Coming along in the same series as volumes on mounted, armoured Knights and the Emperor's Garde' Grenadiers, Osprey's Warrior Number 82, US Submarine Crewman 1939-45  interestingly addresses a rather different sort of "Warrior." The US submariner did not have to live in mud or groom his horse, but neither Knights nor the Garde' had to face two-month-plus solitary patrols living in a half-block long, twenty-foot across steel tube, either...not to even think of the horror of being depth-charged 300 feet below the ocean's surface.

From 7 December 1941 to August of '45, the United States Navy submariner performed the same function as the U-Boot crewman, but almost entirely in the much vaster Pacific Ocean.

Yank submariners, however accomplished what the U-Boats were not able to; they virtually swept the Pacific Ocean of enemy shipping. The submarine sailors and their "Fleet Boats" destroyed the Japanese merchant marine to the extent of, there was such a "shortage of targets" late in the war, US subs were given heavier gun armament to deal with targets "not big enough to torpedo." As if this phenomenal record was not enough, the young submariners inflicted severe casualties on the Imperial navy as well. Five million tons of Japanese shipping went under at the hands of the men wearing the Dolphin badge. (This was about 40% of the tonnage sunk by more than four times the number of U-Boats in almost twice the number of years, in a smaller, denser target area.)

Fifty-two Fleet Boats and 3,500 American submariners did not return from war patrols.

While a plethora of books address the USN's submarine campaign and individual boats' adventures, Osprey's US Submarine Crewman 1939-45 is the first to concentrate on the MEN of the "Silent Service." Author Robert Hargis eloquently introduces the highly elite (only one in ten applicants was accepted for submarine training, fewer than that finished), almost entirely young (many captains were barely 30!) American submarine force in his allotted 64 pages. Vintage photographs punctuate the text, freezing the "boys" in their glorious, perilous time.

Artist Velmir Vuksic really shows off his skills as an illustrator in the 8 pages of full colour common to the format. Each plate is informative as well as artistic. Spend some quality time studying them.

For modelers, Fleet Boat kits are around, though not prolific. The most common ones are the old Revell 1/168 (and a bunch of conversion resin parts) and Lindberg 1/300. The Skywave 1/700 is around and there is a good resin 1/350, as well. Sadly, one will have to really hunt, or much more likely convert, to get a figure of a USN submariner.

Need additional inspiration? Hollywood submarine movies are rather prolific. "Run Silent, Run Deep," "Operation Pacific," "Submarine Command," "Up Periscope," "Operation Petticoat" and "Destination Tokyo,"  feature Fleet Boats in action against Japan.

Most highly recommended.

Review copy courtesy of the reviewer's chequebook, purchased at Prosek's Greenhouse and Military Hobby Shop, Winfield, IL, USA.

Reviewed by James Hood

For Scott Van Aken's Modeling Madness review of James Hood's novel,
 Adventure--Into The Neverland, go to:  http://users3.ev1.net/~bjmonkeyandcj/James_Hood.htm

March 2005

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