:From the rear cover of this 524 page book, Commander Edward L. Beach, U.S.N. (Ret.) writes: "'Silent Victory' is an extraordinary book. The depth of Clay Blair's research is nothing short of fantastic. He has found sources I never knew existed, developed facts and sequences I never heard of, and related even familiar events in fresh ways. Most importantly, [this book] does not shy away from full and complete treatment of the controversial aspects of our submarine campaign; our lousy torpedoes, the discrepancy between claimed and confirmed sinkings, the professional disputations between force commanders. It there is anything left out, I certainly do not know what it is, for this book gives the whole scene, the good and the bad, the heroes and the failures, the eager and the reluctant. And it tells a lot about the subs themselves, their development from our original Submarine Number One, U.S.S Holland, to the magnificent boats with which we fought the war. Without doubt or caveat, 'Silent Victory' is the definitive submarine history, up to the emergence of nuclear power. There will never be a rival book. No one but Clay Blair could have done this job this well, and I take my hat off to him."