The Fleet at Flood Tide
America's war of annihilation in the Pacific, 1944-45 — Saipan, the Marianas Turkey Shoot, and the road to the bomb.
The Verdict
Hornfischer's final book, and the one that ties the Pacific naval war to its terrible conclusion. The Fleet at Flood Tide follows the American drive through Saipan and the Marianas in 1944 — the Marianas Turkey Shoot, the bloody island fighting, the airfields that would launch the B-29s — and argues that the road to Hiroshima ran straight through these battles. It is narrative history of a high order, connecting fleet actions, amphibious assault, and the logic of escalation into a single, sobering arc.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- The Marianas campaign and its strategic meaning
- Readers who want the naval war linked to the bomb
- Hornfischer's signature battle narrative
- Anyone tracing how the Pacific war became total
Look elsewhere if you want
- A gentle introduction to the Pacific
- Readers wanting only the atomic-decision debate
- A single-battle focus
Why We Rated It 4.6
Historical Context
The 1944 campaign for Saipan, Tinian, and Guam in the Mariana Islands secured bases from which B-29 bombers could reach Japan, and included the carrier battle nicknamed the Marianas Turkey Shoot. Published in 2016, the book was the last completed by Hornfischer before his death, and connects the campaign to the strategic bombing and the atomic bombings that followed.
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0345548726
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
Other Books About the Same Events
More by James Hornfischer
Frequently Asked Questions
- What campaign does The Fleet at Flood Tide cover?
- The 1944 American offensive through Saipan and the Marianas, and its connection to the strategic bombing of Japan.
- How does it link to the atomic bomb?
- Hornfischer argues the Marianas bases and the war of annihilation they enabled led directly toward Hiroshima and Nagasaki.