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These handsome paperback editions of Samuel Eliot Morison’s multivolume The History of United States Naval Operations in World War II are being published by the Naval Institute Press with new introductions by noted military historians. The series, hailed for its accuracy, narrative pace, and detail, presents a complete naval record of the war. An eminent Harvard professor, Morison gained a commission in the U.S. Naval Reserve and served in all theaters of the war. His books have won two Pulitzer and two Bancroft Prizes.
Volume 9 takes up the story of American naval activities in the Mediterranean with three major amphibious operations: the invasion of Sicily, the capture of the Salerno beachhead, and the long Anzio beachhead struggle. In describing these joint operations, Morison discusses individual exploits and strategies. Never reluctant to tackle controversial subjects, he calls the Sicilian Operation ill conceived, the evacuation of three German divisions from Sicily preventable, the Italian armistice woefully bungled, and the hard-fought Anzio Operation a mistake.
“Revisiting Samuel Eliot Morison’s epic narrative of World War II at sea is like returning to an art museum to savor a favorite masterpiece. Few historians have ever told this story with such precision and eloquence. Morison knew ships and the sea, understood grand strategy and macro logistics, enjoyed access to key contemporaries such as Chester Nimitz and Franklin Roosevelt, and quite likely observed naval operations in more corners of the world than any other American. “ — Col. Joseph H. Alexander, USMC (Ret.) in his introduction to Volume 7, author of Utmost Savagery: The Three Days of Tarawa and Storm Landings: Epic Amphibious Battles in the Central Pacific
