Thunder Below!: The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II First Paperback Edition Edition

by Eugene B. Fluckey (Author)

590 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0252066702

ISBN-10: 0252066707

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The thunderous roar of exploding depth charges was a familiar and comforting sound to the crew members of the USS Barb, who frequently found themselves somewhere between enemy fire and Davy Jones's locker.

Under the leadership of her fearless skipper, Captain Gene Fluckey, the Barb sank the greatest tonnage of any American sub in World War II. At the same time, the Barb did far more than merely sink ships-she changed forever the way submarines stalk and kill their prey.

This is a gripping adventure chock-full of "you-are-there" moments. Fluckey has drawn on logs, reports, letters, interviews, and a recently discovered illegal diary kept by one of his torpedomen. And in a fascinating twist, he uses archival documents from the Japanese Navy to give its version of events.

The unique story of the Barb begins with its men, who had the confidence to become unbeatable. Each team helped develop innovative ideas, new tactics, and new strategies. All strove for personal excellence, and success became contagious. Instead of lying in wait under the waves, the USS Barb pursued enemy ships on the surface, attacking in the swift and precise style of torpedo boats. She was the first sub to use rocket missiles and to creep up on enemy convoys at night, joining the flank escort line from astern, darting in and out as she sank ships up the column.
Surface-cruising, diving only to escape, "Luckey Fluckey" relentlessly patrolled the Pacific, driving his boat and crew to their limits. There can be no greater contrast to modern warfare's long-distance, videogame style of battle than the exploits of the captain and crew of the USS Barb, where they sub, out of ammunition, actually rammed an enemy ship until it sank.

Thunder Below! is a first-rate, true-life, inspirational story of the courage and heroism of ordinary men under fire.

Thunder Below!: The USS *Barb* Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

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 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: University of Illinois Press; First Paperback Edition edition (July 1, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0252066707
ISBN-13: 978-0252066702
Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.3 x 10 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 590 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #23 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Military Sciences
- #102 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Military
- #136 in Books > Science & Math > Technology > History of Technology

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Gem of a Story

ByJack Sparacinoon January 8, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This wonderful book about the record breaking USS Barb is unique in its first person voice and story of naval heroics for which we can be forever proud. The leadership skills during WWII submarine patrols in the Pacific demonstrated every day by the captain (the author) and his officers were spectacular. The captain's abilities to communicate, teach, and inspire laced with compassion and a wry sense of humor were second to none; his receipt of the Congressional Medal of Honor commemorated his stunning achievements. The closely aligned teamwork inspired by this leadership was the best I have ever seen in print. This top rated sub managed to successfully coordinate torpedo, machine gun, 4 and 5 inch gun, and rocket attacks; they even successfully rammed an enemy ship for an astounding total of 30 major ships sunk and some 75 smaller vessels. Add to that a thrilling raid pulled off by a small team sent ashore to bomb a Japanese railroad and you have one of the greatest adventure books of the last 30 years. Told in the first person with quotes from diaries and letters added liberally, the book is nearly alive in your hands, complete with terrific maps and photographs. A living, breathing gem of a story.

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Better than fiction

ByPhilipon July 11, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is one of the most heartfelt, real, and direct accounts of warfare in Wwii that I have ever read. The passion CMDR Fluckey felt for his ship and crew are easily sensed throughout the pages of his story.

This story depicts honor and bravery in a barbaric and unimaginable theater of war.

The Barb and her exploits are truly inspiring. I have been so moved as to visit the USS Drum in Mobile AL to further grasp the experience of these brave men. It is regrettable that the Barb was not preserved as a museum ship! I highly recommend this story as well as the USS Drum and USS Alabama memorials.

God Bless America and Thank God for the USS Barb and her crew.

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Accounts written by a WWII submarine captain.

ByChipon May 28, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is no Tom Clancy like novel, but a reasonably written account of submarine warfare. Reading this book makes me appreciate what members of the military went through during WWII. People today seem too detached to the sacrifices that were made in the past and only complain about the inconveniences of today. There is an entire generation out there that have no realization of what a sacrifice really is ( nor could they emotionally handle it), but I digress. Written by a Medal of Honor submarine captain, it describes life during submarine patrols and (sometimes improvised) tactics used to win naval battles. At times a slow read, but it held my attention.

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Great Adventure Story

ByAletheuoon May 26, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This page turner is the true World War II story about the submarine `Barb' and her commander, Gene Fluckey. Captain Fluckey, at age 30, took command of this submarine in 1944 for its eighth war patrol and promptly sunk 5 ships (the record at that time for a sub) in hostile territory. Previously, the Barb had sunk only one ship from seven war patrols. Fluckey and the Barb go on to to sink many more ships in subsequent patrols. Fluckey earned the Medal of Honor, the highest war time award given, for a risky and daring attack in shallow waters, taking out several ships at once. He maneuvered the Barb through uncharted waters (very dangerous) at 23 knots (a sub record for speed), being chased by several destroyers for many miles before the Barb was finally able to dive in waters that were sufficiently deep. In Captain Fluckey's last war patrol, he sent a team ashore from the Barb in very, very shallow waters to sabotage a train and track. The team rigged the track and blew up a Japanese train for a great fireworks display. This was the only land based attack by a submarine known up to this time. Five stars on this one.

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"Thunder Below! A Real Boomer

ByAngus R. McLeodon November 22, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I am one of those people who came along right after the Greatest Generation. I had an uncle in the Navy duirng WW!! and my Pop was a soldier during the war. My thirst for any knowledge of the War leads me to read all manner of books of historical grade. "Thunder Below" fits that category extremely well. The battle scenes are described well enough that I can understand most of the reasoning of the boat's commander, Eugene Fluckey. He was, I believe, very lucky to get himself, his vessel and his crew on and off patrol without battle damage or any Purple Hearts being awareded. In some cases he seemed foolhardy but the luck of the Barb held and all made it back to base safely. Not all his decisions were "full steam ahead." It seems all of them were well-reasoned out but still dangerous. Of course, that was the case in most WWII endeavors. World War II veterans are my heroes. Unfortunately, we are losing them at a tremendous rate today, and those historical stories are disappearing with them. Please pick up this book, or any other work about that generation of fighting men and the women who backed them up. Sometimes the writing is a little rough, but the valor they all showed is always worth the effort to discover.

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Five Stars

An excellent read of men who went way above.

Published 1 day ago by Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Great book.

Published 12 days ago by Rob Crawford

Five Stars

Couldn't put it down!

Published 14 days ago by Amazon Customer

This is a great book for all submariners

This is a great book for all submariners. What a story!!!!!!! Well written, and truly a great read.Read more

Published 17 days ago by Craig Carey

USS Barb

Well written. Good descriptions of war conditions in the submarine service by someone who wanted to the best. In high school this is whom I wanted to be.

Published 20 days ago by James H. Darrell

I highly recommend it.

I am really enjoying this book. The author made it easy to read yet it covers a lot of detail without being boring.Read more

Published 24 days ago by Scott Fisler

Great Read

Excellent, well documented and written in a manner that made it a good read...

Published 1 month ago by Larry Holland

Thunder Below, the Barb

A great book written by the man who commanded a great submarine. Factual and well written

Published 1 month ago by David P. Mcclain

A Great Book

Thrilling and inspiring reading. The Navy needs to get its act together and name its next attack sub the U.S.S Eugene Fluckey.

Published 1 month ago by OnceWasAScribe

Submarine fans will like this book

Submarine fans will like this book. He takes actual log entries and supplements them with further details. It works.

Published 1 month ago by History Buff

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