“This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can.”<br><br>With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS <i>Samuel B. Roberts</i> on the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur's vulnerable invasion force were the <i>Roberts</i> and the other small ships of a tiny American flotilla poised to charge into history.<br><br>In the tradition of the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestseller <b>Flags of Our Fathers</b>, James D. Hornfischer paints an unprecedented portrait of the Battle of Samar, a naval engagement unlike any other in U.S. history—and captures with unforgettable intensity the men, the strategies, and the sacrifices that turned certain defeat into a legendary victory.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>