Military Review English Edition September-October 2014 | Page 123

BOOK REVIEWS

Force pilot, 2nd Lt. Harry J. Kane, and Kapitänleutnant
Horst Degen, the captain of German U-boat 701. The
encounter reaches a climax on July 7, 1942 when Lt.
Kane and his aircrew spot and sink Degen’s U-701. The
event signals a turning point in the war against German
submarines and sets the stage for a lifetime friendship
between two former foes.
America’s fortunes change through a variety of
counter measures including escorting convoys, arming
merchant ships, patrolling, and cracking German naval
code. The stunning Allied turnaround against German
U-boats culminated in a series of convoy battle victories in May 1943, which destroyed forty U-boats and
forced the German navy to withdraw their forces from
the North Atlantic.
The author’s research is extensive and includes
firsthand accounts that convey the harsh reality of life
serving aboard a German U-boat. This book is best
read by those interested in a broad historical overview
of the Battle of the Atlantic and just how close the
United States came to military defeat in early 1942.
Jesse McIntyre III, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

THE LUCKY FEW: The Fall of Saigon and the
Rescue Mission of the USS Kirk
Jan K. Herman, U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2013, 192
pages, $39.95

T

wo years after the United States withdrew
from Vietnam under the auspices of the 1973
Paris Peace Accords, Saigon fell to the communists and the Republic of Vietnam ceased to exist.
The images of the chaos that reigned as the North
Vietnamese tanks surrounded and then stormed into
the South Vietnamese capital city were seared into the
memories of those who watched. Some of the most vivid of these images depicted panicked South Vietnamese
citizens fleeing the North Vietnamese onslaught by sea
to U.S. ships waiting offshore in the Tonkin Gulf. This
group included the remnants of the South Vietnamese
Navy and others who took to the sea in whatever vessels were available, as well as those who commandeered
helicopters and flew out to meet the U.S. fleet.
The Lucky Few tells the unique story of the crew of
the USS Kirk, a destroyer that played a major role in
MILITARY REVIEW  September-October 2014

the 7th Fleet effort to assist people caught up in the fall
of South Vietnam. Trained for war and expecting to be
involved in combat, the crew of the Kirk found themselves involved in a massive humanitarian operation to
save those who had managed to escape their dying nation. In the process, the Kirk played a major role in the
rescue of 32,000 refugees and the escape of thirt