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Ordeal by Sea, first published in 1963, is the moving account of the World War Two-era cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis and her crew. On July 30, 1945, after delivering parts for the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the U.S. base at Tinian, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-58. The Indianapolis disappeared beneath the surface of the Pacific in a mere 12 minutes. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, about 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 900 men faced exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks while floating in the water; there were few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. Only 317 crewmen would survive in what remains the worst single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. Author Thomas Helm served on the Indianapolis before the war and conducted numerous interviews with surviving crew to prepare the book. Included are 16 pages of photographs and a complete list of the crew and their fate. (Note that this print edition does not contain a later addition by Capt. William Toti, USN, who discussed efforts to clear the name of Indianapolis Captain Charles McVay.)

At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the U.S. Navy, first published in 1962, is the official Navy history of Patrol Torpedo (PT) boats during World War II. The book opens with a look at PT boat design and construction, naval activities in the Philippines and the evacuation of MacArthur from Corregidor (conducted via PT boat by the book's author, himself a PT skipper), followed by chapters on PT activities in the Pacific (including the Aleutian Island campaign), plus the Mediterranean and English Channel theaters where the PT boats faced Italian and German boats of similar design. The role of PT boats in support of the D-Day landings in Normandy is also discussed. This new edition is profusely illustrated, fully indexed, and contains all the appendices found in the original book. With a Foreword by John F. Kennedy, At Close Quarters remains the authoritative work on PT boats in the Second World War.

No Bugles for Spies chronicles the formation and important missions of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. The OSS, created in 1942, was the first centralized agency of United States for both the civilian and military intelligence community. The mission of the OSS was to collect foreign intelligence and to sabotage enemy war efforts. Maintaining espionage, analysis, and research forces, the OSS acted as a clearinghouse for information gathered from human and signals intelligence sources. At its peak, the agency employed 13,000 men and women.Before World War II and the formation of the OSS, the United States employed only small, select intelligence forces within the military. The Army had the Signals Intelligence Service, a surveillance and cryptanalysis force, and the Navy had its own intelligence service. Despite the recognition by national leaders that peacetime intelligence was a strategic necessity, the War Department's G-2 Intelligence Division was ill-equipped to analyze and disseminate the intelligence information it received from military operations.The outbreak of World War II in Europe prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to press for a more centralized and capable national intelligence service. In 1941, with the aid of representatives from the British intelligence community, Roosevelt and his advisors drafted a plan for the creation of a new United States intelligence organization. William J. Donovan was appointed as the first director of the OSS. Following the war, the OSS was disbanded, but, in the face of growing Cold War-threats, the Central Intelligence Agency was formed a short-time later.This edition includes a new Preface by Steve Chadde and photographs illustrating the activities of the OSS.

Five Down and Glory, first published in 1958, is the authoritative record of America's top fighter pilots from the early 1900's through the Korean War. Beginning with a definition of the term "ace," the book details the exploits of the Lafayette Escadrille in France, the Flying Tigers in China, the Eagle Squadron in England, pilots of the U.S. Navy and Marines, the 8th Air Force in Europe, and finally, the action in the air over Korea. Included are extensive Appendices of Medal of Honor aces, lists of aces in each conflict and other details of the most successful fliers. Illustrated with 16 pages of photographs. Author Gene Gurney (1924-2011) served more than 60 years in the U.S. Air Force and NASA and was the author of numerous books on aviation history.