Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan (Bluejacket Books)

With the content of an authoritative reference and the excitement of a thriller, this history of the U.S. submarine war against Japan is one of the most informative and entertaining books written on the Pacific campaign. The author, a respected journalist and World War II submariner, provides a complete and unbiased account of what happened and addresses such controversial aspects of the campaign as the torpedo scandal and discrepancies between claimed and confirmed sinkings. To get to the truth, Clay Blair interviewed scores of skippers, staff officers, and code breakers, and combed thousands of documents and personal papers. He takes the reader into the submarine war at all levels, from strategy sessions in Washington to moments of terror waiting out exploding depth charges at the bottom of the ocean. He also exposes the reader to the jealous infighting of admirals vying for power and the tensions between cautious older skippers and daring young commanders. Supplementing the text are nearly forty maps showing submarine activity in the context of every important naval engagement in the Pacific, thirty-two pages of photographs, multiple appendixes, and an index of more than two thousand entries. The long-awaited publication of Silent Victory fills a major gap in the annals of World War II. Here for the first time is the definitive history of the submarine war against Japan--the only full-scale submarine war the United States ever fought--which has for the most part been shrouded in secrecy for three decades. Only recently have the codebreakers who played such a pivotal role in the submarine war been willing to talk about their work. And only recently have the private papers, diaries, and official reports of the submarine admirals and skippers been made available to historians. In preparing to write this book, Clay Blair, Jr. combed hundreds of thousands of pages of recently declassified documents and personal letters. In individual interviews he listened to scores of skippers, staff officers, and codebreakers speaking freely. He researched in depth the development of submarine and torpedo from prewar days down to the present time. The result is a revealing and immensely exciting book that sets the submarine war within the framework of history and the overall war in the Pacific. Silent Victory takes you into the submarine war at all levels--the highest strategy sessions in Washington, the terrifying moments in a submarine trapped on the bottom for hours as depth charges explode around it, the zany efforts of a torpedo crew coaxing an emaciated chicken to lay an egg. It tells of the jealous infighting of admirals vying for power . . . of "overcautious" skippers, trained in peacetime and ill suited for war, and the mutinies they provoked . . . of the shocking torpedo scandal and the toll it took . . . of the later breed of younger skippers whose daring was so effective against Japanese shipping that the war, as Blair argues, could have ended months earlier, saving thousands of lives. The complete saga that led to victory is here supplemented by 37 specially drawn maps showing submarine activity in the context of every important naval engagement in the Pacific 32 pages of photographs 12 appendixes, including a calendar of all submarine war patrols an index of over 2,000 entries. A work of great scholarship and scope, Silent Victory is a timeless contribution to the history of World War II.
With the content of an authoritative reference and the excitement of a thriller, this history of the U.S. submarine war is one of the most informative and entertaining books written on the Pacific campaign. The author, a respected journalist and World War II submariner himself, is credited with providing a complete and unbiased account of what happened. When published in 1975, it was the first such account to detail controversial aspects of the American campaign, from the torpedo scandal to discrepancies between claimed and confirmed sinkings.

To get to the truth, Clay Blair interviewed scores of skippers, staff officers, and code breakers, and combed thousands of documents and personal papers. In addition, he thoroughly researched the development of the submarine and torpedo from pre-war to post-war times. As a result, he takes the reader into the submarine war at all levels--the highest strategy sessions in Washington, the terrifying moments in subs at the bottom of the ocean waiting out exploding depth charges, the zany efforts of a crew coaxing a chicken to lay an egg. He also exposes the reader to the jealous infighting of admirals vying for power and the problems between cautious older skippers and daring young commanders. Supplementing the text are nearly forty maps showing submarine activity in the context of every important naval engagement in the Pacific, more than thirty pages of photographs, multiple appendixes (including a calendar of submarine war patrols), and an index of over 2,000 entries. This is a work of great scholarship and scope that makes a timeless contribution to the history of World War II.

With the content of an authoritative reference and the excitement of a thriller, this history of the U.S. submarine war is one of the most informative and entertaining books written on the Pacific campaign. The author, a respected journalist and World War II submariner himself, is credited with providing a complete and unbiased account of what happened. When published in 1975, it was the first such account to detail controversial aspects of the American campaign, from the torpedo scandal to discrepancies between claimed and confirmed sinkings. To get to the truth, Clay Blair interviewed scores of skippers, staff officers, and code breakers, and combed thousands of documents and personal papers. In addition, he thoroughly researched the development of the submarine and torpedo from pre-war to post-war times. As a result, he takes the reader into the submarine war at all levels―the highest strategy sessions in Washington, the terrifying moments in subs at the bottom of the ocean waiting out exploding depth charges, the zany efforts of a crew coaxing a chicken to lay an egg. He also exposes the reader to the jealous infighting of admirals vying for power and the problems between cautious older skippers and daring young commanders. Supplementing the text are nearly forty maps showing submarine activity in the context of every important naval engagement in the Pacific, more than thirty pages of photographs, multiple appendixes (including a calendar of submarine war patrols), and an index of over 2,000 entries. This is a work of great scholarship and scope that makes a timeless contribution to the history of World War II. Content: Background for War -- Early Developments -- Progress in Europe -- Submarines in World War I -- Submarines and Politics -- Secret Enterprises -- New Deal for the Navy -- War in Europe -- The Main Enemy -- Plans in the Far East -- Intercepted Mail -- Pearl Harbor, December 1941 -- The Japanese Attacks on Pearl Harbor and Midway -- First Patrols to Empire Waters -- First Patrols to the Marshalls -- The Sinking of I-173 -- Results of the First Patrols -- The Japanese Attack on Wake Island -- Manila, December 1941 -- The Japanese Attack on Clark Field -- The Japanese Attacks on Cavite and Manila -- The First Patrols from Manila -- The "Battle" of Lingayen Gulf -- The Loss of Manila -- Java and Australia, January through April 1942 -- The Japanese Drive to the Malay Barrier -- Special Submarine Missions -- The "Defense" of Java -- Retreat to Australia -- Evaluation and Decision -- Pearl Harbor, January through March 1942 -- January Departures -- February Departures -- March Departures -- Brisbane, April and May 1942 -- Arrival of More S-Boats -- The Battle of the Coral Sea -- Pearl Harbor, April through June 1942 -- April Departures -- The Hunt for "Wounded Bear" -- The Battle of Midway -- June Departures -- Washington, June and July 1942 -- The Midway Security Leak -- Changes in the Codebreaking Operation -- H.O.R. Engine Problems -- Alaska, 1942 -- Japanese Landings on Kiska and Attu -- Submarine Patrols in Alaskan Waters -- Fremantle, April through August 1942 -- Torpedo Tests and Experiments -- Personnel Changes.