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Fremantle's Submarines

How Allied Submariners and Western Australians Helped to Win the War in the Pacific

Michael Sturma author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Naval Institute Press

Published:30th Sep '15

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Fremantle's Submarines cover

From unpromising beginnings in March 1942, the Allied submarine base at Fremantle on the west coast of Australia became a vital part of the Allied offensive against Japan. Pushed back from the Philippines and the Netherlands' East Indies, American submariners, accompanied by a small group of Dutch forces, retreated to Fremantle as a last resort. The location was chosen for its good harbor and the fact that it was outside the range of land-based Japanese aircraft. Unfortunately the base was also far from their patrol areas and supply lines, and it was difficult to reinforce should the enemy attack. Thanks largely to a welcoming civilian population, morale quickly improved. The hospitality and sense of belonging fostered by Western Australians became legendary among Allied submariners and remains central to their wartime memories. Perhaps as a result of such a positive experience, the Allied forces became much more successful in combat. Intertwining social and military history, Fremantle's Submarines relates how courage, cooperation, and community made Fremantle arguably the most successful military outpost of World War II from the standpoint of troop morale.

“Sturma has provided an important service in reminding readers of the importance not only of submarines in the war but also the alliance between the U.S. and Australia. Too often accounts of the war in the Pacific ignore the role of American allies, including no only the Australians but also the British, Dutch, New Zealanders, residents of the Philippines, and many others who need to be recognized to tell the complete story.”
—The Journal of Military History


“This book achieved what it set out to do. Sturma moves comfortably between discussing strategy, leaders, tactics, weapons and civilian-submariner relations. Archival material, personal records, memoirs and post-war interviews are all used well to bring the experiences of leaders, rank-and-file and civilians into sharp focus. Fremantle’s Submarines will interest general and academic readers concerned with submarine warfare in the Pacific War and the Australian home-front experience.”
—History Australia

ISBN: 9781612518602

Dimensions: 238mm x 157mm x 22mm

Weight: 500g

248 pages