Trial by Fire

A Novel (World War II Navy Series, Book 8)

By: P.T. Deutermann

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

March 19, 1945: The war in the Pacific approaches its apocalyptic climax. The largest wartime armada ever assembled, Task Force 58, is closing in on Okinawa; once taken, it will finally put American B-29 bombers in range of the home islands of Japan - and victory.

At the heart of the fleet are 14 Essex-class aircraft carriers, including the USS Franklin, known as "Big Ben" - a 27,000-ton behemoth, home to 3,500 crewmen and 100 aircraft. Just after dawn, while crewmen prepare for battle, a single Japanese Yokosuka D4Y breaks through the clouds and drops two 500-pound bombs on Big Ben. The first rips through the flight deck's three-inch armor to the hangar deck, exploding amidst two dozen planes carrying 30 tons of explosives. Rockets and bombs howl in all directions. Hundreds of men are forced to leap into the sea to escape, leaving the captain with only one third of his crew; there are more dead, wounded, and trapped men left onboard than able-bodied sailors.

Trial by Fire is the gripping novelization of how, against all odds, the sailors of the Franklin were able to save their ship, after three agonizing days of battling the flames that ultimately claimed the lives of 832 men and injured 300 more. Listeners will be astounded and humbled by the heroic actions of a few brave sailors in the face of catastrophe.

©2021 P.T. Deutermann (P)2021 Tantor

Good Read

Very good this author does a fine job. Not sure how close to actual accounts but would like to have had story of awards. Have listened to all books in this series hopefully there will be more.

Harrowing Tribute Well Written

True to the author's style, it puts you in another and momentous place and time, and makes the setting and the people familiar to the reader.

Not crazy about the narrator. He's skilled at his craft but had perhaps not quite the right gravitas for this particular reading.

Not your usual naval combat story

With its focus on engineering and damage control, this novel stands apart from most other WWII stories of combat at sea. Believable characters and a compelling story line draws you in. Ending is a bit anticlimactic though.

The Pacific theater, beginning of the end

A different kind of story in the author’s many stories in the Pacific theater.

In this one, an aircraft carrier is brought back out to sea after hurriedly getting repaired in Washington. The ship’s captain wants to get to the war zone off the coast of Japan with all haste as to not miss out. They join the navy’s forces which made up the largest armada ever as they got ready to attack the mainland. The Japanese were cornered and lashing out brutally. They launched an attack trying to sink the carrier just as it arrives. It wasn’t pretty.

Good listen

I was almost out off by some of the negative comment, but decided to listen anyway. I’m glad I did, as I have all of PT’s WWII navy series. Yes the first part of the book was a bit slow, but I think it was necessary to set up the terrific action in the second half. The heroic actions of the survivors were amazing, and, as usual, the descriptions made me feel was almost there. I can’t imagine what I would do in situations like that. Thanks PT!