Once again, Professor Sturma has presented a detailed study of a facet of World War II history that has so far received very little attention. His well-researched and very readable work makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of submarine warfare in the Pacific.
~Don Keith, author of War Beneath the Waves: A True Story of Courage and Leadership Aboard a World War II Submarine
Surface and Destroy fills an important gap in our knowledge of the War with Japan in general and the submarine war in particular. It is liekly to appeal to both specialists and general readers with an interest in naval history of the Second World War.
~Ronald H. Spector, author of In the Ruins of Empire: The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia
A relatively little-known aspect of the Pacific War. Well documented, this book is recommended for those interested in World War II naval and Pacific operations.
~Library Journal, Library Journal
Michael Sturma has penned an intriguing book on a virtually unknown aspect of a submariner's war
~WWII History
During World War II... the force frequently engaged enemy ships and boats in gun battles on the surface. The author fills in a gap in history by documenting the gun actions.
~Seapower
An important book for every serious Naval buff for the author offers countless insights into just about every type and condition of surface gun attack and its consequences.... A superb read by an author who knows his subject well.
~Sea Classics
Michael Sturma's Surface and Destroy will change the way you view World War II in the Pacific. This book is an important addition to the widening literature on the collateral damage that attended the ground and air wars in World War II.
~History Book Club
This is an important book. The writing is excellent and the research meticulous.... [I]t is well worth reading. There has long been a need for a comprehensive account of U.S. submarine gun actions in the Pacific during World War II. This book... provides such an account.
~Proceedings of the US Naval Institute
In examining both the operational and human aspects of submarine surface gun attacks, Michael Sturma offers a potent corrective to the traditional view of submarine warfare.
~Post Library
A compelling meditation on the nature of modern war.
~Northern Mariner
Sturma has genuinely contributed to the history of the submarine war in the Pacific and solidified his standing as the leading academic historian of U.S. submarine warfare in the Second World War. — Military History
~Joel Ira Holwitt
Surface and Destroy is a valuable contribution to the literature on the Pacific War and submarine operations. — The NYMAS Review
~The NYMAS Review
This excellent book may well make modern naval commanders pause and think about current submarine doctrine. — Work Boat World
~Work Boat World
[...] [T]his thoroughly researched, richly footnoted book is a must for anyone interested in the Pacific War, submarine warfare or the dynamics of escalation.
~Second World War Military Operations Research Group