Motor torpedo boat development began in the early 1900s and the vessels were first put into active service during World War I. However, it was not until the late 1930s that the US Navy commenced the development of their Patrol Torpedo or PT boat program. The PT boat, or the "mosquito boat" as they were sometimes known, was originally envisioned for attacking larger warships with torpedoes using its "stealth" ability, high-speed, and small size to launch and survive these attacks. However, they were actually employed more frequently in a wide variety of other missions, many which were unforeseen by developers and planners, including rescuing General MacArthur and his entourage from the Philippines.

Often taking on larger and better armed enemies these craft became famous for punching above their weight and were firmly thrust into the limelight by John F. Kennedy who while serving as a lieutenant on a PT-109 in the Pacific Theater heroically saved his fellow crew members winning him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. This book examines the design and development of these unique craft, very few of which survive today and goes on to examine their role and combat deployment in both World Wars.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 2 reviews)

A Good Starting Point

This work is a good starting point for those who wish to learn about and to a limited extent understand the operational use of US PT Boats in WWII.

The book takes the technological route here and delves in to the process of design, weapons, crewing and tactics associated with these small craft. As is the case with most of these books on naval matters it does not deal with the operational history of these craft to any great extent. That would require a much larger work than this one.

What this book does accomplish is, like the series of book and infantry tactics by the same publisher gives the reader a 'how and with what' look at PT Boats and will allow a greater understanding of the mechanics involved in their operational use.

Simply put it casts a clear view of how the history was accomplished. This book is a worthwhile addition to any reader's library for this reason alone.
November 15, 2008

Nice for Model Builders....

Thanks in part to the real-image of Jack Kennedy on PT-109 and part to the TV-image of Quinton McHale on PT-73, the role of U.S. Navy PT Boats in the Second World War has assumed a larger place in collective memory than their actual contributions might suggest. Nevertheless, there have been relatively few books on this subject. Osprey's New Vanguard No. 148, US Patrol Torpedo Boats by Gordon L Rottman, provides a handy summary of these warships used in the Second World War, although its primary utility will be for model-builders. The author does succeed in inserting some tables with useful data, but the description on wartime operations in sparse.

The initial section describes the design and development of U.S. PT boats in the pre-war period, although the first prototypes were not ready until 1940. The U.S. Navy opted to build two main types of PT Boats: the 78-foot Elco and the 80-foot Higgins. A B/W overhead plate on page 10 shows the main differences between the two classes. There is also a very nice cutaway color plate of an Elco-Boat as well as five other color plates depicting various camouflage schemes used during the war - certainly useful for model builders. The author then describes the armament, propulsion and communications of the PT Boat classes. Initially, the U.S. Navy saw PT Boats as a cost-expedient means to threaten enemy capital ships with torpedo attack in shallow waters but in fact, PT Boats rarely went up against enemy warships larger than a destroyer. Instead, their main targets ended up being enemy barges and other coastal traffic.

There are several nice tables in this volume. One of the best lists a complete inventory of all US-built PT Boats, noting how many of each type were built each year and who received them (USN, Soviets or Britain). Another table lists PT Boat losses (of 69 lost in World War II, only 24 were lost to enemy action) and another lists all MTB Squadrons (listing areas of operations and dates of service). However, there is no data presented on cumulative PT Boat losses inflicted on the enemy, which would have helped to clarify their actual contributions.

On page 28, slightly more than halfway through the volume, the author shifts to describing the PT Boat in Action. A big chunk of this section focuses on the PT Boat crews, followed by another chunk on forward bases and support units. A color plate depicting two Elco boats attacking a Japanese barge convoy in the Solomons is a bit crude. A short summary of combat operations is covered in just six pages, listing a few actions each from the South Pacific, English Channel and Mediterranean (don't expect much mention of PT-109, btw). Finally, the author mentions the handful of PT Boats still in existence today, including those at the PT Boat Museum in Fall River, MA (my hometown). Overall, not a bad volume but it has the feel of a Wikipedia article (incl. one photo used from the Wikipedia article on PT Boats) and the value-added content is a bit thin. As someone who has actually been to the PT Boat Museum, I think that there are a lot of photos and other material that could have been included, perhaps at the expense of cutting back a bit on the description of the boat's equipment.

September 23, 2008

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941-45 (New Vanguard)
by Mark Stille
by Tony Bryan

Panther vs Sherman: Battle of the Bulge 1944 (Duel)
by Steven Zaloga
by Jim Laurier, Howard Gerrard

American Light and Medium Frigates 1794-1836 (New Vanguard)
by Mark Lardas
by Tony Bryan, Giuseppe Rava

World War II Street-Fighting Tactics (Elite)
by Stephen Bull
by Peter Dennis

American Nightfighter Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces)
by Warren Thompson
by Chris Davey