The USS Puffer in World War II [Paperback]

Craig R. McDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0786432098 | ISBN-13: 978-0786432097

Submarines were responsible for about 55 percent of the tonnage of the Japanese fleets sunk during World War II. The 22 percent casualty rate of U.S. submariners was the highest of the military services. This volume traces the career of the submarine the USS Puffer from the laying of her keel and her commissioning on April 27, 1943, until her departure for the scrap yard in late 1960. Compiled from interviews with former crew members, including the author's father, Donald B. McDonald, as well as other contemporary sources, it follows the crew of the Puffer through nine war patrols. Events recollected include the First War Patrol, which resulted in a record-setting 38 hour submergence because of enemy fire; the dangerous transfer of torpedoes while surfaced in enemy waters; and the wild bombardment of Japanese shore installations with the 5-inch deck gun. There are numerous wartime photographs and appendices providing a list of awards earned by the crew and a summary of claimed successful attacks. Brief biographies of the seven commissioned officers are also included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Craig R. McDonald is director of information and data services within the University Division at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 335 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (January 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786432098
• ISBN-13: 978-0786432097
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,724,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book puts you on board., November 10, 2008

By 

John (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The USS Puffer in World War II (Paperback)

This is the story of a submarine in WWII. But more than that, it's the story of the men who sailed in her, lived in her, and fought a war in her. And more than that, it's really the story of the submarine service - the silent service - and the enormous role it played in winning the war. The scope of the book is huge then, but McDonald wisely decides that the story of the Puffer is really a collection of personal stories. So he tells those, working from official War Patrol Reports of the day, letters home, diaries, and his own correspondence with the crew.

You'll learn, often from the crew's own words, what it was like to sit a couple hundred feet below the surface waiting for the next depth charge to rock the ship; what a lift to morale mail from home was; how the crew would thumb their nose at the nearness of death by living life to the fullest when on shore leave; how it felt to lose friends on other ships that weren't so lucky as the Puffer; and the enormity of the news of Japan's surrender and the thought of returning home to loved ones. Every aspect of submarine life is explored here, from the mundane everyday chores to the fear and thrill of battle.

The best books take you where you could not otherwise go. McDonald has done a superlative job of taking you inside a submarine in the South Pacific during WWII. It's an important story, wonderfully told.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The son of a sailor, July 22, 2008

By 

Thomas E. Reynolds (Flagstaff, Az USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The USS Puffer in World War II (Paperback)

I am a son of one of the sailors abord the Puffer. Comments made by the skipper and crew brought to life a segment of my fathers life that he himself would not talk about. You are there with each depth charge attack. Fearing attacks from the air . Enjoying R&R on recently captured South Seas islands. Well Done. Thanks

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT HISTORICAL WORK for WW2 SUBMARINE aficionados, July 14, 2009

By 

Don Kochi (los angeles CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The USS Puffer in World War II (Paperback)

like the others, i was quite reluctant and hesitant to shell-out $45 for a softcover book. however having a lifelong penchant (and weakness) for written accounts on WW2 submarines i bit the proverbial torpedo and have now just finished reading this fine WW2 history of the USS PUFFER. FIVE STARS all the way and a successful war patrol (clean sweep! tie the broom to the periscope shears!)! the chapters are well-segmented from the construction inception, through each successive war patrol, to final de-commissioning and disposition. ironically the bulk of the text are not of the author's...but verbatim WAR PATROL REPORTS...and several inclusions of former PUFFER crewmember veteran's oral histories, anecdotes, and especially rather lengthy FPO letters home written by an PUFFER officer (to his wife during the war). besides the postwar memoirs (by actual veterans) and or history texts (by noted historians), books of this ilk, are usually the product of a baby boomer seeking to learn more of his/her father's past WW2 service. this work is no different, as the author attended several PUFFER reunions, interviewed PUFFER crewmembers, researched the archives, etc etc in his quest to understand his father's role in the Silent Service. having amassed reams of research material...a book was a natural outcome (otherwise his oral history interviews would have never come to light). what aspect i especially appreciated was the overall narrative of a WW2 boat that was not a headline glamor maru-killing ace sub, but rather an unsung workhorse representative of most of the WW2 submarines (it just happened his father served on her). all former PUFFER crewmembers including their WW2 USN serial numbers are listed which for me renders this work an invaluable resource index. the author's obsessive effort to disclaim the longheld notion that PUFFER's crew was completely disbursed after the horrifying first war patrol could have been abbreviated as well as the sections on physiologic & psychologic aspects of life aboard a diesel boat. one minor error: enlisted submarine personnel did not wear the silver TWIN DOLPHINS qualification badge during WW2 (it was instituted in 1956)...instead wore a TWIN DOLPHINS cuff striker on their liberty blues and or summer whites. during WW2 commissoned officers were the only ones authorized the wear the GOLD TWIN DOLPHINS quals badge. all submarine personnel, enlisted and officer, were allowed to wear the COMBAT PATROL PIN insignia (a combat battle star was added for each patrol deemed successful by the higher-ups). also interestingly enough, there is usually scant mention as to the real reason behind the (faulty) magnetic imploder (on the fishes)..as the author stated it was thought more effective to explode underneath the ship as to 'break the keel, ie., backbone'...when in truth it was devised to originally sink enemy man-of-wars which tend to have a thick armor belt which neutralized most contact exploders (that was the theory anyhow). for all WW2 submarine historians, aficionados, readers, etc...this book is a definite affirmative.