Unrestricted Warfare: How a New Breed of Officers Led the Submarine Force to Victory in World War II (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "DAWN. Pompano would be late for her scheduled 0800 arrival off the entrance buoys at Pearl Harbor..." (more)
Key Phrases: war patrol, deck logs, patrol reports, Roger Paine, Mare Island, Dick O'Kane (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

IBM-exec-turned-historian DeRose focuses on officers associated with the legendary USS Wahoo. Headed by Dudley W. Morton and his executive officer, Richard O'Kane, they included George Grider, author of the classic Warfish (1958), and Roger Paine, DeRose's principal informant. Numbering about a dozen in all, they did more than their share to establish the aggressive submarine tactics used in the war against Japan. Some of the material DeRose presents will be familiar to all but naval-history novices, but by drawing on oral history and untapped Japanese sources, DeRose adds considerably to readily available knowledge on his subject. For example, DeRose discloses that most of the men in the water attacked by Wahoo during a controversial episode of Morton's career were Indian POWs being shipped to New Guinea as slave laborers. DeRose also provides a balanced account of the small-group politics of submarine command and a harrowing one of the last hours of the men trapped aboard Tang, which was sunk by one of her own torpedoes. Roland Green
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Product Description

Unrestricted Warfare reveals the dramatic story of the harsh baptism by fire faced by U.S. submarine commanders in World War II. The first skippers went to battle hamstrung by conservative peacetime training and plagued by defective torpedoes. Drawing extensively from now declassified files, Japanese archives, and the testimony of surviving veterans, James DeRose has written a fascinating account of the men and vessels responsible for the only successful submarine campaign of the war. They clearly charted a new course to victory in the Pacific.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR UNRESTRICTED WARFARE

"James DeRose has done an excellent job–– surprisingly so, in view of his lack of true WWII submarine experience. He obviously contacted everyone he could find who served on one of the three boats he concentrated on, and he read, as well, everything he could find that was written about them. . . . DeRose shines by his interpretation of events as the Japanese must have seen them. . . . His reconstruction of how Wahoo came to her end may well be pretty close to correct. . . . He does the same with Tang."–CAPTAIN EDWARD L. BEACH, USN author of Submarine! and Run Silent, Run Deep

"An outstanding addition to the literature of the Silent Service. . . . The depth of research is wonderful. . . . This is fine history . . . that rivals Blair’s Silent Victory.

"I knew all of the book’s main characters quite well. . . . I am also completely familiar with submarine operations in the Pacific. With that background I couldn’t fail to thoroughly enjoy DeRose’s book. It is well written and has the right feel."–CHESTER W. NIMITZ JR., rear admiral, USN (Ret.)

"Sail with American submariners into tightly guarded Japanese home waters; undergo the horror of a depth charge attack; experience the thrill of victory with some of the U.S. Navy’s ace submarine skippers. All this––and much more––is contained in James F. DeRose’s compelling Unrestricted Warfare. No one interested in the naval side of World War II should be without it."–NATHAN MILLER author of War at Sea: A Naval History of World War II

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (October 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047138495X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471384953
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #257,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Account of Submarine Warfare in the Pacific, March 6, 2001

By	Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This book offers the novice reader an interesting insight to a number of the better-known US submarine skippers of World War Two. I would tend to agree that the book is much narrower in scope than the title suggests but for all that it still offers an exciting account of submarine warfare as experienced by the US Navy in the Pacific. It was revealing to read an account of a war crime committed by crew-members of one American submarine but I suppose that this just goes to show how war can brutalize even the best of men.

Overall I found the book interesting and engaging but it did not grab me as fully as previous accounts that I have read on submarine warfare. I did enjoy the accounts of what became of the men in the book after the war. The account of the sinking of the `Tang' was well done and it really did bring home to the reader how tragic the end of a submarine could be.

One minor point that spoilt my reading of this otherwise well written and presented book was that at times I felt the author was belittling the efforts of German U-boat crews, only Americans could do the job properly. Overall though I came away after reading this book thankful of the efforts of these brave men. I hope that if by reading this book people come to realise how many young men lost their lives for the benefit of us all.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Submarine Warfare is Hell, November 10, 2000

By	Robert Brownstein (Sarasota, Fl USA) - See all my reviews

DeRose has a unique skill that transports the reader to a time and place that he or she can not imagine. When I entered the armed forces in WWII, serving on a submarine was easily on the bottom of my list. After reading "Unrestricted Warfare" I now better understand the rational for my decision. DeRose draws a stark and honest picture of unrelenting stress, anxiety and vulnerability for the officers and enlisted men as they embark on their submarine patrols. The heroic stories of the lives of several submarines and their crews left me engaged, exhausted and thrilled. These men had to have been half-crazy to volunteer for such service. We do, however all owe them an undying debt of gratitude for their contributions to the defeat of the Japanese in the Pacific. DeRose's book is a must read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unrestricted Warfare, October 31, 2000

By	Paul J. Richfield (Purchase, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Unrestricted Warfare is an excellent "captain's eye view" of submarine combat in the Pacific during the Second World War, and an essential volume for those interested in naval history or military leadership. Thoroughly researched with help from the Japanese side, the book tells its story by tracking the wartime careers of several submarine officers who became the Silent Service's top scorers ever, including Richard O'Kane and "Mush" Morton. Unrestricted Warfare is hardly a puff piece, however: the author unflinchingly reveals the truth behind several wartime atrocities, while also explaining in detail the tumultuous political climate and leadership failings that beset the submarine force during the war. DeRose also does a fine job reconciling the often inflated claims of wartime reports with newly uncovered data, and the book features many illustrations never before seen in print.