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Title: Submarine Diary: The Silent Stalking of Japan by Corwin Mendenhall ISBN: 1-55750-582-9 Publisher: Naval Institute Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (4 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Words from the Silent Service
Comment: From the inside of a submarine, the ocean passes you by. The input you have comes from sonar and the periscope. Rather than give us another tale of submarine exploits, Mendenhall provides us with a war perspective from the men in the machine. This is an interesting WWII narrative.
Rather than taking a retrospective look as an admiral (Mendenhall is a retired rear admiral), this narrative is taken from his diary from his submarine missions as a junior officer and an executive officer. He discusses the routines and the fighting, as well as gives the sailors' perspective. He also discusses the frustration felt by the crew as defective torpedoes missed easy targets.
Not only does he discuss the day-to-day life in the submarine, he also gives a tally of how the submarine did on each mission. This was enlightening. He also shares his concerns about his career and command in the Navy as the war was beginning to wind down.
I would recommend this book to WWII, Navy, and submarine buffs.
Rating: 4
Summary: A realistic day-by-day account of US submarine warfare...
Comment: Submarine Diary provides a realistic day-by-day account of US submarine warfare in WWII.
As this is my third 1st person WWII submarine book (Iron Coffins, War in the Boats), I have some comparative comments. SD doesn't posess the compelling drama and adversity present in Iron Coffins, nor the insightful personell characterizations and stinging critique of command decisions presnt in War in the Boats. And it lacks the technical details that I like present in both other books.
Still, it is a good book and I like it, and recommend it to other readers interested in submarine warfare. The book reads well and the Sculpin's 7 patrols and the Pintado's 4 patrols unfold quickly and in an interesting manner. Of paticular interest is the planned interception of a German submarine -- an event in War in the Boats.
When I find a topic I like -- and WWII submarine warfare is one -- I like to read all about it and watch movies so that I understand and enjoy the topic to it's fullest. I also like to make comparisons between the various works. In this light, Submarine Diary fills in some gaps, provides a different perspective than some of the other books, and reinforces some topics in other books. For example, the faulty Mk-10 torpedoes discussed in War in the Boats is present here as well, which solidifies this as a real deficiency and not as 1 writer's excuse.
The maps and pictures contained in the book are good. Something that I would have liked would have been more tie-ins to the war at large. For example, it is up to the reader to draw the relationship between the tour near Guadacanal with the greater struggle.
All in all, this is a good book. I recommend it to other readers of this genre.
Rating: 4
Summary: submarine diary review
Comment: The only criticism I have of this book is it too short. It left me wanting more. But it appears to be an accurate depiction of the daily routine of a submarine in combat; plenty exciting with intermittent periods of boredom. A more fleshed out version would be even better.
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Title: Thunder Below!: The Uss Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II by Eugene B. Fluckey ISBN: 0252066707 Publisher: University of Illinois Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1997 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Silent Running : My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine by James F. Calvert ISBN: 047119705X Publisher: Wiley Pub. Date: 01 October, 1997 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Last Patrol by Harry Holmes ISBN: 1853104140 Publisher: Naval Inst Pr Pub. Date: 01 March, 1994 List Price(USD): $36.95 |
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Title: Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan by Clay, Jr. Blair ISBN: 155750217X Publisher: Naval Institute Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: War Beneath the Sea : Submarine Conflict During World War II by Peter Padfield ISBN: 0471249459 Publisher: Wiley Pub. Date: March, 1998 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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