Reviews for Hellcats: The Epic Story of World War II's Most Daring Submarine Raid

The average rating for Hellcats: The Epic Story of World War II's Most Daring Submarine Raid based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-12-29 00:00:00 Christopher Grosklos In 1945, as Japan was in her death throes, nine American Submarines attempted to finish the job by sinking ships in the Sea of Japan- the last place still safe for Imperial Shipping. Protected by minefields at two openings, and ice at the third, direct shipping between Korea, Manchuria, and Soviet Russia was still plying the sea with impunity- while American and Royal Navy Submarines were wiping out the Marus in the rest of the Pacific. Called Operation Barney, the raid was the brain child of Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood- and required some new technology, called FMS sonar- for mine detection. Peter Sasgen, the Author, has written on Submarines before, and keeps the pace up, weaving personal and military stories well as the raid is developed and then executed, with mixed results. The Japanese were shocked and badly stung, but there was an attack on an ally -and some casualties, so the story is not all success. Still a very Compelling read and very informative on US submarine warfare in WWII. To tell the story of the specific raid, Sasgen has to tell a lot more of US submarine and WWII Submarine history. The whole Torpedo Crisis of 1941-43 is explored, as are the advances in Radar and Sonar that aided the US undersea effort. I did not know how much Japanese Sonar and Radar had developed in the war and found this refresher class very useful. American doctrine , the technology and the distances are quite different from Atlantic Sub warfare, and Sasgen takes you through the history quite ably. There's also enough content on the human side of navy and submarine life for those more mainstream readers. The tension of sneaking through/around a minefield comes through to any reader. There is some adult themed content so this is a book best read by the Junior reader over about 13. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, a real boon. Not sure if people are gaming submarine warfare and raids- but if they are, you have all you need for a cool scenario, as well as information on many other cruises. The modeler will get diorama and "dry for wet" ideas for displays. For the enthusiast, the story of a new technology's adoption, training and in field use in the navy context is just too good to pass up. We get to understand the frustrations of a service forced to fight with inferior tools for too long- and their race to make up for that lost time. I really enjoyed the book- but I don't think you have to be a Military History buff to join me, it's for everyone.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-10-03 00:00:00 Ron Jones As a former submariner, I enjoyed this. Although the submarines I rode were many times larger and more comfortable than the ones of WWII, there were times when I could identify with some of the feelings of the men on those submarines. I am undecided as to whether the mission was unnecessary or not. Maybe it was for revenge or maybe the higher ups in the sub program wanted to prove the submarines were a very viable weapon if used right. I also wonder how many boats and men were lost because of BUORDs bureaucracy regarding torpedos and blaming the submariners for their failures. I occasionally visit the USS Drum at Battleship Park in Mobile and marvel at the conditions the early submariners endured. It definitely takes a different breed.