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The Silent Service in World War II
The Story of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force in the Words of the Men Who Lived It
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Narrated by:
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Tom Perkins
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Jo Anna Perrin
About this listen
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US Navy had a total of 111 submarines. However, this fleet was not nearly as impressive as the number suggests. It was mostly a collection of aging boats from the late teens and early twenties, with only a few of the newer, more modern Gato-class boats. Fortunately, with the war in Europe was already two years old and friction with Japan ever increasing, help from what would become known as the Silent Service in the Pacific was on the way: there were 73 of the new fleet submarines under construction.
The Silent Service in World War II tells the story of America's intrepid underwater warriors in the words of the men who lived the war in the Pacific against Japan. The enemy had already begun to deploy advanced boats, but the U.S. was soon able to match them. By 1943, the new Gato-class boats were making a difference, carrying the war not just to the Japanese Imperial Navy but to the vital merchant fleet that carried the vast array of materiel needed to keep the land of the Rising Sun afloat.
As the war progressed, American success in the Solomons, starting with Guadalcanal, began to constrict the Japanese sea lanes, and operating singly or in wolfpacks, they were able to press their attacks on convoys operating beyond the range of our airpower, making daring forays even into the home waters of Japan itself in the quest for ever more elusive targets. Also taking on Japanese warships, as well as rescuing downed airmen (such as the grateful first President Bush), US submarines made an enormous contribution to our war against Japan.
©2012 Edward Monroe-Jones and Michael Green (P)2018 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Overall
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The War Below is a dramatic account of extraordinary heroism, ingenuity, and perseverance—and the vital role American submarines played in winning the Pacific War. Focusing on the unique stories of the submarines Silversides, Drum, and Tang—and the men who skippered and crewed them—James Scott takes readers beneath the waves to experience the thrill of a direct hit on a merchant ship and the terror of depth charge attacks.
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Unique. Engaging. Worth your credit.
- By Ryan on 06-21-13
By: James Scott
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A Dawn Like Thunder
- The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight
- By: Robert J. Mrazek
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the great untold stories of World War II finally comes to light in this thrilling account of the members of Torpedo Squadron Eight and their heroic efforts in helping an outmatched U.S. fleet win critical victories at Midway and Guadalcanal. These 35 American men - many flying outmoded aircraft - changed the course of history, going on to become the war's most decorated naval air squadron, while suffering the heaviest losses in U.S. naval aviation history.
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Excellent story well told
- By Kismet on 01-30-09
By: Robert J. Mrazek
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Rising Sun, Falling Skies
- The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II
- By: Jeffrey Cox
- Narrated by: Theodore O'Brien
- Length: 22 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Few events have ever shaken a country in the way that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor affected the United States. After the devastating attack, Japanese forces continued to overwhelm the Allies, attacking Malaya with its fortress of Singapore, and taking resource-rich islands in the Pacific - Borneo, Sumatra, and Java - in their own blitzkrieg offensive. Allied losses in these early months after America's entry into the war were great, and among the most devastating were those suffered during the Java Sea Campaign.
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The first months of the war were frightening.
- By michael s on 10-07-22
By: Jeffrey Cox
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South Pacific Cauldron
- World War II's Great Forgotten Battlegrounds
- By: Alan Rems
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Unlike most other World War II accounts, this work covers the South Pacific operations in detail. The audiobook includes many now-forgotten operations that deserve to be well remembered. Significantly, the official Australian history of World War II correctly observed that Australia's part in the Pacific war is barely mentioned in American histories. This volume finally brings the major Australian contribution to the fore.
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PONDEROUS BUT OVERALL COMPLETE
- By The Louligan on 09-05-14
By: Alan Rems
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World War II at Sea
- A Global History
- By: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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World War II at Sea offers a global perspective, focusing on the major engagements and personalities and revealing both their scale and their interconnection: the U-boat attack on Scapa Flow and the Battle of the Atlantic; the "miracle" evacuation from Dunkirk and the pitched battles for control of Norway fjords; Mussolini's Regia Marina - at the start of the war the fourth-largest navy in the world - and the dominance of the Kidö Butai and Japanese naval power in the Pacific; Pearl Harbor then Midway; and much more.
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Outstanding
- By Patrick on 02-14-19
By: Craig L. Symonds
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The Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War
- By: Mark E. Stille
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) was the third most powerful navy in the world at the start of World War II and came to dominate the Pacific in the early months of the war. This was a remarkable turnaround for a navy that only began to modernize in 1868. The Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War details the Japanese ships which fought in the Pacific and examines the principles on which they were designed, how they were armed, when and where they were deployed, and how effective they were in battle.
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Great Technical Reference
- By Dale H. Reeck on 06-09-18
By: Mark E. Stille
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The Tank Killers
- A History of America's World War II Tank Destroyer Force
- By: Harry Yeide
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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The Tank Killers follows the men who fought in the tank destroyers from the formation of the force in 1941 through the victory over the Third Reich in 1945. It is a story of the American Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy, and the European Theater during World War II, and of American flexibility and pragmatism in military affairs.
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Dry and without detail
- By Vernon D. Burt on 08-06-18
By: Harry Yeide
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Commanding the Pacific
- Marine Corps Generals in World War II
- By: Stephen R. Taaffe
- Narrated by: Asa Siegel
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In Commanding the Pacific: Marine Corps Generals in World War II, Stephen R. Taaffe analyzes the 15 high-level Marine generals who led the Corps' six combat divisions and two corps in the conflict. He concludes that these leaders played an indispensable role in organizing, training, and leading their men to victory.
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Challenge for the Pacific
- Guadalcanal: The Turning Point of the War
- By: Robert Leckie
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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From the Japanese soldiers' carefully calculated - and ultimately foiled - attempt to build a series of impregnable island forts on the ground to the tireless efforts of the Americans who struggled against a tenacious adversary and the temperature and terrain of the island itself, Robert Leckie captures the loneliness, the agony, and the heat of 24-hour-a-day fighting on Guadalcanal.
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Too much like a text book
- By Randall on 01-03-18
By: Robert Leckie
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The Battle of Britain
- Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 26 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The Battle of Britain paints a stirring picture of an extraordinary summer when the fate of the world hung by a thread. Historian James Holland has now written the definitive account of those months based on extensive new research from around the world, including thousands of new interviews with people on both sides of the battle.
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The battle up to The Battle of Britain
- By Chiefkent on 11-07-17
By: James Holland
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War in the South Pacific
- Out in the Boondocks, U.S. Marines Tell Their Stories
- By: James D. Horan, Gerold Frank
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Here, in heart-stopping human detail, are 21 personal accounts told by the men themselves. They are the stories of men who lived in hell and lived to tell of it. The battles of Gavutu-Tanambogo, Tulagi, Tenaru, Matanikau, and Guadalcanal are all covered through these accounts, which take the listener right to the epicenter of the Pacific conflict.
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How it was like I was there
- By Joseph Shephard on 08-29-24
By: James D. Horan, and others
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American Heritage History of World War II
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose, C. L. Sulzberger
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In planes and foxholes, in deserts and jungles, on ships and beaches, Ambrose shines a light on the people involved - the leaders, the fighters, the victims. With chapters on the atrocities of the Holocaust and revelations about the secret war of espionage, Ambrose's analysis also offers insight into the events that precipitated the Cold War.
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Excellent overview of WWII
- By Laura Kernen on 11-15-18
By: Stephen E. Ambrose, and others
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Victory at Sea
- Naval Power and the Transformation of the Global Order in World War II
- By: Paul Kennedy, Ian Marshall - illustrator
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In this engaging narrative, historian Paul Kennedy grapples with the rise and fall of the Great Powers during World War II. Tracking the movements of the six major navies of the Second World War—the allied navies of Britain, France, and the United States and the Axis navies of Germany, Italy, and Japan—Kennedy tells a story of naval battles, maritime campaigns, convoys, amphibious landings, and strikes from the sea.
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No the defendant work on all navies fighting in World War II.
- By Kent Steen on 09-24-22
By: Paul Kennedy, and others
What listeners say about The Silent Service in World War II
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- Julie Rae Loving
- 07-08-21
For the real story by real people (not historians)
Very informative! This is 49 short stories written by the men who actually served. Much better than a "lecture" by people who have only researched these things.
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- Mark V.
- 04-03-20
Great short stories.
Made me feel happy and sad at the same time. Thank the men and lady for sharing.
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- Brian W.
- 05-14-22
fantastic book covering a good number of accounts
its a collection of many submariner experiences thru wwii. from pre war on and past the end. excelent listen.
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- Aegis
- 03-06-19
No chapters!
No chapters! Try finding a story you liked when there is no navigation. Narration was great, stories were great. The "No chapters" was a software or hardware glitch. After restarting, it's now okay.
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- Julie L. Kerner
- 02-04-22
hard to put down
a well read collection of short stories detailing submarine war patrols. Some ended in victory, some interred in brutal POW camps, and some just ended.
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- Doug Doyle
- 11-17-23
Nice coverage of the smaller events of WWII.
Best when covering the experience that enlisted had during their service. Wish each chapter intro did not spoil the surprises of the story.
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- Anonymous User
- 12-02-20
Good
There are many individual’s stories covering a wide rage of time though the war. Good narration.
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- Brian
- 03-27-19
great short stories
loved the collection of short stories about submarines and their crews during World War 2.
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- John Ray
- 10-16-20
Voice far too pedantic and precious for nature of story
As indicated in the title of my review, the voice register in this book is far too pedantic and precious for the nature of these 1st person short stories. Otherwise, is interesting.
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- AverageGuy
- 06-09-19
Good, But Smacks of High School Talent
This is a good, compelling book of short, non fiction stories. Takes warming up, though.
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