The LCT Story

LCTs (Landing Craft, Tanks) were crucial fighting vessels in the amphibious warfare of World War II, but until now no separate history had been written of them.. The LCT Story and Victory in Europe tells how LCTs were used in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theaters. It includes perspectives by Admirals Hewitt, Kirk, and Lowry, and by on-the-spot commanders in charge of assault waves at Omaha Beach and Southern France. But the essence of the record is in the immediacy of the authentic action reports of dozens of young naval officers as they hit the beach at Omaha or Southern France. Here is true history in the making, war reporting as vivid as we are likely to find. Until l972 the action reports, as well as some statements from the admirals and commanders, were classified secret. The author discovered them in the naval archives only recently. Following the LCT story is a collection of sixty-four annotated letters that the author sent home from the Mediterranean in l944. The introduction addresses the question of why young men fought. Over thirty-five photographs enhance the text.

Author Biography: William DeGrove Baker comes from a long line of William Bakers stretching back to England during the Revolution, but it was a DeGrove ancestor, Michael Ellsworth DeGrove, who set an example by serving as a gunner's mate in the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812, the only relative ever in service. Born in Buffalo, New York, Baker was called to Navy duty on July 1, 1943. His experience on LCTs in the Mediterranean and later the East Coast entitled him to use the GI Bill for graduate education. He went on to teach English at several colleges during a forty-seven year career. Retired and alongtime trustee of the Greene County Public Library, he lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio.