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Thunder Below!

The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II

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Thunder Below!

Written by: Eugene B. Fluckey
Narrated by: Corey Snow
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About this listen

The thunderous roar of exploding depth charges was a familiar and comforting sound to the crew members of the USS Barb, who frequently found themselves somewhere between enemy fire and Davy Jones's locker. Under the leadership of her fearless skipper, Captain Gene Fluckey, the Barb sank the greatest tonnage of any American sub in World War II. At the same time, the Barb did far more than merely sink ships-she changed forever the way submarines stalk and kill their prey.

This is a gripping adventure chock-full of "you-are-there" moments. Fluckey has drawn on logs, reports, letters, interviews, and a recently discovered illegal diary kept by one of his torpedomen. And in a fascinating twist, he uses archival documents from the Japanese Navy to give its version of events. The unique story of the Barb begins with its men, who had the confidence to become unbeatable. Each team helped develop innovative ideas, new tactics, and new strategies. All strove for personal excellence, and success became contagious. Instead of lying in wait under the waves, the USS Barb pursued enemy ships on the surface, attacking in the swift and precise style of torpedo boats. She was the first sub to use rocket missiles and to creep up on enemy convoys at night, joining the flank escort line from astern, darting in and out as she sank ships up the column. Surface-cruising, diving only to escape, "Luckey Fluckey" relentlessly patrolled the Pacific, driving his boat and crew to their limits. There can be no greater contrast to modern warfare's long-distance, video game style of battle than the exploits of the captain and crew of the USS Barb, where the sub, out of ammunition, actually rammed an enemy ship until it sank. Thunder Below! is a first-rate, true-life, inspirational story of the courage and heroism of ordinary men under fire.

©1992 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (P)2013 Tantor
Americas Armed Forces Military Military Science Wars & Conflicts Transportation War Submarine Naval History

What the critics say

"Fluckey is a fine writer with a lively, colorful style. His book is packed with action and suspense and is rich in details about the day-today operation of a submarine in combat." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Thunder Below!

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Outstanding Account

Excellent, amazing story of and outstanding submarine and the skipper who commanded it and the crew

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Great read. Tom Clancy... But it's real.

Loved it. It's like a Tom Clancy novel but real life. Admiral Fluckey was able to achieve great victories because he was a great leader of men. Splice the mainbrace!

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AUTHENTIC AND ENGAGING

Eugene Fluckey’s narrative is convincing and gripping. The reader can research the details independently and find that all the pieces of the story fit together perfectly. Chapter 19 contains a description of rocket attacks from The Barb. Oddly, and perhaps it’s only a spell checker error, these attacks are referred to as “massages” when most likely these are “barrages”. Flukey is a really intelligent warrior and greatly admired by his crew for his humanity, his fairness and care and concern for the welfare of those under his command. It’s no wonder he rose to the position of Admiral. Amazing story.

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Highly recommended listen

Despite not being a war movie buff I thoroughly enjoyed this true life tail! Courage, leadership and humility so clearly lived out in this man’s naval career!

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Great book!

I am very pleased with this book.
It is well worth your time.
You should not be disappointed.

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Riveting

This book is an incredible telling of the bravery, skill, and dedication of those on the Barb.

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Amazing story!

Found it very interesting, a true story better than fiction. The accounts, technical detail, and insight into tactics and the people involved really brings the story back to life.

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Loved it!

Great book. You feel every thing that happened as though you were there. Highly recommended.

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The US Barb and her Barbarians

Another truly amazing book covering the lives of US service personal in ww2. such a good listen. To Barb, Captain Fluckey, and all the crew of the Barb Cheers!

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exelent read for people interested in submariners

a great story about submariners and the struggles they had.

it's not your standard "on this date we did this, and in that day we did that" sort of military recounting. although there is a lot of that, it's always interesting, and its interjected with lots of conversations and peoples reactions etc.

this had me interested from start to finish.

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