Customer Reviews

Crash Dive: True Stories of Submarine Combat

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I bought this book hoping to get first-person accounts of submarine warfare from a variety of sources. I got half that. Plenty of sub warfare and espionage stories, virtually all from U.S. or Royal Navy history. The only exceptions were the story of the Russian ICBM sub K-219 which suffered an accident while on station that killed several crewmen and nearly caused a reactor meltdown. The other is an dry essay on the Cold War Russian sub fleet by two American writers. There is plentiful information about the sinking of Japanese subs by U.S. Navy crews, and some mention of the German U-Boats. There are no chapters dedicated to the story of crews from either of the Axis forces, despite the fact that the German navy consisted almost entirely of submarines during the war, and the Japanese fielded a sizable and effective sub force as well. I know Larry Bond belongs to the same super-patriot gang of writers such as Tom Clancy and Stephen Coonts, but still, the "bad guy's" subs were used very effectively during the war (until overwhelmed by Allied resources) and it would have been interesting to read about their very different perspective on the events of World War II. If you're new to the world of sub warfare, there is a lot to be learned about the subject in this book. It's just that you'll only learn how we did it, and how much better we are at it than anyone else.

This is a very good compilation of many reports on military submarines operations, in and out of war.
For those who are interested in knowing about submariners' lives it's a must.
Mauro Taschner

Crash Dive by Larry Bond

This is a collection of short stories about submarine warfare. The stories were, for the most part, penned by the men who lived them. The statistics showing the loss of boats and lives were daunting. The stories show the character and courage of the sailors that were courageous enough to fight our countries enemies from beneath the sea.

I didn't know that submariners were all volunteers nor did I realize how much submarine action took place on the surface of the sea rather then beneath the waves. I toured a WWII submarine one time. I'm over 6 feet tall and I know I would never have survived in a sub. Between cracking my head and my shins I felt lucky to survive a walking tour let alone a cruise in war time. The people that staff submarines are a special breed. They are better educated and more accomplished than the rest of the navy. They may be working on a nuclear reactor or peeling potatoes but they do it underneath the waves. If a ship springs a leak there is a high likelihood that no one will be injured. If a sub springs a leak while submerged there is a high likelihood no one will survive. T

These stories are illustrative of the finer attributes of the warriors willing to put their life on the line for their country.

I recommend the book.