About Book – Gerald Feld (A Journey into War)

“Wooden Decks and Fast Torpedoes” is my second book written about the exploits of PT Boat Crews in the Pacific during World War Two. The books are stand alone creations using seperate characters and battles. But they both bring a fascinating history of the boats and the crews that served on them to the reader. There is a certain romance to the history of the PT Boats that continues to keep old times interested and new historians wanting to find out more. You will find my first book, “PT Boats;Terrors of the Pacific,” is also a great read that will keep you intersted right up to the last page. I suggest you read both books, as there is much to learn about those mighty wooden boats.

Right now I am working on a book regarding the bombing war in Europe. I have a long way to go yet, but it should be very informativer and exciting. Stay Tuned!!

About The Book

“Wooden Decks and Fast Torpedoes,” is an historical fiction novel that will keep you riveted from beginning to end. Young Price Beaumont loves the sea almost more than anything else in his life, except aviation. So joining the Navy and becoming an officer seemed like a logical fit as it offers him the best of both worlds. Upon Gradation from Annapolis, Price marries his long time sweetheart and is assigned to a naval destroyer which he considers a slap in the face, as he wanted to be assigned to an aircraft carrier. However following the family tradition of service, Price handles his responsibilities to the best of his abilities but continually gets turned down for the aviation field.

Allowing his depression to overtake him, Price turns to alcohol and runs his ship aground. After a court-martial Price is thrown out of the navy, goes through a hurtful divorce, and leaves the United States to work on Tramp Steamers in Australia. After serious soul searching, Price turns his life around and begins to find happiness in his work. However it’s evident a war between the United States and Japan looms heavily over the horizon, and he wants no part of it. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy realizes they need to stop Japanese expansion through out the Southwest Pacific Islands, but the only fighting vessels they have on hand capable of slowing the Japanese onslaught are wooden torpedo boats aptly named, PT Boats.

To operate these boats the navy begins looking for anyone that has experience handling small ships in tight confined island passages. Quickly they hunt down Price Beaumont offering a job as skipper of one of their new boats. Although Price still has bad feelings toward the navy, he decides to sign on to the job and becomes part of the OSS handling their special covert operations that require skill and determination. In short order Price becomes one of the navies top PT skippers as he battles the infamous Tokyo Express down the slot separating the Solomon Islands.

Price and his crew fight valiantly across the Southwest Pacific constantly moving west, pushing the Japanese back to their home waters. For any reader of war stories that loves nonstop combat with historical settings, and actual battle descriptions, this is the book for you. Wooden Decks and Fast Torpedoes will not disappoint you as it shows combat realistically and tragically in every respect, with believable characters that will grip your soul as they fight to survive. This is my second book on PT Boats, the first one was written in 2021 named, “PT Boats; terrors of the Pacific.

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