Silent Victory; The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan

Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1975. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. Good. Elizabeth Nicoll Felton (Maps). 1072 pages. Illustrations. Maps. Appendices. Sources. Index. Cover has some wear and soiling. Clay Blair Jr. (May 1, 1925 - December 16, 1998) was an American journalist and author, best known for his books on military history. He served on the fleet submarine Guardfish (SS-217) in World War II and later became editor-in-chief of The Saturday Evening Post. He assisted General Omar Bradley in the writing of his autobiography, A General's Life. Blair wrote two dozen history books and hundreds of magazine articles. His last book was Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted, 1942-1945, which followed Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters, 1939-1942. Blair's history of the Korean War The Forgotten War: America in Korea, 1950-1953 is considered one of the definitive historical works on the war. Blair wrote Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan, considered the definitive work on the Pacific submarine war. With the content of an authoritative reference and the excitement of a thriller, this history of the U.S. submarine war is one of the most informative and entertaining books written on the Pacific campaign. The author, a respected journalist and World War II submariner himself, is credited with providing a complete and unbiased account of what happened. It was the first such account to detail controversial aspects of the American campaign, from the torpedo scandal to discrepancies between claimed and confirmed sinkings. Blair interviewed scores of skippers, staff officers, and code breakers, and combed thousands of documents and personal papers. In addition, he thoroughly researched the development of the submarine and torpedo from pre-war to post-war times. He takes the reader into the submarine war at all levels--the highest strategy sessions in Washington to the terrifying moments in subs at the bottom of the ocean waiting out exploding depth charges. This is a work of great scholarship and scope that makes a timeless contribution to the history of World War II.