Annapolis Goes to War

The Naval Academy Class of 1940 and its Trial by Fire in World War II

By: Craig L. Symonds

Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne

They arrived in Annapolis as teenagers the year Hitler re-occupied the Rhineland and graduated as young men the week the British Army evacuated Dunkirk. Annapolis Goes to War tells the story of their transformative years at the Naval Academy and the annealing years in the cauldron of war. More than a hundred of them were on duty in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Ten of them died that day—seven remain entombed in the USS Arizona still. Over the next four years, these former Midshipmen participated in virtually every significant engagement in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. They were at the front edge of the war in battleships, carriers, destroyers, submarines, and airplanes, and led Marine Corps units ashore. Some experienced the war as prisoners of the Japanese. Fifty-six of them died in the Second World War, the greatest wartime loss any service academy ever experienced.

Taking listeners into and through the lives of these young men, Craig Symonds offers a poignant and powerful story of adjustment, growth, pain, loss, and eventually triumph. Using their diaries, memoirs, and letters, he evokes unforgettably their trials and bonds, their loss of innocence and their discovery of the meaning of sacrifice. Annapolis Goes to War is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand the experience of fighting the bloodiest war in human history.

©2025 Craig L. Symonds (P)2025 Tantor Media

Excellent coming of age stories in WWII

Really great stories, Symonds mainly follows about a dozen officers through their Academy careers and then their war experiences. Lots of great insights into their motivations to attend (anything from nth generation Naval families, to enlisted men plucked from the ranks to kids just trying to get a good education). Lots of observations about better known and older officers that show up in other accounts.

Only two issues: I question some of the pronunciations of names and places, I think Symonds got the Japanese order of Battle at the Battle of Surigao Strait confused. For more detail, and I believe the best current understanding, see Tony Tulley's book on Surigao Strait, not particularly importantant to this book but there was more than one reference that confused/conflated Nishimura and Shima's forces. Anyway, it's a nit.

Great read, especially for a young person hoping to make a career out of the Navy!

A must-read for those contemplating pursuing an appointment to USNA.

Having a son who is class of ‘23, I was struck by how similar his Plebe year (and especially Plebe Summer) was to the ‘40’s. Not much has changed, tradition wise. The formative years on the Yard and in the Hall were not glossed over and the author shows a deep and first-hand perspective on life as a mid. I thought the personal stories were excellently portrayed and written (with reliance on the Lucky Bag bios). I highly recommend it! For anyone contemplating seeking an appointment, this is a must read (don’t waste your time trying to memorize Reef Points ahead of time).