The Iron Sea, Simon Read
The Iron Sea, Simon Read
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The Iron Sea
How the Allies Hunted and Destroyed Hitler¿s Warships

Author: Simon Read

Narrator: Raphael Corkhill

Unabridged: 10 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/03/2020

Synopsis

From the acclaimed military history author, this action-packed World War II history describes the Allies' brutal naval engagements and daring harbor raids to destroy the backbone of Hitler's surface fleet.
The sea had become a mass grave by 1941 as Hitler's four capital warships -- Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Tirpitz, and Bismarck, the largest warship on the ocean -- roamed the wind-swept waves, threatening the Allied war effort and sending thousands of men to the icy depths of the North Atlantic. Bristling with guns and steeled in heavy armor, these reapers of the sea could outrun and outgun any battleship in the Allied arsenal. The deadly menace kept Winston Churchill awake at night; he deemed them "targets of supreme consequence."
The campaign against Hitler's surface fleet would continue into the dying days of World War II and involve everything from massive warships engaged in bloody, fire-drenched battle to daring commando raids in German occupied harbors. This is the fast-paced story of the Allied bomber crews, brave sailors, and bold commandoes who "sunk the Bismarck" and won a hard-fought victory over Hitler's iron sea.
Using official war diaries, combat reports, eyewitness accounts and personal letters, Simon Read brings the action and adventure to vivid life. The result is an enthralling and gripping story of the Allied heroes who fought on a watery battlefield.

About Simon Read

Simon Read is an award-winning journalist and author. His most recent histories include The Iron Sea: How the Allies Hunted and Destroyed Hitler’s Warships; Winston Churchill Reporting: Adventures of a Young War Correspondent; and Human Game: The ‘Great Escape’ Murders and the Hunt for the Gestapo Gunmen. His work has been featured on the top-rated true crime podcasts Morbid and Criminal. As a journalist, his writing has appeared in a variety of journals, from the San Francisco Chronicle to Time Magazine. Simon lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Alex on September 06, 2020

Really enjoyed this fast paced and very well researched WWII saga. Gives a great overview of the Battle of the Atlantic etc. and is a true page turner.......more

Goodreads review by Mark on March 31, 2021

The Iron Sea is only 250 pages long so for me the condensed air and sea operation descriptions were kind of hard to digest. There isn't much set-up for the action or characters and I found myself confused at times who is who and whose ships are whose.. That being said the book was very interesting a......more

Goodreads review by Josh on January 21, 2021

Relatively short history (249 pages of main text). Brisk and easy read that certainly doesn't try to side-step the ugly side of war. No maps.......more

Goodreads review by Craig on August 09, 2020

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Highly readable and entertaining. The action described here is nothing new to World War II historians and it is especially disappointing that the lesser actions were not covered. It was, however, fun to read and factually corre......more

Goodreads review by John on July 20, 2020

It is extremely rare that I can say of a non-fiction book that I could not put it down. This is at the top of the list of those rare books. While all the facts and details are there, this talented author brought the history to life and it truly felt like I was reading an exciting piece of military f......more

Quotes

"Simon Read's The Iron Sea is a wonderful, rip-roaring account of one of the greatest hunts in history - the pursuit of Hitler's warships. You'll feel the lash of salt spray, the thunder of depth charges, the immense tension of the chase. A superb addition to the annals of naval WWII history."—Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Liberator and The Longest Winter

"Prepare to journey back in time to the perilous early years of the Second World War, where Britain's lifelines depended on the destruction of four mighty German surface ships. Simon Read brilliantly retells the stories of the hunt for Hitler's warships in a single volume, which is crisply researched and brimming with vivid prose."—Patrick K. O'Donnell, bestselling author of Washington's Immortals and The Unknowns

"Winston Churchill's greatest fear in World War II was of losing the battle of the Atlantic and Britain being starved into surrender. I felt tingles down my spine when I read of the feats of so very many ordinary men and women from so many walks of life who sank Hitler's battle fleet, and stopped that from happening.... Read's Iron Sea, with its scholarly research and scintillating prose style, will leave you full of pride for that extraordinary generation and their staggering achievement."—Andrew Roberts, award-winning and bestselling author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny

"Simon Read's The Iron Sea is a riveting fast-paced drama about the havoc Hitler's surface fleet caused the Allies in World War II. Expertly researched and finely written this is a major new contribution to WW2 military history. Highly recommended!"—Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race

"In The Iron Sea Simon Read brings readers straight into the heart of the tumultuous battle to control the Atlantic. Swarms of dive-bombers, lines of torpedoes cutting through inky black waters, the shrill cries of officers and sailors, the plumes of smoke and fire--all come viscerally to life in this narrative thriller."—Neal Bascomb, New York Times bestselling author of The Winter Fortress and Faster

"Drawing on firsthand accounts from Allied and German sources, Read recreates the demise of each German warship in gripping, often poignant, prose. WWII buffs and naval history fans will be spellbound."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A vivid and detailed analysis... The fast-paced narrative draws on a solid foundation of primary sources and moves easily from meta-themes of strategy to the experiences of the sailors and airmen of Allied and Axis powers... an engaging history recommended for all U.S. history and WWII collections"—Library Journal

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