Submarines at War: A History of Undersea Warfare from the American Revolution to the Cold War Book

Submarine warfare not only took its combatants in World Wars I and II into the terrifying deeps beneath the ocean, but also subjected them to crowded, unhygienic, frequently dispiriting, and incredibly hazardous conditions. Yet fear and despair among submariners were countered regularly by courage and camaraderie, and the dangers these men faced daily were no less real than the triumph they felt in victory. Or survival. For up to two months at a stretch a submarine might be home to its officers and crew, though it might, too, become a tomb: Indeed, during World War II, submarine warfare claimed the lives of 40,000 men. This illustrated history offers more than well-researched facts and concretely detailed events as it conjures up the emotions of the servicemen and the sensations of combat with narrative that draws extensively upon written firsthand accounts and dozens of interviews with veterans of submarine warfare. Its focus on the experiences of the officers and men?most in their early twenties? chronicles the triumphs of Allied submarines, the plights of the German U-boats, and lesser-known maneuvers of the Russians, Italians, and French. Submarines at War relates dangerous missions and breathtaking escapes, and records the heroic deeds of common men.Read More