Overview

The intimate view of the U.S. Coast Guard’s dramatic World War II record has long been considered a classic. First published in 1957 and out of print for years, it is now available in paperback. Handsomely illustrated with more than 200 photographs, the book serves as a unique memento of one of the most illustrious periods in the Coast Guard’s 200-year history.

Author and Content

The author offers a story replete with incidents of devotion far beyond the call of duty—daring rescues, adventurous high-sea missions, heroic combat action—to clearly demonstrate the vital role the service played in the Allied war effort. A seasoned World War I veteran who joined the Coast Guard Temporary Reserve in 1942, Malcolm Willoughby draws not only from firsthand experience but from years of research and writing as a Coast Guard historian.

Scope of the Narrative

His narrative covers every aspect of the Coast Guard’s involvement in the war—at sea, in the air, and at home. From the invasion of Normandy, where Coast Guardsmen landed thousands of Americans and rescued some 1,500 stranded in the surf, to Guadalcanal, where they rescued three companies of Marines trapped on the beach, this chronicle vividly recounts these well-documented operations and little-known stories of individual triumphs and tragedies as well.