The Sonarman's War - by H G Jones (Paperback)

About the Book

"This memoir is an intimate and often irreverent account of one man's coming of age during World War II. This memoir is drawn not only from memory, but from the author's surviving diaries from the conflicts, daily logs of the three ships upon which he served, and the secret reports of military commanders and other official records"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

This memoir is an intimate and sometimes irreverent account of one man's coming of age during World War II. Born a North Carolina farmboy, Jones served as a U.S. Navy sonarman aboard a wooden submarine chaser operating from Africa and Sicily during the Allied invasions at Anzio and Southern France. He also served as sonarman and yeoman on two fleet mine sweepers in the Okinawa, Formosa and China operations. This memoir is drawn not only from memory, but from the author's surviving diaries from the conflicts, daily logs of the three ships upon which he served, and the secret reports of military commanders and other official records.

Review Quotes

"Jones's book is as solidly researched as it is well written"-The North Carolina Historical Review; "this tale is a detailed view of a seaman's life...Jones' war is a microcosm of a thousand seamen's wars, in a dozen navies and therein lies its value in recording history. Sometimes the larger histories fail to give a picture of what it was really like from day to day. This tale accomplishes that"-The Northern Mariner/Le Marin du Word; "a well-written account of one young man's coming of age during World War II...highly recommend"-PCSA Newsletter; "offers a detailed description of the life of a sonarman aboard a wooden submarine chaser. The book will interest World War II buffs and particularly readers who would relish a first-person view of the war from the dicks of the small submarine chasers and minesweepers"-Reference & Research Book News.

About the Author

H.G. Jones (Ph.D. Duke) has served as a history professor in several universities; state archivist and director of the North Carolina Department of Archives and History; and curator of the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His career was capped in 2002 with the North Carolina Award for Public Service, the state's highest civilian recognition. He lives in Pittsboro.