Submarine: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts of the War under the Sea

This collection of oral histories is the first book to bring together eyewitness accounts from almost every navy that deployed submarines in World War II. With self-deprecating modesty, humor, pride, sadness, and sometimes bitterness, submariners from Great Britain, Germany, the United States, Italy, France, the former USSR and Yugoslavia, Norway, Greece, Poland, the Netherlands, and Japan describe submarine life. From landing agents in enemy territory, laying mines, and being depth-charged, to distilling illicit alcohol, rescuing a cat, and treating appendicitis, the stories add an important personal dimension to the official operational record of WWII submarines. Arranged chronologically, the stories are given background and context by the editor for a full understanding of the contributions made by those who served beneath the waves.