the white star on a black disc insignia of American aircraft grew visible on the underside of each wing. As the dive bombers roared low, drowning out the soft clacking of palm-fronds agitated by the steady sea breeze, the dark capsule shapes of 1,000-lb bombs broke away from their undersides and hurtled towards the anchored ships. Amid the sudden thunder of explosions, huge fountains of white foam gushed upward, sparkling in the tropical sunlight before collapsing back into the sea. Only as the American Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers began climbing out of their attack did the Japanese finally open fire with the four anti-aircraft guns set up on the Tulagi shore.

Members Reviews:

Concise history of the Battle of the Coral Sea

I really enjoyed The Battle of the Coral Sea: The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers. The e-book provided a short description of the events leading to the Battle of the Coral Sea, the battle itself, and how this battle helped us in the later Battle of Midway. The book is very detailed but concise. There are pictures of all the major personalities, and aircraft carriers. I highly recommend this book.

The forgotten battle that made the success at Midway possible!

Even after watching several documentaries of the early days of the war in the Pacific, the Battle of the Coral Sea never seems to get the same level of scrutiny and analysis as Midway does. Without the strategic success at Coral Sea, Midway may not have been the all-important game changer that it turned out to be for the U.S. and our allies.

but I was a bit disappointed that didn't carry through (I'm mainly a fiction reader ...

From the introduction I was expecting a more poetic narrative about this little-talked about battle, but I was a bit disappointed that didn't carry through (I'm mainly a fiction reader so I appreciated the more literary approach). There were more flowery flourishes interspersed, but for the most part it was more dry. All that being said, while I may have scored this a bit lower for readability, overall incredibly factual and a lot learned after reading it.

An under-appreciated moment in the Pacific campaign. While most ...

An under-appreciated moment in the Pacific campaign.