{"title":"John J Domagalski","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"into-the-dark-water-book-john-j-domagalski-9781612007120","title":"Into the Dark Water","description":"Main Selection of the Military Book Club Made famous by her final commanding officer, John F. Kennedy, PT-109 is one of the most celebrated warships in American history. However, a full chronicle of PT-109 s wartime story has heretofore been lacking. Behind the familiar account of the future president and the boat s violent demise is the little-known record under two previous officers during the swirling battles around Guadalcanal.In these mainly nocturnal fights, when the Japanese navy was at its apex, America s small, fast-boat flotillas would sally out to probe enemy strength, vying with enemy destroyers, who were similarly roaming the waters and able to blast a PT-boat out of the water if main armament could be brought to bear. It was constant hit-and-run and dodging between searchlights across Iron Bottom Sound, as the PT-boats darted in among the enemy fleet, like a barroom brawl with the lights turned out. Bryant Larson and Rollin Westholm preceded Kennedy as commanders of PT-109, and their fights with the brave ship and its crew hold second to none in the chronicles of US Navy daring. As the battles moved on across the Pacific the PT-boat flotillas gained confidence, even as the Japanese, too, learned lessons in how to destroy them.Under its third and final commander, Kennedy, PT-109 came a cropper as a Japanese destroyer suddenly emerged from a dark mist and rammed it in half. Two crewmen were killed immediately but Kennedy, formerly on the swim team at Harvard, was able to shepherd his wounded and others to refuge. His unsurpassed gallantry can not resist retelling, yet the courage of the book s previous commanders have not till now seen the light of day.This book provides the complete record of PT-109 in the Pacific, as well as a valuable glimpse of how the American Navy s daring and initiative found its full playing field in World War II.REVIEWS  illuminates the difficult conditions of PT Boat combat. The Brave crews of these undersized vessels routinely fought at night, endured poor logistics and rough seas, and engaged much larger ships, while enduring attacks from land, sea, and air Domagalski brings to life a host of other brave officers and sailors who consistently fought insurmountable odds to contribute capabilities uniquely fitted to the island waters they patrolled. Kennedy himself later remarked that The war made us. It was and is our greatest moment In Into the Dark Water, Domagalksi illustrates exactly how and whyJournal of America's Military Past  Domagalski performs a highly proficient job as he brings these skippers, their crews, and their boat to life, in the process emphasizing that while PT-109 remains most closely connected to Kennedy, the little warship had plenty of other adventures before the future president arrived in the South PacificStone and Stone I thoroughly enjoyed the book, inasmuch as I learned things that I never knew. . . . I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in PT boats and their history. T. Garth Connelly, in PT Boat WorldHistory has long recorded that John F. Kennedy's heroic efforts after the sinking of his PT-109 led to his successful political career as Representative, Senator, and ultimately President. But, as John Domagalski demonstrates in this thoroughly researched narrative, there was far more to the boat's achievements in the South Pacific than the terrifying night when a Japanese destroyer cut her in two. This account crackles with intensity.Paul Stillwell, Naval historian and authorWell researched and written, Domagalski has done something admirable with the PT 109 saga.Naval Historical FoundationThe author is a Pacific War Historian specializing in Guadalcanal fighting. His account of one ship and its three commanding officers not only sheds light on PT-109, but also on the service of the torpedo boat crews in general. It took daring initiative to command a tiny warship aggressively and this book conveys their audacity in full measure.WWII History ...an insightful and well-written new work that pays homage not only to PT-109 but to the patrol torpedo community as a whole... .With this new offering, John Domagalski brings PT-109 and her crew back to life once again and, in doing so, honors all who served in the patrol torpedo service.Military Review","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49666097676561,"sku":"GOR013586492","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49732891115793,"sku":"NGR9781612007120","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50324580335889,"sku":"CIN1612007120G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51434718757137,"sku":"CIN1612007120VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1612007120.jpg?v=1751120137"},{"product_id":"under-a-blood-red-sun-book-john-j-domagalski-9781612004075","title":"Under a Blood Red Sun","description":"The true story behind the exploits of the unit that was immortalized in the blockbuster 1945 movie They Were Expendable. During the opening days of World War I in the Pacific, a small group of American sailors in the Philippines were propelled into the forefront of the fighting. They were manned with six small wooden torpedo (PT) boats and led by a courageous, larger-than-life character in Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley. The men of Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 faced insurmountable odds as they conducted a series of heroic operations against the navy and air power of Imperial Japan. As America's defense of the Philippines crumbled under the weight of a massive Japanese assault, the courageous activities of Bulkeley's men made headlines across the U.S.--often as the only good news coming from the bleak Pacific front. The unit achieved everlasting fame by evacuating General Douglas MacArthur from the front. Then the squadron continued to fight on until all six of its torpedo boats were lost under fire. The fate of the doomed American defenders was sealed when the Japanese won the battle for the islands in the spring of 1942. The exploits of the unit were immortalized in the blockbuster 1945 movie They Were Expendable, starring John Wayne and Robert Montgomery, but since then the saga of Bulkeley and his men has slipped into history. Under a Blood Red Sun revives the story of the Philippine PT-boats through the intertwined accounts of Bulkeley and his subordinate officers and men. It is a story of the courage and sacrifice of men thousands of miles from their homeland, representing American gallantry and fighting prowess, while giving the Japanese a taste of what was further to come their way.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49733569151249,"sku":"NGR9781612004075","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49955839050001,"sku":"CIN1612004075VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51423955747089,"sku":"CIN1612004075G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1612004075.jpg?v=1750763423"},{"product_id":"escape-from-java-book-john-j-domagalski-9781526784414","title":"Escape from Java","description":"The old light cruiser Marblehead was living out her final years of naval service as a member of the United States Asiatic Fleet in 1941\\. The small group of mostly antiquated ships based in the Philippines sailed the waters of East Asia to show the American flag in places like China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. The sudden eruption of World War II in the Pacific put the warship on the front lines of the conflict as Imperial Japan unleased a series of devastating attacks across the region.  On the morning of February 4, 1942, the warship was surprised by Japanese planes northeast of Java. Two large bombs slammed into Marblehead causing fires, casualties, and knocking out her steering gear. A third bomb exploded close by underwater. The near miss ripped a large gash into her hull allowing a torrent of water to rush inside the ship.  Escape from Java takes the reader all throughout the ship as the story unfolds -next to gunners toiling to keep their guns firing, with medical staff tending to the wounded, and alongside damage control sailors working in flooded compartments. The damage was critical, so much so the Japanese radioed they had sunk the ship. In fact, through courage, sacrifice, and super-human effort, Marblehead would successfully make a harrowing 13,000 mile journey back to the US.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49743636529425,"sku":"NGR9781526784414","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526784416.jpg?v=1751180862"},{"product_id":"sunk-in-kula-gulf-book-john-j-domagalski-9781597978392","title":"Sunk in Kula Gulf","description":"The early morning hours of July 6, 1943, found the US Helena off the Solomon Islands in what would later be known as the Battle of Kula Gulf. But the ship's participation in the battle came to a swift end when three Japanese torpedoes suddenly struck. One hundred and sixty-eight sailors went down with the ship, many never surviving the initial torpedo hits. As the last of the Helena disappeared below the ocean's surface, the remaining crewmen's struggle for survival had only just begun. Sunk in Kula Gulf tells the epic story of the Helena's survivors. Two destroyers plucked more than seven hundred from the sea in a night rescue operation as the battle continued to rage. A second group of eighty-eight sailors -clustered into three lifeboats-made it to a nearby island and was rescued the next day. A third group of survivors, spread over a wide area, was missed entirely. Clinging to life rafts or debris, the weary men were pushed away from the area of the sinking by a strong current. After enduring days at sea under the hot tropical sun, they finally found land. It was, however, the Japanese-held island of Vella Lavella and deep behind the front lines. The survivors organized and disappeared into the island's interior jungle. Living a meager existence, the group evaded the Japanese for eight days until the Marines and U.S. Navy evacuated the shipwrecked sailors in a daring rescue operation. Using a wide variety of sources, including previously unpublished firsthand accounts, John J. Domagalski brings to life this amazing, little-known story from World War I. John J. Domagalski is the author of Lost at Guadalcanal (2010). He lives in the Chicago area.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50130344247569,"sku":"CIN1597978396G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51038808899857,"sku":"NIN9781597978392","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1597978396.jpg?v=1761386480"},{"product_id":"lost-at-guadalcanal-book-john-j-domagalski-9780786458974","title":"Lost at Guadalcanal","description":"The dramatic account of two American warships in the South Pacific, this book follows the USS Astoria (CA-34) and USS Chicago (CA-29) during the late summer of 1942, when both participated in the early days of the critical battle for Guadalcanal. Drawing on a variety of firsthand accounts, some previously unpublished, the book tells the story from the perspective of the men aboard each ship, transporting readers inside the gun turrets, behind the lookout binoculars, and below deck as the battle rages. Individual stories of heroism, sacrifice and survival unfold as both vessels meet their fates in the South Pacific.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52374596878609,"sku":"CIN0786458976G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52590027604241,"sku":"NLS9780786458974","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52982078832913,"sku":"CIN0786458976VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780786458974.jpg?v=1758210646"},{"product_id":"forgotten-island-book-john-j-domagalski-9798895651414","title":"Forgotten Island","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eForgotten Island\u003c\/em\u003e is the story of Navy radioman George Tweed, who was trapped on Japanese-occupied Guam during World War I, and the American liberation of the island.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe opening days of World War I in the Pacific found the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands to be an isolated American possession that was nearly surrounded by Japanese territory. The island came under immediate attack with the start of hostilities. The small garrison of marines, navy personnel, and Guamanians surrendered to Japanese invaders after offering only token resistance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, not all of the American servicemen capitulated. Navy radioman George Ray Tweed was one of six sailors who disappeared into the thick interior jungle. The Japanese occupiers quickly solidified control over the island and began a ruthless search for the missing sailors. Five of the Americans were eventually found and mercilessly killed. The sole survivor, Tweed spent the next thirty-one months on the run-sometimes literally running for his life-staying just one step ahead of his hunters. He continually eluded his pursuers through the use of his survival skills, some good luck, and the generous help of Guamanian civilians, often at great risk to their own safety.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the two and a half years the sailor remained in hiding, American forces were fighting their way across the Pacific. The events reached a crescendo in the summer of 1944 with the arrival of the American fleet in Guam. 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The opening days of World War II in the Pacific found the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands to be an isolated American possession that was nearly surrounded by Japanese territory. The island came under immediate attack with the start of hostilities. The small garrison of marines, navy personnel, and Guamanians surrendered to Japanese invaders after offering only token resistance.   However, not all of the American servicemen capitulated. Navy radioman George Ray Tweed was one of six sailors who disappeared into the thick interior jungle. The Japanese occupiers quickly solidified control over the island and began a ruthless search for the missing sailors. Five of the Americans were eventually found and mercilessly killed. The sole survivor, Tweed spent the next thirty-one months on the run—sometimes literally running for his life—staying just one step ahead of his hunters. 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