The War Below: The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan

The War Below: The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan
by James Scott

DESCRIPTION:
THE WAR BELOW is the riveting story of the submarine force that helped win World War II in the Pacific by ravaging JapanΓÇÖs merchant fleet and destroying the nationΓÇÖs economy.

Focusing on the unique stories of three of the warΓÇÖs top submarinesΓÇöSilversides, Drum, and TangΓÇöJames Scott takes readers beneath the waves to experience the determination, heroism, and tragedy that defined the submarine service. From the thrill of a torpedo hit on a loaded freighter to the terror of depth charge attacks that shattered gauges and sprang leaks, The War Below vividly re-creates the camaraderie, exhilaration, and fear of the brave volunteers who took the fight to the enemyΓÇÖs coastline. Scott recounts incredible feats of courageΓÇöfrom an emergency appendectomy performed with kitchen utensils to the desperate struggle of sailors to escape from a flooded submarine trapped on the bottomΓÇöas well as moments of unimaginable tragedy, including an attack on an unmarked enemy freighter carrying 1,800 American prisoners of war.

The casualty rate among submariners topped that of all other military branches. The war claimed almost one out of every five subsΓÇöand a submarine crewman was six times more likely to die than a sailor onboard a surface ship. But the submarine service accomplished its mission; Silversides, Drum, and Tang sank a combined sixty-two freighters, tankers, and transports. So ravaged from the loss of precious supplies due to the destruction of the nationΓÇÖs merchant fleet were the Japanese that by the warΓÇÖs end hungry civilians ate sawdust while warships lay at anchor due to lack of fuel and pilots resorted to suicidal kamikaze missions. In retaliation, the Japanese often beat, tortured, and starved captured submariners in the atrocious prisoner of war camps.

Based on more than 100 interviews with submarine veterans and thousands of pages of previously unpublished letters and diaries, The War Below will let readers experience the battle for the Pacific as never before.

Amazon.com title link:

http://www.amazon.com/The-War-Below-Submarines-Battled/dp/1439176841/