MWSA Review

This book is the second in the "On-the-Roof Gang" set that chronicles the origins and applications of radio intelligence as a major component of US Navy warfare capabilities. The first in the set, subtitled "Prelude to War", followed the evolution of the US Navy's radio intelligence capabilities in the 1920s and 1930s as the world moved inexorably toward a second World War. The result is an engaging, character-based narrative that leaves the reader eager to find out how their stories will play out against the backdrop of the war in the Pacific.

Volume Two of the set, "War in the Pacific," tells the personal stories of the On-the Roof Gang alumni as they fulfill their destinies against the sweeping backdrop of the US Navy's campaigns to defeat the forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The narrative rightly focuses on the personalities and exploits of the cadre of skilled radio intercept operators who had been trained and deployed across the Pacific prior to Pearl Harbor.

The author is a retired Navy Master Chief Cryptologic Technician who wisely chose to write this narrative using the "creative nonfiction" style, supplying dialog and descriptive details that bring life to the historical facts, pulling the reader into the collective stories of the pioneers of this skill set.

The alumni of the “on-the-roof” training classes found themselves at the center of the Pacific war serving in critical roles at sea and ashore—often in the thick of battle. Some of their number spent the war as prisoners of war, while others were sent to the remote corners of the Pacific Rim to support Allied intelligence needs.

The uninitiated reader will be surprised to find out the significance of the role played by radio intelligence in the many battle victories achieved by the US Naval forces, and in the inexorable Allied strategic victory over the Japanese war machine. Well-known pivotal events in the war, from the Battle of Midway to the Doolittle Raid and the killing of Admiral Yamamoto, very likely would have had different outcomes except for the critical information provided from intercepted Japanese Navy message traffic. The addition of radio direction finding technology added to the ability of the Allies to locate and attack enemy forces.

As with the first book in this set, the depth of research and meticulous level of detail in this volume makes it much more than just a creative nonfiction overview of the highlights of the war against the Imperial Japanese Navy. The author has created a unique perspective for reviewing the major battles and turning points of the conflict in the Pacific. The result is an engaging, character-driven narrative that leaves the reader with a new appreciation for the crucial contributions of radio technology and intelligence to the Allied victory at sea.

Both volumes of this set are well worth reading for anyone interested in military technology advances before and during World War II.

Review by Peter Young (April 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

THE US NAVY'S ON-THE-ROOF GANG: VOLUME 2 - WAR IN THE PACIFIC is an historical novel based on the unknown true-life story of the "On-The-Roof Gang." It is a sequel to THE US NAVY'S ON-THE-ROOF GANG: VOLUME 1 - PRELUDE TO WAR.This second volume begins with the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and documents the contributions of the On-the-Roof Gang during World War II. It focuses on the wartime stories of the On-the-Roof Gang intercept operators, some who were stationed in Hawaii, some who survived a tortuous existence in a POW camp, others who had to evacuate their intercept sites, and still others who performed intercept operations while at sea during some of the most famous naval battles of World War II.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Creative Nonfiction

Number of Pages: 424

Word Count: 100,000