Book - Playing for Time

I have finished reading PLAYING FOR TIME. Capt. Alford did a great job here in setting the record straight about a lot of things. I believe he knew every ship involved from every nation. His direct - in your face - account of the sacking of Adm Hart and the damaging results along with so many other observations are a treasure of information for those who want the "real deal" story. PLUS, he flavors the story with the flair of a master writer when he includes such things as the table fare in the wardroom. He brought back a lot of memories for me and my service was 25 years AFTER you folks. That is because the traditions of the Navy and the Asiatic Fleet sort of seeped in deep and stayed around for along time. Maybe some of them are still there! My mouth was watering over his description of curry. I have NEVER had as good a curry meal as I had in the fleet. It ain't the same. These little asides make the book very readable and bring in a human element some authors miss when trying to bring out the statistics and the facts of the times. It is a sad story, but it is one that also should make you all proud. I think he described every battle and parts of battles so thoroughly and so well laid out in a time-line that at last anyone can see the big picture and still zoom in to the fine detail.

I highly recommend his book, "PLAYING FOR TIME - War on an Asiatic Fleet Destroyer" For those who use the web and purchase that way, it is easy to get from Merriam Press ... which by the way is an excellent publisher resource for people with military histories that need to be in print.