Devotion to Duty

A Biography of Admiral Clifton A. F. Sprague

By John F. Wukovits
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Overview

The first biography of the Admiral credited with turning the Leyte Gulf battle from defeat to victory in 1944 and who ordered the first shot against the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. John F. Wukovits uses primary source materials that include handwritten commentary on the battle of Leyte. Although a life biographer, the focus is on Sprague's contributions to naval aviation, and method of command, particularly at the Battle of Samar Island.

 

About the Author

John Wukovits

John Wukovits is a military expert specializing in the Pacific War. Among his twelve books is Black Sheep, a 2011 biography of Gregory Boyington also published by Naval Institute Press, and Hell from the Heavens. In 2018 the Michigan native received the prestigious RADM Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature for his book, Tin Can Titans.

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Editorial Reviews

“Wukovits certainly joins [Samuel Eliot] Morison and James D. Hornfischer as one of the pre-eminent writers on the history of U.S. Navy operations in the Pacific theater.” —New York Journal of Books
“This fine biography describes well the entirety of Adm. Sprague’s lengthy career from childhood to his, too early, death.” —Baird Maritime
“Devotion to Duty is good read for anyone with an interest in naval history.” —StrategyPage