A definitive account of the USN’s submarine war in the Pacific theatre in WWII that explains why the US submarines made up for less than 2% of the USN but accounted for 55% of Japan’s maritime losses and gives credit to this amazing silent victory.

One of the best books I've read in a while. A comprehensive history of submarine operations in the Pacific during WWII. While the subject matter is itself often a dry accounting of patrols run and ships sunk, the writing style is excellent at communicating this in an enjoyable manner.The book opens with a brief history of the submarine, including the submarine operations of Germany in WWI. Something not often remembered today is that prior to WWII, unrestricted submarine warfare was considered o...

I read this on the way to Hawaii on vacation and finished it on the way back home to Texas. Great read and great information on our US Navy subs against Japan during WWII. Made me a big fan of reading more sub books by the men who served them. Also made me a big fan of Clay Blair, Jr.

I'm sure that real navy and submarine buffs will have a ball reading it with all the details it presents to the reader. And as such I can only recommend it wholehearted.But for me it is simply too much and too far from my 'home turf'; Army and combat aviation related stuff.

The book is mainly a chronology of the war patrols of individual boats. Its an homage to submarine service officers during the war. It was a disappointment to me. It failed to educate me on the tactics, operations and strategies of the U.S. Navy's submarine service during the Pacific War. Its not that the stories of the patrols aren't interesting or at times amusing. I laughed over the missing-in-transit gold bar from the Philippine treasury. I wondered aloud about a certain Skipper's need for p...

This is *the* comprehensive, two-volume history of America's submarine war against Japan's Navy and Merchant Marine, with a blow-by-blow account of virtually every war patrol - written in a crisp, engaging style. Blair includes a dozen Appendices, listing a record of every submarine's patrol, with the number and tonnage of ships sunk - and with rankings of subs and skippers by number of ships sunk and total tonnage sunk. At the end of each year's narrative, Blair includes an overview of that yea...

Having previously read Combat Patrol (a shortened version of Silent Victory) back in the early 80's, I was very pleased to finally read the full version of Blair's masterpiece.Starting with the origins of the submarine and the U.S. Navy's embryonic submarine force before World War II, the book is a fantastic history of the very critical part U.S. submarines played in the final victory over Japan. While not every single war patrol is covered, and some are covered in more detail than others, there...

Although I give this five stars, this book is not for everyone. It is a dry account of facts, what US Navy Submarines sailed from where and when, and what happened to them. If you can stick with it, patterns emerge in the chaos and you will come away with a 180 degree understanding of the one you probably currently have of the Battle of the Atlantic. It took us a long, long, long time to get this weapon up to speed and functioning. So unnecessary, so much waste. You will also become witness to t...

Pretty exhaustive, and readable, although it is definitely a book you move through 20 pages at a time. I just ordered a used copy as there is no way I am going to knock off all 1000+ pages before it is due and I am too forgetful to renew it. I'm reading this for background when I play the wargame "Silent War," which takes about 150 hours to complete (in campaign mode). Realistically, I'll probably play 10 hours of it and then sell it, as that will scratch my itch and it is quite popular.

if you have any interest in US submarine warfare during World War II i would highly recommend this book. It is a very detailed account of American submarine operations in the Pacific Theater. The first 200 or so pages are a bit tedious, but beyond that that book moves along much faster. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the key role the Silent Service played in the US victory in the Pacific.

The comprehensive, hardcover, two-volume history of America's submarine war against Japan's Navy and Merchant Marine, with a blow-by-blow account of virtually every war patrol written in a crisp, engaging style.Lists every submarine's patrol with the number and tonnage of ships sunk. An overview of each year's results is given for 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945.

Outstanding book. It covers the entire sub war in the Pacific, including the decades leading up to the war and the decisions regarding the submarine forces. Truly a monumental work, detailing virtually every mission of the war.

I had no idea of the role that submarine warfare played in the Pacific. This is Vol 1 of 2

A total review of US submarine operations in the Pacific. Interesting, having read widely on the topic. Worth the read for the new insights.

This book was recommended in one of the "Bookmarks" magazine's issues of either: (Nov/ Dec 2007) or (Jan/ Feb 2008). It was originally 2 volumes.

This book is an enormous achievement. The fact that it is voluminous collection of WW2 submarine facts plays second fiddle to Blair's ability to make the read feel nearly like an adventure story.

Great one-volume resource if you want to understand the US sub war in the pacific.

This book is a mixed bag, on one hand it is a highly detailed and account of practically every mission carried out by US submarines against Japan during WW2, there are great anecdotes and stories about event in individual missions, how technological problems and progressed affected the war, and how important the decoding of Japanese military codes were to the success of American submarines. that is the positive.on the negative side there is practically zero detail given on description of tactics...

Excellent and comprehensive book about the US submarine war against Japan, though one has to remember that this book was written in 1974, closer to WW2 than to today, so some information may be outdated.

The most comprehensive and well written history of the U.S. Submarine Force operations in the war against Japan. Complete listing of war patrols, tonnages, and major participants. A must read for anyone wishing to understand the campaign across the Pacific.

Definitive account of the U.S. submarine campaign against the Japanese during World War II, complete with a history of the politics of the U.S. Navy command and the technical difficulties faced by the skippers.

Very good and authoritative book! I cannot wait to read volume #2

Very detailed description of US submarine war in pacific. Good information but not a great story teller. Read it because I was interested in learning story and was informed.

Interesting subject matter, but I found the writing to be dull.

Lot's of info, but I found the author concentrated on doing quick summaries of every war patrol. Would have been better to find four or five subs and follow them.That said, very interesting and informative.

This is the definitive account of the USN’s submarine war in the Pacific theater in WWII. Why should you read this book? According to the United States Strategic Bombing survey “the war against [Japanese] shipping was perhaps the most decisive single factor in the collapse of the Japanese economy and logistic support of the Japanese military and naval power. Our submarines accounted for the majority of the vessel sinkings and the greater part of the reduction in tonnage.” In fact, the author exp...

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. When published in 1975, it was the first such account to detail controversial aspects of the American campaign, from the torpedo scandal to disc...

"Silent Victory," published in 1975, is a comprehensive history of the U S Navy's submarine war against Japan between 1941 and 1945. Clay Blair describes virtually every submarine patrol up until 1945 when sub activity decreased from lack of military or merchant marine targets. By wars end, the Japanese military and merchant marine fleets were essentially eliminated, which of course meant industrial shut-down and starvation for the island nation with virtually no local natural resources. Blair t...

I was given this book by my Skipper as we were in transit to the Persian Gulf for the beginning of Desert Shield/ Storm. We were an Anti-Submarine Helicopter Squadron changing over to Combat Search and Rescue. So much for submarine searches. This was a great book for anybody wanting to get an ideal of the toughness required to be a submariner searching for and destroying the Japanese Fleet.

See review for Volume 1.