Description
The first edition of Thunder Below! The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II, inscribed by Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey.
Quarto, xiv, [2], 444, [2]. Blue cloth, title stamped in gilt on the spine. The first printing, with a full number line on the copyright page. Appears unread. In the publisher’s dust jacket, a fine example.
Signed on the half title: “For _ – Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Indianapolis. Good luck, God bless. Gene Fluckey / 28 Sept. 1992.”
The USS Barb (SS-220) was a Gato-class submarine of the United States Navy, commissioned in 1942. Under the command of Commander Eugene B. Fluckey during its later patrols, the Barb sank nearly 100,000 tons of enemy shipping, including an aircraft carrier, several transports, and a host of smaller vessels. Fluckey’s innovative tactics, such as using rockets against coastal targets and landing a small team to sabotage a Japanese train-the only ground action on the Japanese home islands by U.S. forces-earned him the Medal of Honor and the crew the Presidential Unit Citation.
