Battleground Atlantic
How the Sinking of a Single Japanese Submarine Assured the Outcome of WW II
Nonfiction, History, Military, Naval, Modern, 20th Century, World War II
| Author: | Richard N. Billings | ISBN: | 9781101210901 |
| Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group | Publication: | April 4, 2006 |
| Imprint: | Dutton Caliber | Language: | English |
| Author: | Richard N. Billings |
| ISBN: | 9781101210901 |
| Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group |
| Publication: | April 4, 2006 |
| Imprint: | Dutton Caliber |
| Language: | English |
The true story of a German-Japanese scheme to turn much of America into a radioactive wasteland.
In the early hours of June 24, 1944, U.S. Navy warplanes patrolling the Atlantic attacked a Japanese submarine known as the I-52. But this was more than the sinking of one more enemy warship. It was an event of enormous strategic importance. For the I-52’s mission was to return to Japan with the lethal ingredients of a doomsday weapon—the radiological bomb—which remained a government secret for years.
The I-52’s resting place—18,000 feet below the surface of the mid-Atlantic—became public in 1995, when discovered by ship salvager Paul Tidwell. Author Richard N. Billings has worked with Tidwell—whose attempts to salvage the I-52’s precious gold cargo continue—in bringing her secret mission to light. This is also the story of how the I-52 mission may have influenced President Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, thereby saving the United States from a similar fate.
The true story of a German-Japanese scheme to turn much of America into a radioactive wasteland.
In the early hours of June 24, 1944, U.S. Navy warplanes patrolling the Atlantic attacked a Japanese submarine known as the I-52. But this was more than the sinking of one more enemy warship. It was an event of enormous strategic importance. For the I-52’s mission was to return to Japan with the lethal ingredients of a doomsday weapon—the radiological bomb—which remained a government secret for years.
The I-52’s resting place—18,000 feet below the surface of the mid-Atlantic—became public in 1995, when discovered by ship salvager Paul Tidwell. Author Richard N. Billings has worked with Tidwell—whose attempts to salvage the I-52’s precious gold cargo continue—in bringing her secret mission to light. This is also the story of how the I-52 mission may have influenced President Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, thereby saving the United States from a similar fate.
