The Amphibians Are Coming! Emergence of the 'Gator Navy and its Revolutionary Landing Craft (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII)

FROM THE FOREWORD
"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."--John Lorelli, author of "To Foreign Shores, U.S. Amphibious Operations in WWII"   
              

The Amphibians Are Coming! (Volume I in the 3-volume series Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII) is a biographical history of the revolutionary World War II shore-to-shore landing craft (LCTs, LSTs, LCIs) and the unsung heroes who manned them.

• Puts the reader aboard the landing craft specifically designed and built to speed assault troops directly to the beach.
• Provides a brief history of amphibious warfare, from the Revolutionary War to the 1942 Guadalcanal and North Africa campaigns.
• Profiles 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.
• Focuses on the "Earlybird" Flotilla Five LCTs, LSTs and LCIs and their crews -- from landing craft design and construction, to amphibious training and crew and flotilla formations, to on-the-job warfare training in the Southern Solomons -- all in preparation for their first invasion of enemy-held territory, Operation TOENAILS.

PRAISE
"The reader is regaled with the tales of the first amphibians and the men who sailed them. Through ships' logs, war diaries and oral histories, we learn about the experiences of these early "plankowners" of "Earlybird" Flotilla Five. This first volume will prove a welcome reference library addition."
--Leatherneck, Magazine of the Marines

"A must-read for anyone interested in the perils of amphibious warfare."
--Sea Classics Magazine

"Having personally experienced a full measure of life at sea during World War II, in both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, I found "The Amphibians Are Coming!" a must-read, and not just for veterans. It is detailed, vivid and accurate."
--Anthony P. Tesori, USNR, Gunnery Officer, LST-340

OTHER VOLUMES 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