And thank you tonight for cspan for being here. This is a first for me. Maybe you guys are used to this. Im going to cover just a few basic things before we get started. Copies of the book are available downstairs. I think they are at the register. You can purchase them there and then bring them up here to get signed after the event. If you could take a moment silence your phones, i think we would all appreciate that. Youre welcome to take photographs. You can post them on social media, if theyre good. And then after the event, or after the author has finished speaking it will be a q a. Then if you could please wait for a mic, come by with a a microphone so we can all hear your question, that would be great. All right, lets get started. James hornfischer, hes a writer, a literary agent and a former book editor. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller neptune inferno, the last and other 10 can sailors and the ship of goes. Hes widely acclaimed historical accounts of the u. S. Navy in the pacific during world war ii have been praised for the detailed descriptions and sharp insights. He has given keynote lectures at the naval academy, and he is a frequent guest speaker on the history channel, fox news and that youth and civic groups. A graduate of the ut law school, he now lives in austin. His latest book, the fleet at flood tide is published just in time for the 75th anniversary of the attack on pearl harbor. It is the extraordinary story of the most consequential campaign at the pacific war. The u. S. Fifth fleet seizure of the mariana islands. This relentless deployment open the path to total victory over japan and establish a new state of the art and warfare. Here to give you the details on this extraordinary historical event is james hornfischer. [applause] thank you, brenda. I appreciate it. Ive always been very happy and proud that my hometown of austin, texas, is home to one of the greatest independent bookstores in america, bookpeople, here. Its a community center, events such as these are salons if you will, bring such a diversity of authors and to give so much vibrancy to the community that i have called home for 23 years so im proud to be here for the third time i think, and especially happy that cspan is here to turn our discussion and the presentation into an opportunity for readers around the country to connect, so thank you for being here. Much appreciated. Ive had the great opportunity the Great Fortune to turn a lifelong interest, my interest in the navy and the pacific during world war ii into an ongoing project. This series of narrative histories that, First Published back in 2004, was a battle near to pick its ambitions didnt extend to far beyond the nation of telling the story of this improbable upset victory that our navy one over japan in october 1944. It benefited a great deal of engagement in the interviews an ongoing conversation with the veterans of that battle. Only a tiny handful of those guys are leftright now. Its been 15 years. Over the course of my projects ive seen the participation of that generation diminish from book to book. My second book ship of ghosts is about a single ship, the uss houston. There were lost early in the war march 1942. The survivors taken prisoner and made slaves of that notorious project, the railway. All through the war so that book carried to their story 33 and half years of war and of the step up in scope and ambition. The third book Neptune Stanford is a camping history covering in close detail a six month period of time in which the navy fought seven major sea battles for control of the aisle island of guadalcanal. The fleet at flood tide attempts to take on the story of the in game of the pacific war, really for the better part of 1944 and all the way through to the end, not just for the surrender of japan onboard the uss missouri but all the way to the occupation itself. I think that shows as so much, that estimates to show us about what the american war effort was all about. So this book then covers a large part of history and encompasses diverse operations on air, land, and sea. The Marianas Campaign operation forge or involve the successive invasions of three important islands. These islands wer are strategicy vital. They were within striking distance of the japanese home islands that became heights of b29 bombers, and beginning around thanksgiving making 44 the bombing of japan begins from these islands. The u. S. Seizure of the Three Islands lets move to the next slide. Whicwhich you will see at the cr of the detail map, top right, the seizure of these islands provokes japan into its largest counter stroke against the use offensive of the war, the battle of the philippines is the largest Aircraft Carrier battle of world war ii. Japan since the entire combined fleet to contest the u. S. Invasion of the marianas and to precipitate the battle of carriers that was more than three times the size of the battle of midway. There were 15 years Aircraft Carriers in that engagement, nine japanese. By the end of it, really the question of why the japan will have a carrier navy has been settled. This finishes bama. So thats a major story that itself has been the subject of many books. The third element of my story is really embodied in the person of the man at right in this light here, paul tibbets, the founder of americas first, worlds first atomic striking force. He takes command of the composite group and hi a special mission is to deliver the atomic weapon, to atomic weapons against japan and to fly specially modified b29 bombers in that mission. So the operation forger quickly precipitates something far larger than just another amphibious operation. It will becomes a battle to decide the pacific war and becomes the fulcrum, the marianas, those critical items become the focal against which we wield Strategic Airpower against japan and finally force the imperial of the japan to surrender. So these three figures of my devices. We have diverse Naval Operations and ai our operations. We have three prominent, very willful i think interesting characters at the center of the story. Raymond spruance, the commander, i find beatles and Rolling Stones people, the world divides itself among the two types. In the context of the navy and the pacific, youve got spruance people and you have all see people. Spruance so reserved, so analytical, so thoughtful, so intellectual. Both of them so tremendously effective with holsey theres always a degree of risk to what he was doing. With spruance the japanese came to know him as the man who was impossible to trap. So in the marianas, their contrasting styles will become pronounced. Naval history buffs like to speculate what might happen if spruance his role and holsey his role had been flipped. So thats a partner argument that can get rather heated. Polarizing figures and, indeed, the start of the Marianas Campaign, indicates a spruance, become that at this huge carrier battle which pits one side of innatanegg against another. The air admiral socalled because theyre all rated as pilots. They became ever group commanders, fleet commanders, committed to the proposition that the true power of the navy in the form of these Ugly Duckling ships sending aircraft hither and yonder to think everything in sight. Spruance did not come up to these ranks. He was a battleship man, and so the fact that he did not cut his teeth in cares is constantly held against him and his partisans from the air admiralty resent him, and now for his audacity in conducting to the person of the subordinate mark nature, the battle of the philippines. So the navy fight for its own soul takes place this controversy with his subordinates and coequals and becomes a thing of the book, a very character centered, its rooted in the tradecraft of naval warfare, circa 194445, the45, the rights of the Aircraft Carrier which comes in the focus in the marianas. At center with kelly turner who is the subordinate, command of the fifth amphibious force. The navy is undergoing conservation not only in terms of the types of ships that fight for control of the sea but also in terms of the type of ships the project power. Turner was in charge of the Ugly Ducklings of the amphibious force, lsd, lcm, lci, all the amphibious ships better to carry troops across the ocean to assault amphibious objections, islands and so forth. Turner is the modern master of this. That mary had his campaign is the first large island that he undertakes, 46 square miles, very deep terrain, a large inmate gerson and becomes sort of a proven count ground and also some surprises for the americans they become very faithful and as a Campaign Rolls along and some of 1944. Finally we have paul tibbets, i indicated use the commander of the composite group, the b29 outfit tasked with ending the war from these islands. Now, the title of the book the fleet at flood tide, this suggests in the following eye chart, im sorry if this is hard to read from the back of the room, apologies also to the home audience on cspan. We have a graphic indicating production 19431944, and it really shows the growth of the fleet, the large silhouettes will command your attention Aircraft Carriers and battleships. The navy is surging into being through 194315 large and mediumsized 1943, 15 quickly taken under nimitz wing andy reid forges the navy along the lines of the Aircraft Carrier battle group. Battleships as welcome well, des to screen and protect them but at lower right, the Landing Craft, youll see some positively huge numbers. Single digits for the battleships and carriers, annual production. Its in the area of land and crap that we really see the transformation of the fleet and whether fleet acquires this metaphorical new dimension, the flood tide. Way of Landing Craft on the order of 21,000 produced in 1943 and 37,000 produced in 1944. This will be the fleet that really wins the western pacific campaign. Turner arrives in the summer of 1944, june 15, now mind you, its been 90 since the landings in normandy. Almost simultaneous with this with got this operation innocent pacific. Its always overshadowed by dday, the Normandy Landing but this is the other dday. June 15, 1944, saw two divisions of the United States marine corps go ashore on the southwestern beach of saipan as well as a division of youth army and reserve 27th infantry. As i indicated saipan is a rubicon because its here. These islands are essentially south of tokyo. Theyre white along the 145th line 45th line of meridian. Tokyo is 140. This provokes japan to a massive counterstrike, and the fight for the island itself is seen individual as a preview of a way to further to the west come take the with regard to possible landings in the islands of japan. What we have inside bent but for some anywhere in the pacific is not only craggy terrain, large land mass, with a 1500foot foot mound at the center, provides cover for artillery and mortars. But something very important exist on saipan that americans can for the first time and that is the presence of civilians. Japanese sugar farmers and plantation workers are there in great numbers, 25,000 some odd job japanese civilians are on saipan. And, of course, as a military gerson, 30,000 japanese soldiers protecting saipan but what you have is a mixed militarycivil society that we are proceeding to take by force. And the reaction, the dynamics of the threeweek campaign for saipan really changes the way the americans look at the war. Especially the american commanders who are tasked with landing in the home islands. Just to get a sense of what saipan looks like, the mangrove forest, the limestone, the craggy case and cliff faces, the basaltic lava beaches. One of the features of this campaign will be the reefs surrounding saipan required for the first on a fairly large employment of underwater demolition man, the socalled demolition swimmers. The frogman of the navy seals to operate with turners force as the recognizance judah, scout up the lagoon comfy at the best avenue for the landing ships to approach. Once the marines get ashore there quickly swallowed up in a battle where the lines are very blurry indeed. The marines struggle in a fight for saipan to hold their lines type, to prevent infiltrators and it gets very difficult, 13,000 americans will become casualties in this campaign, about 4000 dead. So you can see here how terrifying it must have been. Saipan also sees one of the first city fights anyway in the pacific, the japanese capital is the site of some fairly intense combat. And so the invasion takes place on june 15, and almost immediately the japanese contest the american lodgment. The admiral brings the entire combined fleet, and the americans meeting of what becomes the battle of philippines c. This is kind of a test case of tepco employment of the kerry force for what becomes controversial is the fact that spruance never gets his carrier command is licensed to rome west and seek battle with the japanese fleet. He yokes them close to the islands and so they stand task force 15 carriers stay close, kind of west of guam in a covering position because spruance realizes the objective here are the islands themselves. The air admirably cant wait to get hold of the case, send them to the bottom but spruance is this Strategic Mission in mind. The amphibious force, three divisions on saipan are the reason for the mission. And, indeed, the consequences are holding these islands would become strategically vital. And so he throws the leash around, and hold position close to the islands what this means is that the navy has to absorb the first blow as the Japanese Carriers approaches. Theyve got scouting aircraft flying from the islands. They have sightings of our force and so on june 19, 1944, the socalled great marianas turkey shoot takes place, the battle of Philippine Seas acquires this nickname for the aircraft american pilots claim in battle. Some 380 japanese planes are claimed shut down undo 19. Why . It has a lot to do with the world, hellcat fighter and is more to do with our mastery of air search radar and the Rapid Transmission between ship and Squadron Commander of vectors and so forth, the fighter direction teams are able to control the combat air patrol to the point where we intercept the japanese almost on a straight line, just at the right altitude. Why does that matter of course our pilots are intercepting sufficiently will have plenty of fuel left to engage and so in a series of air battles through the day of the 19th, these 380 kills, this guide his score is posted. This just about takes care of any possibility that japanese power can ever again fight as an effective force. Mark major is the air admiral who wants to sink carriers. They see their Mission Accomplished in a different way. Without aircraft worker Aircraft Carriers . This is what spruance accomplishes in the marianas to very convincing effect. And so one of the greatest set pieces that follows on the next day is when spruance finally does authorize strikes. With absorbed a series of air attacks on the 19th and, of course, were still casting search planes, they are all searching for the japanese fleet. Our subways managed to make some sightings. Two japanese gears are put down by submarine sunk on the 19th. But seven more Japanese Carriers are roaming out there somewhere to the west and late in the day on the 20th you with citing aircraft, search aircraft make a sightings. The reason it presented from is the site is made late in the afternoon of the 20th, at any prospect of a strike will have two involve a nighttime recovery which are pilots were not trained for. Late on the 20th mitscher sends out strike planes such as these hell divers and he managed to sink at their Japanese Carrier and the recovery into the socalled turn on the light episode so the planes takeoff late in the afternoon if they make their strikes right run sunset and on the return of kind of a different circumstance were pilots are navigating in some cases wounded low on fuel trying to find task force for the Aircraft Carrier to land. The standard doctrine at night is to black out everything. A cigarette butt can be seen for miles by the enemy submarine skipper comments of the strict blackout protocol in place, and so the piles navigating home. They have radio beacons to a system but are making their way in this desperate way of late in the evening when all of a sudden the fuel is running tight. They have a sense of their close. They can hear the deacon. They can make radio, packed with him ship and all of a sudden the nighttime erupts in life. Every searchlight on every destroyer, crews come battleship entered task force 58 is soaring skyward state face huge 24inchn arc searchlights with handheld searchlights, every sailor top light and it is a heaven sent reprieve for all these pilots. This episode kind of segments the loyalty of our naval air corps. Aviation exhibition now only a victory but one of sort of unit cohesion shown by the admiralty to its pilots. So pilots this day, f14 pilots will still talk about this night as something thats very important in their history. I can come into an incredible set piece and i folded this into the story of how the navy is going to do its business have any age of the Aircraft Carrier as they charge was towards the final reckoning in the home islands of japan. Here we have a picture of Japanese Carriers absorbing some blows. Meanwhile, back in saipan the story is acquiring some gravity. The marines are confronting civilians now for the first time, as i said, on a battlefield. We sort of assume that the civilians would come to our lines, hands up to be taken into custody, to be taken back to the internment camps, to be given medical care. To be treated for the words, to be fed, to be given water. But thats not what happens on saipan. The japanese have been fed some terrible propaganda but the nature of the