The Depths of Courage: American Submariners at War with Japan, 1941-1945

by Flint Whitlock, Ron Smith

Overview

Chosen by WWII History magazine as one of the Best Books of the Year.

In the dark days after Pearl Harbor, the small, illequipped arm of the Navy known as Submarine Force would stand between the shattered U.S. Pacific Fleet and the might of the Japanese Navy. Unfortunately, the spirit and courage of the Submarine Force is being forgotten as the veterans of that force pass into history.

To preserve their heroic tales of war beneath the sea, critically acclaimed author and military historian Flint Whitlock, in collaboration with decorated World War II submarine veteran Ron Smith, set out on a journey of more than two years to interview submariners and to record their accounts before the memories of their endeavors are lost forever. These are their stories.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425223703
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/04/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Flint Whitlock is the author of Given Up for Dead: American GIs in Hitler's Slave-Labor Camp at Berga.

Ron Smith enlisted in the Navy and was awarded the Submarine Combat Insignia, the Purple Heart, and many other commendations.

Table of Contents

Foreword     XV
Introduction     1
Black Sunday     5
The Fruits of War     26
A Tough Row to Hoe     48
Hell on Earth     66
Damn These Torpedoes!     82
School Days     97
The End of the Beginning     113
Ready for War     130
At Home in the Caboose     144
Abortive Attack     172
Just Stay Loose     193
Feather Merchant Third Class     212
The Road to Tokyo     224
The Finest Submarine Commander     246
The Fate of the Empire     269
The Death of Innocents     288
Return to the Philippines     302
Disaster at Sea     315
A Lesson in Cruelty     332
A Writhing, Twisting Maelstrom     347
Bear the Unbearable     362
Epilogue: The Velocity of Postwar History     376
Acknowledgments     387
Notes     389
Bibliography     405
Credits and Permissions     415
Index     417

What People are Saying About This

John Wukovits

Brings the drama and heroism to the reader's doorstep. (John Wukovits, author of One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa)

William Tuohy

A lively account of wartime U.S. Pacific submarines...a rousing good read. (William Tuohy, author of The Bravest Man)

Editorial Reviews

A lively account of wartime U.S. Pacific submarines…a rousing good read.”—William Tuohy, author of The Bravest Men
 
“Only submariners understood the fear, hardships, and rewards of serving in such a specialized branch of the wartime navy. [This] powerful book ensures that readers will now comprehend some of that.”—John Wukovits, author of One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa
 
“The depth of [the authors’] scholarly research is evident in the fast-paced narrative, relating vignettes of the mundane, the heroic, and the harrowing in the U.S. Navy of World War II. Together, these outstanding authors have provided an eloquent voice to the ‘Silent Service.’”—Michael E. Haskew, editor of WWII History magazine

From the Publisher