Codename Nemo, Charles Lachman
Codename Nemo, Charles Lachman
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Codename Nemo
The Hunt for a Nazi U-Boat and the Elusive Enigma Machine

Author: Charles Lachman

Narrator: Qarie Marshall

Unabridged: 10 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/04/2024


Synopsis

A 2025 Audie Award® Finalist The white-knuckled saga of a maverick captain, nine courageous sailors, and a US Navy task force who achieved the impossible on June 4, 1944—capturing Nazi submarine U-505, its crew, technology, encryption codes, and an Enigma cipher machine. Two days before D-Day—the course of World War II was forever changed. The hunters of the Atlantic Ocean had become the hunted, and US antisubmarine Task Group 22.3 seized a Nazi U-boat, its crew, and all its secrets. Led by a nine-man boarding party and Captain Daniel Gallery, "Operation Nemo" was the first seizure of an enemy warship in battle since the War of 1812, a victory that shortened the duration of the war. But at any moment, the mission could have ended in disaster. Charles Lachman tells this thrilling cat-and-mouse game through the eyes of the men on both sides of Operation Nemo—German U-boaters and American heroes like Lieutenant Albert David ("Mustang"), who led the boarding party that took control of U-505 and became the only sailor to be awarded the Medal of Honor in the Battle of the Atlantic. Three thousand American sailors participated in this extraordinary adventure; nine ordinary American men channeling extraordinary skill and bravery finished the job; and then—like everyone involved—breathed not a word of it until the war was over. In Berlin, the German Kriegsmarine assumed that U-505 had been blown to bits by depth charges, with all hands lost at sea. They were unaware that the U-boat, its Enigma machine, and its Nazi coded messages were now in American hands. They were also unaware that the 59 German sailors captured on the high seas were imprisoned in a POW camp in Ruston, Louisiana, until their release in 1946. A deeply researched, fast-paced World War II narrative for the ages, Charles Lachman's Codename Nemo traces every step of this historic pursuit on the deadly seas.

About Charles Lachman

Charles Lachman is the author of four previous books: Footsteps in the Snow, The Last Lincolns, A Secret Life, and the crime novel In the Name of the Law. He is the executive producer of the nationally syndicated news magazine, Inside Edition-the enormously popularly source for all things news, information, and politics (Inside Edition is the number one YouTube channel in the genre, beating out the likes of CNN among others). He has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, History, Lifetime, C-Span, Sirius/XM, and other local and national programs.

About Qarie Marshall

Qarie Marshall has narrated over thirty series for the Discovery Channel and the BBC. He has also been a guest voice on Comedy Central's Drawn Together and has recorded BBC radio plays, the in-flight programming for Virgin Atlantic Airlines, over eighty video games for the PlayStation and Xbox, and numerous audiobooks. In 2007, he was made an Associate Artist of The Purple Rose Theatre.


Reviews

Goodreads review by L on June 07, 2024

The U-505 story If you read a lot of naval history (fiction included), you are familiar with stories in which sailors from one vessel board and capture another in battle. That happened a lot in the days of the tall ships, but fell out of fashion when ships were able to fire at each other from miles a......more

Goodreads review by Raymond on February 28, 2025

An enjoyable read. I love real WWII stories that have fascinating plots. This historical novel tells how a German Uboat was captured & the surrounding circumstances. The author told the stories from both the American side & the German side. I love the mystery & suspense elements of this book… Overal......more

Goodreads review by Terzah on April 08, 2024

I'm not big into military history, but this one was an entertaining story with well-drawn characters and a nice arc. It helped the author immensely that he had access to many good primary sources, including recorded interviews and oral histories. Surprisingly fun--and for true WWII Navy buffs, it wi......more

Goodreads review by Heidi on May 31, 2024

This was probably the best-written nonfiction history book I’ve ever read. I was so interested in the stories of the men involved in and leading up to the capture of U505 and the way it all unfolded, I almost forgot I was reading a nonfiction book. I really enjoyed hearing about each of the men’s ba......more

Goodreads review by Natasha on May 12, 2024

All Versions Available June 4/2024 Disclaimer: Please note that I received an Audio ARC from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Lachman’s detailed narrative takes us back to June 4, 1944, just before D-Day, when a US Navy task force achieved the impossi......more


Quotes

"The book takes listeners through [U-Boat 505’s] entire history . . . Qarie Marshall’s reading is sonorous, and he employs an excellent German accent. While some may have tried to manufacture more emotion from a nonfiction war title, Marshall presents this book most appropriately, in a respectful and heartfelt manner." –Library Journal