Air Admiral Marc Mitscher, who led the US attack across the Pacific in World War II, is a legend in naval circles for developing an entirely new concept of war at sea. His skills as a carrier tactician and genius for leading men rank him with the best World War II combat commanders, yet, because he shunned publicity and destroyed his private papers shortly before his death in 1947, his accomplishments are not widely known. Mitscher's sound decisions and successful tactics helped create the greatest striking weapon in history the carrier force that could put up a thousand planes in half an hour, the task force that sank a thousand ships and destroyed the Japanese air force, the fleet that opened a direct route to Japan. Written by a former naval officer and well-known journalist, The Magnificent Mitscher tells the full story of this pioneer of naval aviation and his innovations. Theodore Taylor charts Mitscher's brilliant career from its very beginnings in 1916, when he became one of the US Navy's first pilots. On publication in1954, it was hailed as a first-class biography that set down the major role played by the admiral in developing the navy's air programme, and is also credited with providing a lively and detailed history of the progress of naval aviation. The author accomplishes all this with compassion, humour and deep respect for his subject.