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This study would not have been possible without the assistance and encouragement of many persons, especially the veterans of World War II who shared with me their memories, experiences, diaries, news articles, photographs, and ship’s histories. My special thanks also go to the former director of naval history, Rear Adm. Ernest M. Eller, whose lecture on the study of naval history at Santa Barbara City College in 1966 and personal encouragement inspired me to undertake this history of the war in the Mediterranean. I am also deeply indebted to Dean Allard, Cal Cavalcante, Barbara Gilmore, and the staff of the U.S. Navy Operational Archives at the Washington Navy Yard whose research assistance in the 1960s enabled me to complete the first version of this work. More recently, the staffs at the Naval Historical Center, the U.S. Navy Department Library, and the National Archives have been invaluable in providing access to the operations reports and other documents, as has the staff of the research branch and library of the U.S. Military Institute in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Over the past thirty years of researching and writing this book, I have been fortunate to have the resources and advice of librarians and staffs at the Alexander Library of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, as well as the Morristown Public Library, the Mendham Free Library, and the Morris County Library in New Jersey. In California I have enjoyed assistance from librarian Renata Hundley at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Library and from the Camarillo Public Library, the E.P. Foster Library in Ventura, and the Thousand Oaks Library System. Nor would this book have been completed without Dr. John W. Chambers II, Kurt Piehler, and Sandra Holyoak at Rutgers University, who encouraged my study of military history and my interest in the oral ACKNOWLEDGMENTS c-Tomblin ack.qx2 6/30/04 1:04 PM Page vii viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS history of World War II. Credit, too, is due to the enthusiasm, curiosity , and thoughtful questions of my military history students at Rutgers University and to Robert von Maier, the editor of World War II Naval Journal, for kindly publishing several of my articles. My gratitude goes also to the staff of the University Press of Kentucky, especially Steve Wrinn, Gena Henry, and Leila Salisbury and to my copyeditor , Cheryl Hoffman, for cheerful encouragement, patience, and professionalism. During the many years of research and writing this history of World War II in the Mediterranean, I have been blessed with the friendship and support of family and friends. In the Washington, D.C., area, Robert and Pat Trafton, Kay and John Shlaes, Joan and John Bruns, and Kathy and Harold Carrier were generous hosts and babysitters when my children were young. Through the years Ayce Van Wyck Dalany and Philip Carroll have been good listeners and ever encouraging friends. In New Jersey, Susan and Tom Shea, Kathy Stolz, Eileen Cameron, Nancy Sturdivant, Janet Wheeler, Mary Lou Weller, and Pat Kettering have indulged my interest in all things military and given as always of their time, good humor, and encouragement. I am also indebted to my parents, Florence H. and Sanford M. Brooks, and my aunt Gretchen Hunsberger for their support, and to my grandfather Leroy Brooks Jr. (U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1902), whose stories and example of naval service were always an inspiration. I owe appreciation also to my sister, Liz, and her husband, Ray Day, for their good humor and moral support during our move to California . Finally, my gratitude goes to my daughter Brooke and her husband , James Marca, and to my daughter Page and her husband, Dan Wilson, all of whom have humored my love of history and have encouraged my efforts to finish this work. And last but not least, I want to thank my husband, Fred F. Tomblin, who was patient with my many hours of writing and research and who provided invaluable technical assistance with the intricacies of the personal computer. c-Tomblin ack.qx2 6/30/04 1:04 PM Page viii ...

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