Combat Patrol

by Clay Blair Jr.

A revealing and immensely important book --- the deeds of American submariners in the Pacific, the complete saga that led to victory, one of the most gripping true adventure stories to emerge from World War II. How the wolf pack technique terrified all Japanese shipping. The key role of codebreakers in sinking enemy ships. An emergency appendectomy performed with bent spoons. Frightening moments in a trapped sub as depth charges explode all around.

* from back cover

Genres: History, World War II

397 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Clay Blair, Jr. was an American historian, best known for his books on military history. Born in Lexington, Virginia, he served on the fleet submarine Guardfish (SS-217) in World War II and later wrote for Time and Life magazines before becoming editor-in-chief of The Saturday Evening Post. He assisted General Omar Bradley in the writing of his autobiography, A General's Life (1983), published after the general's death. Blair wrote two dozen history books and hundreds of magazine articles that reached a popular audience. His last book was Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted, 1942–1945 (1998), which followed Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters, 1939–1942 (1996).

Blair's history of the Korean War The Forgotten War: America in Korea, 1950–1953 (1987) is considered one of the definitive historical works on the war. His work was notable for his criticism of senior American political and military leaders. Blair criticizes President Harry S. Truman and his Secretary of Defense, Louis A. Johnson, for failing to maintain the military's readiness in the years immediately following World War II. His history, while comprehensive, primarily employs a top-down perspective, with less emphasis on individual soldiers than on larger operational issues and the perspectives of general and field-grade officers. He has also been criticized by some historians for not making sufficient use of Communist sources.

Blair also wrote extensively on the submarine war of World War II, notably in the bestselling Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan (1975), considered the definitive work on the Pacific submarine war.

Blair was married for many years to Joan Blair, who co-wrote some of his books. Prior to that marriage he was married to Agnes Kemp Devereux Blair, with whom he had seven children: Marie Louise, Clay III, Sibyl, Joseph (deceased), Kemp, Robert and Christopher.
- Wikipedia

Reviews

[Daniel Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed accounts of the American sub patrols against the Japanese during WWII. Details the captains and officers of each boat and the attacks failed and successful of each patrol. The stuborness of the brass and particularly the Bureau of Ordinance to accept the submariners contentions that there were serious problems with the propulsion system and the detonator systems on the torpedoes shows how foolish and arrogant people can be.
A fair minded critique of command, officers, men and machines. Has a good human element to it as well.

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring. I got through about half of it because I have this strange habit of finishing every book that I start, however I just couldn't bring myself to finish this one. There were parts that were interesting, but the chapters skip around to different ships and different events that it makes it difficult to keep track of if you are not terribly knowledgeable about WWII history.