Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour

"This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can." With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USSSamuel B. Robertson the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur's vulnerable invasion force were theRobertsand the other small ships of a tiny American flotilla poised to charge into history. In the tradition of the #1New York TimesbestsellerFlags of Our Fathers, James D. Hornfischer paints an unprecedented portrait of the Battle of Samar, a naval engagement unlike any other in U.S. historyand captures with unforgettable intensity the men, the strategies, and the sacrifices that turned certain defeat into a legendary victory.Hornfischer, James D. is the author of 'Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour' with ISBN 9780375432958 and ISBN 0375432957.