Vol. I in the Pacific war series Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII by William L. McGee

A history of the revolutionary amphibious landing craft of World War II – LCTs (Landing Craft, Tank), LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank), and LCIs (Landing Craft, Infantry) – designed and built specifically to land assault troops and equipment on a hostile or potentially hostile beach.

Under one cover:

• A brief history of amphibious warfare from the Revolutionary War to the 1942 Guadalcanal and North Africa campaigns.
• A focus on the “Earlybird” Flotilla Five LCTs (Landing Craft, Tank), LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) and LCIs (Landing Craft, Infantry) and their crews, from landing craft design and construction, to amphibious training, to crew and flotilla formations, and to on-the-job warfare training in the Southern Solomons…all in preparation for their first invasion of enemy-held territory, Operation TOENAILS.
•  A profile of the famed “Green Dragons,” the high-speed destroyer transports that filled a pressing Marine Corps need for ship-to-shore delivery prior to the availability of the new landing craft.

“Bill McGee combines exhaustive research with the words of the men who took the theory of the amphibious doctrine and the new machines to sea. His dedicated work will surely help keep the day-to-day naval record of the ‘Greatest Generation’ from being lost.”
—From the Foreword by John Lorelli,  author of To Foreign Shores, U.S. Amphibious Operations in WWII

110 B&W photographs, 13 maps, plus charts, appendices, notes, bibliography, and index. Paperback 6” x 9”

OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIES

Vol. II, The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville, Pacific War Turning Point

Vol. III, Pacific Express: The Critical Role of Military Logistics in World War II