US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

Amphibians Came To Conquer
the right officer to prepare his command study, but near the end of his
voyage on earth’s troubled seas, Admiral Turner gave in.
Sadly, early in the study Admiral Turner embarked upon his last great
expedition—to storm the gates of the Beyond. Very soon thereafter Admiral
Spruance, his close friend and neighbor as well as companion through many
valiant days, agreed to enter the program. This resulted in the excellent book
Admiral Raymond A, Spruancej USN, A Study in Command by Vice
Admiral E. P. Forrestel, USN (Retired). Admiral Nimitz went part way,
but, for reasons one must respect, even to the end, would not enter into a
full command study.
Admiral Turner knew that he had in Admiral Dyer an officer of great
sagacity, excellent balance and judgment, wide experience in both planning
and operations—a man like himself, tenacious for the truth. He desired and
knew that Admiral Dyer would spare no effort to find the facts and to present
them as he found them, let the chips fall where they may. In the interesting
pages that follow, the reader will swiftly note these characteristics of the
sailor-author along with seagoing language filled with the tang of salt spray.
It has been a deep pleasure working with Admiral Dyer through the years
and watching this exhaustive study evolve-a study that could be of immense
benefit to the Navy as it serves the nation in the trials of the future. We have
made all our resources available to him, including the matchless records of
World War II. We have helped in every way possible but he has done the
work. His own tireless spirit drove him on in sickness and in health through
thousands of hours of work. He did much of his research in our Classified
Operational Archives aided by our admirable staff there under Dr. Dean
Allard. Along with myself, Dr. Allard was among those who read and made
recommendation on the manuscript which Admiral Dyer accepted or rejected.
Miss Sandra Brown contributed immeasurably in preparing the final manuscript
for publishing. Mr. John Gallagher of the Printing and Publications
Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations deserves special
credit for his assistance. But to repeat, this is Admiral Dyer’s own work,
developed with his own hand without any variation other than his acceptance
of some of our suggestions.
The United States Navy’s overwhelming and invariably successful amphibi-
ous assaults of World War II, which this fine book covers for those directed
by that master of the art, Richmond Kelly Turner, did not come solely from
the courage, skill and bold leadership that illumined all of them. These
q~alities of the spirit marvelously shown by hundreds of thousands of Ameri-
xxii