Thunder Below!

June 29, 1992
The USS Barb was the Navy's most successful submarine in WW II. Operating mainly in the South China Sea, the Formosa Strait and the forever mysterious Sea of Okhotsk, the Barb sank at least 29 Japanese ships and climaxed its final patrol with an audacious commando raid on land during which the crew destroyed a 16-car train. This was the sole U.S. military landing on Japanese soil during the war. Drawing on ship's logs, letters, interviews, diaries and his own memory, Fluckey, a retired rear admiral, reconstructs every attack by and against the sub from its eighth through its 12th and last patrol. This was the 15-month period when he served as the Barb's skipper, winning the Medal of Honor and four Navy Crosses for his daring exploits. Fluckey is a fine writer with a lively, colorful style. His book is packed with action and suspense and is rich in details about the day-today operation of a submarine in combat. Photos. Military Book Club main selection.

September 1, 1992
Medal of Honor holder Fluckey relates the story of his wartime command, U.S. submarine Barb, in a well-told and -researched narrative of undersea resourcefulness and courage. Barb set an unparalleled record of exploits in the naval war against Japan, and Fluckey has used both U.S. and Japanese naval records to re-create the vessel's story. The quality of his writing is far above the usual wartime memoir. This title will appeal to readers of both military history and Tom Clancy-style technothrillers. Highly recommended for World War II collections. Military Bk. Club main selection.-- Stanley Planton, Ohio Univ.-Chillicothe Lib.

Copyright 1992 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 1992
One of the World War II memoirs long awaited, at least by submarine buffs, has now appeared. Commanding the USS "Barb" for five patrols during 1944-45, Fluckey sank a formidable total of Japanese ships (including an aircraft carrier), carried out rocket attacks against and put landing parties ashore on the Japanese mainland, and won the Congressional Medal of Honor for penetrating shallow water off the Chinese coast to attack a Japanese convoy. His is the most detailed account yet of the "Barb"'s exploits, and the able and effective Fluckey tells it vigorously. Purists may object to his use of reconstructed conversations, but that is the only significant problem with a book likely to find a good many readers among naval history buffs. ((Reviewed Sept. 15, 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)