World War II *Detailed and entertaining combat history *Draws on the letters and papers of crew members `A fine adventure story and well told. Mr. Sasgen has added another worthy chapter to the history of a too long 'silent service.'- Submarine Review `A thoroughly researched book . . . Sasgen has cut to the quick, and his narrative, though detailed, is not overbearing.' - Associated Press The USS Rasher was one of America's most successful Word War II submarines and her wartime exploits earned her three Presidential Unit Citations. The Rasher sank eighteen enemy ships and destroyed 99,901 tons, which was the second highest tonnage of the war. The Rasher's fifth war patrol is the stuff of legends: during a single night surface attack on a Japanese convoy off the Philippines in August 1944, she sank the escort carrier Taiyo and three maru Japanese warships, and later during the same patrol sank another ship. Rich in detail and entertaining to read, the book covers all aspects of the Rasher's combat history in a way that both the general reader and veteran submariner will appreciate. The author's father served aboard the Rasher for all eight of her war patrols, and this lively chronicle of events draws from his letters and papers as well as those of other crew members. In his examination of the factors that contributed to the Rasher's success, Peter Sasgen pays tribute to the skipper's daring and aggressive tactics. Peter Sasgen was born in Illinois in 1941. After graduating from college in Philadelphia, he served in the US Navy and later worked as a graphic designer and photographer in Washington, D.C. He is the author of a technothriller about submarines titled War Plan Red.