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 AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ! May 14, 2009
Aside from the fact that my father served in the Coast Guard
during WWII, it's refreshing to finally read a book devoted
entirely to the Coast Guard regarding a specific part of the war.
Eisenhower himself stated; "Andrew Higgins was the man who won
the war for us." And it's a fact, Coast Guardsmen specialized in
the handling of these 'small boats'. But the Coast Guard during WWII,
should also be remembered for many other acts of bravery,
sacrifice and courage. In vivid detail, using eye witness accounts,
and numerous historical documents, Michael Walling brings out for us,
stories of amazing fortitude and endurance as these men were faced
with death each and every day on the high seas.
As a WWII researcher and filmmaker, I am well familiar with the
work required to create an accurate story. Mike Walling puts new
meaning to the effort needed to 'get it right'
I thank you Michael for reaching many of these men who have since
passed on.
Michael Fraticelli
 lagging Mar 09, 2008
Really excited to start this, as my dad was in the Coast Guard and his vessel is frequently mentioned - but halfway through feels like it isn't going anywhere. Maybe it'll pick up if I stick with it.
Horror in the Atlantic Jun 29, 2007
Mike Walling backs up for a running start: he describes the sudden attention paid to the Coast Guard by the Navy before WWII was even declared. I wonder if the record of 1 hour and 45 minutes still stands for painting a white ship battleship gray.
In chapter after chapter he delineates the torpedoing of merchant ships by the dozen and the storms never seemed to let up. The rescues of a pitifully few men are nothing short of amazing. It reads like a whodunnit even though we know how it comes out.
Mike takes some statistics and breathes life into them making the reader really care what happens to the ships doomed or not. I'm guessing that surviving U-boat commanders are reading it and learning how it all came out.
The judges of the Samuel Eliot Morison award for Navy literature are to be commended for tearing themselves away from the book and awarding it the prize.
Bloodstained Sea Mar 26, 2007
Bloodstained Sea was a pleasure to read, my Dad served on the USCGC Campbell during WWII so this book was special to me. Unfortunately, he passed away at an early age allowing him and me no time to discuss his Coast Guard service. This book has given me the opportunity to understand some of the hardships those men endured.
If history interests you at all this is a must read. The rescues, tragedies and determination of these men are brought to life with the author's detail.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Interesting view on the Battle of the Atlantic Jul 20, 2006
Every author that attempts to undertake a project to write a portion of the history of the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II has to pick a specific area to focus on - some focus on the U-Boats, some on the merchant ships, other on the tactics. Michael Walling has chosen to explore a different area than any others I've seen - the US Coast Guard involvement in the battle, with a particular focus on the Secretary Class of the Coast Guard Cutters.
The Secretary class boats were 327 foot long cutters that could run at high speeds and handle the terrible weather prevalent in the North Atlantic, thus making them ideal for escort & sub-hunting duty. Walling focuses on just a handful of ships in his tale, but does so quite nicely.
Naturally, when covering a topic such as an entire theatre of war, many other players partake in the story, and Walling most assuredly has not ignored any of the critical players, including the merchant vessels that the Cutters were escorting, the U-Boats that they were hunting, or (most importantly) the people that they were rescuing.
In my opinion, Walling spends perhaps a little too much time on the weather aspects of the battle, though this certainly made for fascinating reading, since many authors almost completely ignore this facet of this theater of war. Overall, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would say that it is an exciting, well researched, engaging tome covering the topic. I would recommend this book, in conjunction with some others, to any reader looking for a comprehensive story - this is a nice piece, it needed to be told, and is a solid addition to the literature on the topic.
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