US Submarines 1941 - 45 / Jim Christley / AllWarBooks.com

Naval warfare in the Pacific changed completely with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. With the near total destruction of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet the strategic emphasis shifted from battleships and cruisers to much more lethal, far-ranging weapons: one of these was the submarine. This book details the design and development, classes, weapons and equipment, tactics, and operational history of the American submarines in World War II. Details tables, photographs, and superb color plates depict the force that had an effect far beyond its size—the American submarine accounted for 55 percent of all Japanese shipping losses, despite suffering the highest percentage loss of any unit of the United States Armed Forces in World War II.

New 7 by 10 inch softbound book, 48 pages, 41 B/W photographs, 17 color illustrations, 2 diagrams and an index. A must-have for all naval history buffs!

Just $17.95

BOOK REVIEWS

"Jim Christley has written a short (48 page) but masterful history of the submarines of WWII. Not intended as a comprehensive operational history, but rather a thumbnail sketch of the development and anatomy of these warships. After a chapter on the design and development leading up to the Gato-class, the equipment section starts off with a review of weapons. Sections on torpedoes and gun outfitting offer succinct summaries of the offensive and defensive systems of the era. I found the section on guns to be particularly informative, stepping through the different deck gun models and the range & weight of the projectiles fired by each. The various periscope, sonar, and radar installations are covered next. Again, these are brief but well-written descriptions of each installation and the improvements made over the war. The next section introduces the Balao-class boat as an illustrative example of the fleet submarine. This leads off with a description of paint schemes or measures, and covers Ms 9, 10, and the two variants of Ms 32. Next, the individual compartments and their functions in the boat are explored, followed by a discussion of submarine tactics. This includes informative diagrams of the approach and attack phase. The book ends with a brief operational history summary of submarines during World War II. In the limited space, Christley manages to condense as good deal of the high points of the submarine campaign against Japan.

The book is illustrated with both black & white photos and color plates. Christley spent time selecting the photos at the Submarine Force Museum & Library in Groton, CT. The results are pictures that are largely unfamiliar and fresh, which complement the text. Christley wisely has included a photo of a key piece of submarine equipment-the coffee urn. The center section of the book has color plates by Tony Bryan. These include a nice scale comparison of an S-class boat, the large V-boat Argonaut, and a P class (Perch) boat. Another plate illustrates different paint measures, and a two-page plate that has a cut-through diagram of a Balao-class boat. Other color plates cover examples of Gato & Balao conning tower fairwater modifications and variants. There are also beautiful color illustrations of Tang attacking on the surface and Sterlet at periscope depth. Overall, this slim volume packs an amazing amount of submarine information. Anyone contemplating building a fleet submarine model will not only learn more about the "hardware" from this book, but also will develop an appreciation of the fleet boat in naval history. This little book is a real gem, and you will want it in your collection, right alongside Alden's book on fleet submarines (The Fleet Submarine in the US Navy- John D. Alden). Thomas J. Dougherty