[Subnuts]

Another review I've written for Epinions. Enjoy!

It took nerves of steel to command a WWII era midget submarine. My first introduction to these unusual machines was at Groton's United States Submarine Museum. I got a chance to run my hands down the narrow steel hull of a battered Japanese Ko-Hyoteki. Now, I have a book to better understand these once highly-secret craft.

During the Second World War, a number of different types of these miniature vessels (100 tons or smaller) were engaged in various activities. These vessels were designed to inflict damage disproportionate to their size. In some cases it was successful - note the crippling of the battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant by a number of Italian frogmen. More often than not, these operations ended in disaster.

This book by Paul Kemp is divided into three chapters (human torpedoes, submersibles, and midget submarines). Each chapter is divided by individual vehicle descriptions. The description of a typical craft begins with a few paragraphs detailing the genesis of the design, such as initial inception and intended uses. A section on construction and design detail the mechanical and structural properties of the craft, along with the weapons and systems used. A final section describes the operations that craft was used in.

The book begins with a brief introduction discussing developments before WWII. The first chapter covers human torpedoes (small, open-cockpit, two-man craft designed to penetrate an enemy harbor, attach explosive charges to a ship's hull, and escape).

The story of the Italian Maile is not well known. In an ingenious move, these craft operated from a derelict Spanish tanker almost on Gibraltar's doorstep, damaging or sinking a number of large merchant ships. Paul Kemp attributes their success to excellent training, selective strategic targeting, a closely-knit unit, and a well-designed craft. In contrast, the very similar British Chariot was nowhere as successful, as they were used willy-nilly against "targets of opportunity" . This point is repeated several times throughout the book.

Chapter 2 describes submersibles (one-man mini-subs with limited autonomy). Kemp has scathing words for every vehicle described - too dangerous to it's crewmember, ill-considered, impractical, and improperly deployed.

The British Welman was built with a minimum of resources, and no attempt was made to improve them. The Welman was used only once, resulting in one being captured, and three being scuttled.

The German Neger was even more dangerous. It consisted of a torpedo body with a small transparent "canopy", below which a single G7 torpedo was mounted. It could not dive, and the merest oil slick would impair visibility. Dozens were lost, without damaging a single allied vessel.

Even though the death of it's single crewman was inevitable, the Japanese suicide weapon Kaiten was the least effective of all. The crew were poorly trained, the craft was difficult to control, and submarines carrying Kaiten proved vulnerable on the surface. 8 carrier submarines and 900 men were lost, along with about 100 Kaiten, to enemy action, for a return of 3 allied ships. Kemp also briefly describes the Koryu and Kairyu[/i] submersibles, both suicide weapons built out of desperation.

Chapter 3 describes midget submarines (small submarines capable of undertaking operations without immediate support of a carrier ship). The first vessels described are the Italian B/CA/CB classes. Like the Maile, these had well-trained crews and were used selectively, in this case against Soviet merchants in the Black Sea. A CA.2 was modified to carry out an attack on New York harbor, which never happened because of the Italian armistice.

Kemp has high praise for the Japanese Ko-Hyoteki, but disparages the Japanese naval commanders for their improper use of this weapon. The Ko-Hyoteikis were designed to thin out an attacking American fleet before a grand set-piece "final battle", a long-standing Japanese strategy. Yamamoto reversed this policy in February 1941; the Ko-Hyoteki suddenly became a harbor-penetration weapon. Despite it's long range, high speed, powerful armament, and highly-trained crew, it had a fatal flaw: the torpedoes left a tell-tale wake leading back to the launcher. All five used at Pearl Harbor were sunk; they slightly more successful later in the war.

The strongest praise is saved for the British X-Craft. Indeed, a full 21 pages is devoted to discussing all aspects of this most successful midget. For once, a truly effective covert submarine had been built. They were quiet, superbly designed, long-ranged, and manned by elite, closely-knit crews. This praise is no doubt deserved. X-craft crippled the battleship Tirpitz and cruiser Takao, served as navigational beacons for the Normandy invasion force, and were instrumental in the severing of Japanese telephone links in southwestern Asia.

The final WWII craft described is the German Seehund Type XXVIIB U-boat. These two-men craft were used late in the war and flung rather thoughtlessly at Allied convoys moving through the English Channel. They sunk 9 merchants for a loss of 35 of their own (15 to enemy action). Their chief success was a weapon of paranoia, holding down a large portion of the allie's ASW forces. Had they came earlier, they probably would have been more effective.

The final chapter covers post-war midgets and human torpedoes, such as the American X-1 and the North Korean Sang-O.

This book provides an excellent introduction to a grossly neglected subject, and pushes the importance of a closely-knit team and strategic foresight (indeed, probably the book's raison d’être). It is neither oversimplified or mind-boggling complex. I have no real complaints about this volume, though Mr. Kemp's strong praise for the X-Craft might be somewhat nationalistically-fueled.

About 90 black-and-white photographs, and 10 line drawings are included. Additional illustrations include an isometric cutaway of the X-Craft, a cross-section of the Seehund, and plans of the British Chariot human torpedo. The back pocket holds a double-sided modeler's plan for the Seehund and X-Craft at 1:24 scale. These show both sides, the dorsal surface, frame lines, and close-ups of important details.

Please note that this book has recently been republished by Book Sales Inc. as a bargain title, retailing for $19.99. At that price, you can't go wrong.