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Kamikaze: The Story of the British Pacific Fleet edited by Stuart Eadon First published in 1991 by Square One Publications Crécy Books, 1995, 831 pages This tome of over 800 pages contains the wartime memories of over 220 men who served on 60 ships in the British Pacific Fleet, sometimes called the "forgotten fleet" since even the British press hardly mentioned its role during the Pacific War in 1945. The book's main title of Kamikaze is somewhat deceptive. Although the book has several eyewitness accounts of kamikaze attacks and a 12-page summary of Japan's kamikaze operations, most of the book has nothing to do with kamikazes. Even the subtitle (The Story of the British Pacific Fleet) is misleading, since the book contains a jumbled collection of personal reminiscences and extended excerpts from previously published books and magazines rather than an organized chronicle of the British Pacific Fleet's battle operations. The editor Stuart Eadon served aboard the British aircraft carrier Indomitable during the Pacific War. He edited a 1988 book entitled Sakishima, named for the numerous small islands between Taiwan and Okinawa. During the Battle of Okinawa, the main responsibility of the British Pacific Fleet, designated as Task Force 57, was to attack Japanese airfields on Sakishima and Taiwan. The book Sakishima mainly covers the story of the carrier Indomitable, and Eadon's purpose in publishing Kamikaze is to provide a more complete picture of the activities of the entire British Pacific Fleet. Part 1, with three chapters and about 100 pages, covers the Japanese side. This part's highlights include long accounts written by two British POWs about their Japanese captors. Part 2, the heart of the book with five chapters and 500 pages, includes assorted reminiscences and accounts about the British Pacific Fleet's operations. After a short chapter covering the period to the end of 1944, the next three chapters cover the British Pacific Fleet's major 1945 operations in Sumatra, Okinawa, and off mainland Japan. The final chapter in this section deals with the British Fleet Train, auxiliary ships that supported the main fleet. Part 3's two chapters cover the period in 1945 after Japanese surrender and later postwar opinions about the Japanese and the British Pacific Fleet.

Cleaning up HMS Formidable's flight deck after kamikaze hit   Even though the editor organizes the material in roughly chronological order, the chapters have much overlap in time periods. Topics bounce around as authors change rapidly. As an example, a description of a specific kamikaze attack by one veteran might be followed up many pages later with another veteran's account of the same attack. The editor does not include one clear summary anywhere in the book to describe the complete scope of the British Pacific Fleet's operations. Although the book has a few excellent maps, these are located at various places in the book rather than a more logical location such as the beginning or end. Edwin P. Hoyt wrote the 1983 history The Kamikazes, and Eadon includes a 12-page edited excerpt in this book on the British Pacific Fleet. Eadon writes that he obtained permission for use of excerpts included in this book (p. 800), but he surely did not get authorization to ruin Hoyt's text. Eadon's condensed version of Hoyt's book contains numerous alterations and errors. In one of numerous examples, he changed Hoyt's phrase "Japanese navy" (1983, 32) to "Japs" (p. 103). In another example, Eadon (p. 105) states that the US fleet was attacked at Ulithi Atoll on March 10, 1945, even though Hoyt (1983, 213-4) correctly states the attack occurred on March 11. These examples of altering supposedly quoted text raises questions as to the reliability of passages in the remainder of the book. In addition, the use of Hoyt as a source is questionable since his book on kamikaze history contains several inaccuracies. The British aircraft carriers' steel decks, in contrast to the vulnerable wooden decks of American carriers, protected them from serious damage even when kamikaze planes hit. All five British carriers that participated in operations off Sakishima during the Battle of Okinawa [1] were hit by kamikazes at least once. The carrier flight decks returned to operation within hours after being hit, and one veteran writes that one kamikaze plane "literally bounced along the deck and then slid off into the sea" (p. 266). Although the book does not summarize British Pacific Fleet casualties from kamikaze attacks during the Battle of Okinawa, an Australian newspaper article published in July 1945 states that British aircraft carriers suffered only 70 deaths and 34 seriously wounded in total from kamikaze attacks (p. 350). The first attack happened on April 1, 1945, and the last kamikaze to hit a British carrier occurred on May 9. The book contains several eyewitness accounts of kamikaze hits, but none of these really stands out since damage and casualties from each attack were relatively minor. This mistitled and overly long book lacks organization and focus. Only veterans and true enthusiasts of the British Pacific Fleet will recognize its appeal. Readers interested in the history of Japan's kamikaze corps will find almost no relevant material in this book other than a few eyewitness accounts of kamikaze attacks. Note 1. The five British aircraft carriers that participated in battle action near Sakishima were the Formidable, Illustrious, Indefatigable, Indomitable, and Victorious. On April 14, 1945, the Formidable replaced the Illustrious, which suffered minor damage when a kamikaze plane grazed the ship's island and exploded next to the ship. Source Cited Hoyt, Edwin P. 1983. The Kamikazes. Short Hills, NJ: Burford Books.

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