Only seven U.S. submariners earned the Medal of Honor in World War II. Sam Dealey, the USS Harder s commander, was one of them. His honor was awarded posthumously after the entire crew was lost off Bataan during a depth-charge attack in August 1944 by a Japanese convoy. The Harder s fighting spirit is legendary, and its record of sinking a total of eighteen enemy ships (with a tonnage in excess of 55,000) made Dealey one of the top five submarine skippers in the war. During a single patrol his crew sank five enemy destroyers in five short-range torpedo attacks – an unprecedented feat. In addition, the Harder played important roles in rescue missions, extracting secret operatives deep in enemy territory and saving downed pilots. Drawing on previously untapped sources, Michael Sturma, a Fremantle-based Australian historian teaching at Murdoch University, details several daring missions, one that involved the heroic Australian commando Bill Jinkins, and puts the Harder s action in the context of the overall Pacific campaign. pp.246 Illusts, maps #0616 First Edition

USS Harder berthed at Fremantle Harbour.

Operation Python was carried out by the Allied commando unit Z Special Unit