Sonarman's War

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.

“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.

• Table of ContentsPreface      1. The Agony of Waiting December 1941 –September 1942      2. “You’re in the Navy Now” September–December 1942      3. Farm Boy in the Big Apple December 24, 1942–March 4, 1943      4. Introduction to Africa: French Morocco March–August 1943      5. Closer to the Front: Algeria and Tunisia August–December 1943      6. Agony at Anzio January 1944      7. “No-Hands Ward Ambassador” January–March 1944      8. Cinq-Deux-Cinq While I Was Away January 26–March 10, 1944      9. Back Aboard, Back to Anzio March–July 1944      10. Attacking the “Soft Underbelly” of Europe July–September 1944      11. Another Side of War: Ashore in Sicily, Italy, Corsica and France January–September 1944      12. Back to the “Good Ole U.S. of A.” September–November 1944      13. Stateside Interlude: Norfolk and Panama December 1944–March 1945      14. Hiatus: California and Hawaii. March–June 1945      15. Bloody Okinawa June–August 1945      16. Finishing Off the Japanese August–October 1945      17. Formosa, China, and Japan Again November 1945–January 1946      18. The Long Way Home January–March 1946      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index