Customer Reviews

Hell Above, Deep Water Below

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Dale Russell's thoughtful biography is one of several World War II recollections recently written in an apparent attempt to finally lay the ghost of that great conflagration to rest. It covers just a year in the author's life, but one in which - like many young men of his generation - he was plucked from his family to fight an unknown enemy in the alien and dangerous environment of a fleet submarine in the Pacific.
Unlike most naval biographies, written by retired officers, this is written from the point of view of an ordinary, enlisted seaman, sweating away in the filthy, slimy stench of a tiny torpedo room.
It takes the reader into the drama and danger of battle and creates a cinema-screen picture of life aboard a submarine in the brief tension of battle and the much longer bouts of boredom, frustration and claustrophobic conditions.
But this is not a book about war, it is a book about survival - survival against all the odds of missions into enemy waters, depth charges, and treacherous seas. But more important, it is about the survival of ordinary, decent, gentle manhood despite conditions that you might expect to create degenerate animals.
This book should be read by all who are interested in the human experience in war and peace.

Reviewed by Ray Taylor, London

Dale Russell joined the Navy right out of high school as patriotic fervor swept across the US after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Separated from his sweetheard, Russell was sent to Australia as part of a submarine repair/refresh crew. While there, he did two things (a) fell in love with a local girl and (b) got his wish to serve on a combat patrol aboard a US attack submarine. He served the last two war patrols of the USS Flying Fish before the war's ending sent him home to an uncertain future. His first patrol found him cruising the south Pacific, engaging Japanese shipping during the island-hopping campaign. His second patrol was probably the most exciting time of his life, as his boat was sent, along with 8 others, into the impenetrable Sea of Japan. Courageous submarine pilotage was required to get the 9-boat task force through the minefields and natural barriers on the southern coast of Japan. From there, the force split up as each submarine took up its assigned station. In a coordinated attack, the boats sent torpedoes against targets at each port along Japan and Korea, sinking whatever they could, photographing the facilities for future intelligence ops, and taking prisoners for interrogation. The surprise attacks were a complete success, but resulted in the loss of a single submarine. Russel's interpretation of that loss is vividly recounted in the book, one of the better passages. The book does a nice job of placing the reader in the forward torpedo room, Russel's station, which is a nice change from the books written by former skippers and admirals. I also enjoyed the passages where Russel describes his life immediately after his discharge from the Navy, when he left civilization to clear his mind of the war memories, and of the friends who threw him a lifeline back to America. I only regret that the writing style had been a bit more descriptive. Still, the book is a good afternoon read.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Russell's book. First, let me say these guys were absolutely nuts - and I mean that with all due respect. How a young man could go for months in one of these subs is totally amazing, especially considering just how dangerous it is.

I found the book to be a really quick read. It is one of those few books that you start to read and can not put down for any reason. His explanations of life aboard a sub are described very well. Combine this book with the fantastic "Das Boot" and you have one heck of a good idea what life would have been like.

Like I said though, I have other reasons for liking this book as well. My grandfather was on this very boat with Mr. Russell, and my Uncle was on the boat as well and is featured many times throughout it's pages. Since my grandfather passed away many years before I was born, I got the inside scoop on just what he went through. And in a lot of ways I think I found out too why he passed away, too. Mr. Russell explained it all.

Engaging autobiography. I couldn't put it down and finished it in a weekend. Nice to read an enlisted person's account of their submarine service.

Well, I am not the most objective, because Dale Russell was my uncle. But, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and frankly until I read it, I had know idea he had taken on such an adventure. He even talks about how he ran upon my Dad, Martin (his brother), in the middle of the war zone. My Dad also served in the Navy during WWII, but not on a sub. Having come from a family of 10 children on a small rural farm in Pennsylvania, entering this world of war must have been a huge culture shock. I can not even imagine serving on one of those subs and sleeping next to torpedos! Although Dale passed shortly after my Dad, his stroy will live on!

Most of the memoirs of WWII submariners were written by vessel command personnel. I was excited to compare their testimonies with Russell's whose perspective was forged as an enlisted man assigned below deck.