The Ghost Ships of Archangel
The Arctic Voyage That Defied the Nazis
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $20.25
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Arthur Morey
-
By:
-
William Geroux
About this listen
An extraordinary story of survival and alliance during World War II: the icy journey of four Allied ships crossing the Arctic to deliver much needed supplies to the Soviet war effort.
On the fourth of July, 1942, four Allied ships traversing the Arctic separated from their decimated convoy to head further north into the ice field of the North Pole, seeking safety from Nazi bombers and U-boats in the perilous white maze of ice floes, growlers, and giant bergs. Despite the risks, they had a better chance of survival than the rest of Convoy PQ-17, a fleet of 35 cargo ships carrying $1 billion worth of war supplies to the Soviet port of Archangel - the limited help Roosevelt and Churchill extended to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to maintain their fragile alliance, even as they avoided joining the fight in Europe while the Eastern Front raged.
The high-level politics that put Convoy PQ-17 in the path of the Nazis were far from the minds of the diverse crews aboard their ships. US Navy ensign Howard Carraway, aboard the SS Troubadour, was a farm boy from South Carolina and one of the many Americans for whom the convoy was to be a first taste of war; aboard the SS Ironclad, Ensign William Carter of the US Navy Reserve had passed up a chance at Harvard Business School to join the Navy Armed Guard; from the Royal Navy Reserve, Lt. Leo Gradwell was given command of the HMT Ayrshire, a fishing trawler that had been converted into an antisubmarine vessel. All the while, The Ghost Ships of Archangel turns its focus on Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, playing diplomatic games that put their ships in peril.
The 24-hour Arctic daylight in midsummer gave no respite from bombers, and the Germans wielded the terrifying battleship Tirpitz, nicknamed The Big Bad Wolf. Icebergs were as dangerous as Nazis. As a newly forged alliance was close to dissolving and the remnants of Convoy PQ-17 tried to slip through the Arctic in one piece, the fate of the world hung in the balance.
©2019 William Geroux (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Air Apaches
- The True Story of the 345th Bomb Group and Its Low, Fast, and Deadly Missions in World War II
- By: Jay A. Stout
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The American 345th Bomb Group - the Air Apaches - was legendary in the war against Japan. The first fully trained and fully equipped group sent to the South Pacific, the 345th racked up a devastating score against the enemy. Armed to the teeth with machine guns and fragmentation bombs, and flying their B-25s at impossibly low altitudes - often below 50 feet - the pilots and air crews strafed and bombed enemy installations and shipping with a fury that helped cripple Japan.
-
-
Boring and unorganized unit history
- By R. Denton on 04-25-19
By: Jay A. Stout
-
The Indispensables
- The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware
- By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced annihilation after losing the Battle of Brooklyn. The British had trapped George Washington’s army against the East River, and the fate of the Revolution rested upon the shoulders of the soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Serving side-by-side in one of the country’s first diverse units, they pulled off an “American Dunkirk” and saved the army by navigating the treacherous waters of the river to Manhattan.
-
-
Great Content
- By Elizabeth on 06-13-21
-
A Few Bad Men
- The True Story of US Marines Ambushed in Afghanistan and Betrayed in America
- By: Major Fred Galvin USMC (Ret.), Sal Manna
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ambushed in Afghanistan and betrayed by their own leaders, these elite Marines fought for their lives again, back home. A cross between A Few Good Men and American Sniper, this is the true story of an elite Marine special operations unit bombed by an IED and shot at during an Afghanistan ambush. The Marine Commandos were falsely accused of gunning down innocent Afghan civilians following the ambush. The unit’s leader, Major Fred Galvin, was summarily relieved of duty, and his unit was booted from the combat zone.
-
-
Always Faithful - Marine Corp, are you?
- By David on 06-21-22
By: Major Fred Galvin USMC (Ret.), and others
-
The Third Pole
- Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest
- By: Mark Synnott
- Narrated by: Steve Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hundred-year mystery lured veteran climber Mark Synnott into an unlikely expedition up Mount Everest during the spring 2019 season that came to be known as “the Year Everest Broke”. What he found was a gripping human story of impassioned characters from around the globe and a mountain that will consume your soul - and your life - if you let it.
-
-
This is not a book about the search for Sandy Irvine
- By erik on 09-15-21
By: Mark Synnott
-
The Mathews Men
- Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-boats
- By: William Geroux
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Ghost Ships of Archangel, one of the last unheralded heroic stories of World War II: The U-boat assault off the American coast against the men of the US Merchant Marine who were supplying the European war, and one community’s monumental contribution to that effort. Mathews County, Virginia, is a remote outpost on the Chesapeake Bay with little to offer except unspoiled scenery - but it sent an unusually large concentration of sea captains to fight in World War II.
-
-
Engaging Read Not About Brothers, but Men
- By Gillian on 04-22-16
By: William Geroux
-
Who Can Hold the Sea
- The U.S. Navy in the Cold War 1945-1960
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Christopher Newton, Sharon Hornfischer
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This landmark account of the U.S. Navy in the Cold War, Who Can Hold the Sea combines narrative history with scenes of stirring adventure on—and under—the high seas. In 1945, at the end of World War II, the victorious Navy sends its sailors home and decommissions most of its warships. But this peaceful interlude is short-lived, as Stalin, America’s former ally, makes aggressive moves in Europe and the Far East.
-
-
James D. Hornfisher's last work
- By JWHayn4563 on 05-05-22
-
Air Apaches
- The True Story of the 345th Bomb Group and Its Low, Fast, and Deadly Missions in World War II
- By: Jay A. Stout
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The American 345th Bomb Group - the Air Apaches - was legendary in the war against Japan. The first fully trained and fully equipped group sent to the South Pacific, the 345th racked up a devastating score against the enemy. Armed to the teeth with machine guns and fragmentation bombs, and flying their B-25s at impossibly low altitudes - often below 50 feet - the pilots and air crews strafed and bombed enemy installations and shipping with a fury that helped cripple Japan.
-
-
Boring and unorganized unit history
- By R. Denton on 04-25-19
By: Jay A. Stout
-
The Indispensables
- The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware
- By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced annihilation after losing the Battle of Brooklyn. The British had trapped George Washington’s army against the East River, and the fate of the Revolution rested upon the shoulders of the soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Serving side-by-side in one of the country’s first diverse units, they pulled off an “American Dunkirk” and saved the army by navigating the treacherous waters of the river to Manhattan.
-
-
Great Content
- By Elizabeth on 06-13-21
-
A Few Bad Men
- The True Story of US Marines Ambushed in Afghanistan and Betrayed in America
- By: Major Fred Galvin USMC (Ret.), Sal Manna
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ambushed in Afghanistan and betrayed by their own leaders, these elite Marines fought for their lives again, back home. A cross between A Few Good Men and American Sniper, this is the true story of an elite Marine special operations unit bombed by an IED and shot at during an Afghanistan ambush. The Marine Commandos were falsely accused of gunning down innocent Afghan civilians following the ambush. The unit’s leader, Major Fred Galvin, was summarily relieved of duty, and his unit was booted from the combat zone.
-
-
Always Faithful - Marine Corp, are you?
- By David on 06-21-22
By: Major Fred Galvin USMC (Ret.), and others
-
The Third Pole
- Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest
- By: Mark Synnott
- Narrated by: Steve Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hundred-year mystery lured veteran climber Mark Synnott into an unlikely expedition up Mount Everest during the spring 2019 season that came to be known as “the Year Everest Broke”. What he found was a gripping human story of impassioned characters from around the globe and a mountain that will consume your soul - and your life - if you let it.
-
-
This is not a book about the search for Sandy Irvine
- By erik on 09-15-21
By: Mark Synnott
-
The Mathews Men
- Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-boats
- By: William Geroux
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Ghost Ships of Archangel, one of the last unheralded heroic stories of World War II: The U-boat assault off the American coast against the men of the US Merchant Marine who were supplying the European war, and one community’s monumental contribution to that effort. Mathews County, Virginia, is a remote outpost on the Chesapeake Bay with little to offer except unspoiled scenery - but it sent an unusually large concentration of sea captains to fight in World War II.
-
-
Engaging Read Not About Brothers, but Men
- By Gillian on 04-22-16
By: William Geroux
-
Who Can Hold the Sea
- The U.S. Navy in the Cold War 1945-1960
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Christopher Newton, Sharon Hornfischer
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This landmark account of the U.S. Navy in the Cold War, Who Can Hold the Sea combines narrative history with scenes of stirring adventure on—and under—the high seas. In 1945, at the end of World War II, the victorious Navy sends its sailors home and decommissions most of its warships. But this peaceful interlude is short-lived, as Stalin, America’s former ally, makes aggressive moves in Europe and the Far East.
-
-
James D. Hornfisher's last work
- By JWHayn4563 on 05-05-22
-
Passchendaele
- Requiem for Doomed Youth
- By: Paul Ham
- Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Paul Ham, winner of the NSW Premier's Prize for Australian History, comes the story of ordinary men in the grip of a political and military power struggle that determined their fate and has foreshadowed the destiny of the world for a century. Passchendaele epitomises everything that was most terrible about the Western Front. The photographs never sleep of this four-month battle, fought from July to November 1917, the worst year of the war.
-
-
Very compelling - good story, good narration
- By DPM on 11-25-16
By: Paul Ham
-
Get Well Soon
- History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them
- By: Jennifer Wright
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1518, in a small town in Alsace, Frau Troffea began dancing and didn't stop. She danced until she was carried away six days later, and soon 34 more villagers joined her. Then more. In a month more than 400 people had been stricken by the mysterious dancing plague. In late-19th-century England an eccentric gentleman founded the No Nose Club in his gracious townhome - a social club for those who had lost their noses, and other body parts, to the plague of syphilis for which there was then no cure.
-
-
Didn't know syphilis could be so fascinating.
- By Kindle Customer on 02-09-17
By: Jennifer Wright
-
Into the Great Emptiness
- Peril and Survival on the Greenland Ice Cap
- By: David Roberts
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By 1930, no place in the world was less well explored than Greenland. The native Inuit had occupied the relatively accessible west coast for centuries. The east coast, however, was another story. In August 1930, Henry George Watkins (nicknamed “Gino”), a twenty-three-year-old British explorer, led thirteen scientists and explorers on an ambitious expedition to the east coast of Greenland and into its vast and forbidding interior to set up a permanent meteorological base on the icecap, 8,200 feet above sea level.
-
-
Wonderful!
- By Sandy L Fleming on 12-02-22
By: David Roberts
-
Dewey Defeats Truman
- The 1948 Election and the Battle for America's Soul
- By: A. J. Baime
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Accidental President comes the thrilling story of the 1948 presidential election, one of the greatest election stories of all time, as Truman mounted a history-making comeback and staked a claim for a new course for America.
-
-
Excellent account of the 1948 election
- By A. Crystal on 07-15-20
By: A. J. Baime
-
Wilmington's Lie
- The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy
- By: David Zucchino
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the 1890s, Wilmington was North Carolina’s largest city and a shining example of a mixed-race community. It was a bustling port city with a burgeoning African American middle class and a Fusionist government of Republicans and Populists that included black aldermen, police officers, and magistrates. There were successful black-owned businesses and an African American newspaper, The Record. But across the state - and the South - white supremacist Democrats were working to reverse the advances made by former slaves and their progeny.
-
-
HOW TO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW RACISM HAS BEEN USED AS A TOOL BY WEALTHY
- By Linzay on 06-19-20
By: David Zucchino
-
The Redhead of Auschwitz
- A True Story
- By: Nechama Birnbaum
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rosie was always told her red hair was a curse, but she never believed it. She often dreamed what it would look like under a white veil with the man of her dreams by her side. However, her life takes a harrowing turn in 1944 when she is forced out of her home and sent to the most gruesome of places: Auschwitz. Upon arrival, Rosie’s head is shaved and along with the loss of her beautiful hair, she loses the life she once cherished.
-
-
It’s so real…
- By Diane Findley on 07-02-22
By: Nechama Birnbaum
-
The Iron Sea
- How the Allies Hunted and Destroyed Hitler's Warships
- By: Simon Read
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Good book if you not really familiar with WW2 at Sea.
- By S. H. Moore on 11-05-20
By: Simon Read
-
The Heart of Hell
- The Untold Story of Courage and Sacrifice in the Shadow of Iwo Jima
- By: Mitch Weiss
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Battle of Iwo Jima, a major event in the Pacific Theater of World War II - and one of the bloodiest in United States history - began on February 19, 1945. But what happened two days earlier has largely been a footnote - until now.... On February 17, Landing Craft Infantry 449 was among a dozen gunboats helping to prepare the area for their invasion two days later. US military leaders thought that they had weakened Japanese forces in the area.
-
-
Important History, but Not a Compelling Story
- By Craig on 07-30-16
By: Mitch Weiss
-
The Second Founding
- How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution
- By: Eric Foner
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar, a timely history of the constitutional changes that built equality into the nation's foundation and how those guarantees have been shaken over time.
-
-
Excellent book - problematic narrator
- By Jennifer on 10-01-19
By: Eric Foner
-
The Deadly Deep
- The Definitive History of Submarine Warfare
- By: Iain Ballantyne
- Narrated by: Paul Ansdell
- Length: 28 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iain Ballantyne considers the key episodes of submarine warfare and vividly describes the stories of brave individuals who have risked their lives under the sea, often with fatal consequences. His analysis of underwater conflict begins with Archimedes discovering the principle of buoyancy. This clandestine narrative then moves through the centuries and focuses on prolific characters with deadly motives.
-
-
American Effors Get Short Shift
- By GEORGE on 03-22-19
By: Iain Ballantyne
-
War Beneath the Sea
- Submarine Conflict During World War II
- By: Peter Padfield
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 25 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This riveting chronicle of submarine warfare is the first to cover all the major submarine campaigns of the war, describing, in detail, the operations of the British, American, Japanese, Italian, and German submarine and anti-submarine forces. Beginning with a vivid re-creation of the sinking of the passenger liner Athenia by a German U-boat in September 1939, critically acclaimed military historian Peter Padfield's compelling narrative casts an unflinching eye on the devastating consequences of maritime warfare.
-
-
Fills in the gaps of other submarine books
- By Ben on 05-19-21
By: Peter Padfield
-
In Mortal Combat
- Korea, 1950-1953
- By: John Toland
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 27 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this brilliant narrative of America's first limited war, Toland lets both the events and the participants speak for themselves, employing scrupulous archival research and interviews as the bases for the drama and accuracy of his writing. In Mortal Combat reveals Mao's prediction of the date and place of MacArthur's Inchon landing, Russia's indifference to the war, Mao's secret leadership of the North Korean military, and the true nature of both sides' treatment and repatriation of POWs.
-
-
Slightly disappointed
- By Patrick on 09-02-19
By: John Toland
Critic reviews
“In this gripping history, Geroux recounts the fascinating story of multinational convoy PQ-17, which sailed through treacherous ice-filled waters to deliver tanks, explosives, and other supplies to support the Soviet WWII effort...WWII aficionados, and anyone else who likes a good story, will find this well-written adventure tale a real pleasure.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
“This book is sheer enjoyment.... A riveting saga.... Using marvelous accounts from first-person perspectives, Geroux crafted a history to be enjoyed by naval enthusiasts, mariners and World War II fans. This is not one to miss!” (Virginia Gazette)
“An important but overlooked point in World War II.... A nightmarish story of survival in the ice fields of the Arctic; an engaging read for fans of military history.” (Library Journal)
Related to this topic
-
The Iron Sea
- How the Allies Hunted and Destroyed Hitler's Warships
- By: Simon Read
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Good book if you not really familiar with WW2 at Sea.
- By S. H. Moore on 11-05-20
By: Simon Read
-
Grey Wolves
- The U-Boat War 1939–1945
- By: Philip Kaplan
- Narrated by: A. T. Chandler
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early years of the Second World War, the elite force of German submariners known as the Ubootwaffe came perilously close to perfecting underwater battle tactics and successfully cutting Britain's transatlantic lifeline. To the Allies, these enemy sailors were embarking on a mission of unequivocal evil. Each member of the Ubootwaffe understood that he must take pride in being part of a unique brotherhood. He had to do so because he was setting out on a journey that would test his mental and physical endurance to the very limits, and which he had little chance of surviving.
-
-
Like a Jr High Book Report, Performance Bad Too
- By Bill Sayer on 12-03-15
By: Philip Kaplan
-
Operation Pedestal
- The Fleet that Battled to Malta, 1942
- By: Max Hastings
- Narrated by: Max Hastings, John Hopkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned historian Max Hastings recreates one of the most thrilling events of World War II: Operation Pedestal, the British action to save its troops from starvation on Malta - an action-packed tale of courage, fortitude, loss, and triumph against all odds.
-
-
Sir Max Hastings at his best
- By J.Brock on 10-27-22
By: Max Hastings
-
Sink ‘Em All
- Submarine Warfare in the Pacific
- By: Charles A. Lockwood
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sink 'Em All was originally published in 1951 by Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, the US Navy commander of the Pacific submarine fleet during World War II. Lockwood, in his leadership role, knew the skippers and crews of the submarines and retells their wartime successes and tragedies with an intimacy and realism often missing in second-hand accounts.
-
-
Best of the best
- By Robert on 08-29-18
-
The Mathews Men
- Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-boats
- By: William Geroux
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Ghost Ships of Archangel, one of the last unheralded heroic stories of World War II: The U-boat assault off the American coast against the men of the US Merchant Marine who were supplying the European war, and one community’s monumental contribution to that effort. Mathews County, Virginia, is a remote outpost on the Chesapeake Bay with little to offer except unspoiled scenery - but it sent an unusually large concentration of sea captains to fight in World War II.
-
-
Engaging Read Not About Brothers, but Men
- By Gillian on 04-22-16
By: William Geroux
-
At All Costs
- By: Sam Moses
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1942, the island of Malta was the most heavily bombed place on earth. Its submarine and air attacks on Axis supply convoys were all that kept Rommel from marching across North Africa. But Malta was out of fuel. Operation Pedestal was Malta's last hope, a giant convoy with more that 50 warships escorting 13 freighters and one life-or-death oil tanker, the SS Ohio. It was bombed, torpedoed, and abandoned, but two American Merchant Mariners boarded the ship and repaired the guns.
-
-
A spellbinding story
- By James F. Geary on 04-08-07
By: Sam Moses
-
The Iron Sea
- How the Allies Hunted and Destroyed Hitler's Warships
- By: Simon Read
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Good book if you not really familiar with WW2 at Sea.
- By S. H. Moore on 11-05-20
By: Simon Read
-
Grey Wolves
- The U-Boat War 1939–1945
- By: Philip Kaplan
- Narrated by: A. T. Chandler
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early years of the Second World War, the elite force of German submariners known as the Ubootwaffe came perilously close to perfecting underwater battle tactics and successfully cutting Britain's transatlantic lifeline. To the Allies, these enemy sailors were embarking on a mission of unequivocal evil. Each member of the Ubootwaffe understood that he must take pride in being part of a unique brotherhood. He had to do so because he was setting out on a journey that would test his mental and physical endurance to the very limits, and which he had little chance of surviving.
-
-
Like a Jr High Book Report, Performance Bad Too
- By Bill Sayer on 12-03-15
By: Philip Kaplan
-
Operation Pedestal
- The Fleet that Battled to Malta, 1942
- By: Max Hastings
- Narrated by: Max Hastings, John Hopkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned historian Max Hastings recreates one of the most thrilling events of World War II: Operation Pedestal, the British action to save its troops from starvation on Malta - an action-packed tale of courage, fortitude, loss, and triumph against all odds.
-
-
Sir Max Hastings at his best
- By J.Brock on 10-27-22
By: Max Hastings
-
Sink ‘Em All
- Submarine Warfare in the Pacific
- By: Charles A. Lockwood
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sink 'Em All was originally published in 1951 by Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, the US Navy commander of the Pacific submarine fleet during World War II. Lockwood, in his leadership role, knew the skippers and crews of the submarines and retells their wartime successes and tragedies with an intimacy and realism often missing in second-hand accounts.
-
-
Best of the best
- By Robert on 08-29-18
-
The Mathews Men
- Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-boats
- By: William Geroux
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Ghost Ships of Archangel, one of the last unheralded heroic stories of World War II: The U-boat assault off the American coast against the men of the US Merchant Marine who were supplying the European war, and one community’s monumental contribution to that effort. Mathews County, Virginia, is a remote outpost on the Chesapeake Bay with little to offer except unspoiled scenery - but it sent an unusually large concentration of sea captains to fight in World War II.
-
-
Engaging Read Not About Brothers, but Men
- By Gillian on 04-22-16
By: William Geroux
-
At All Costs
- By: Sam Moses
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1942, the island of Malta was the most heavily bombed place on earth. Its submarine and air attacks on Axis supply convoys were all that kept Rommel from marching across North Africa. But Malta was out of fuel. Operation Pedestal was Malta's last hope, a giant convoy with more that 50 warships escorting 13 freighters and one life-or-death oil tanker, the SS Ohio. It was bombed, torpedoed, and abandoned, but two American Merchant Mariners boarded the ship and repaired the guns.
-
-
A spellbinding story
- By James F. Geary on 04-08-07
By: Sam Moses
-
Decision at Sea
- Five Naval Battles That Shaped American History
- By: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Decision at Sea is a powerful and illuminating look at pivotal moments in the history of the Navy and of the United States. It is also a compelling study of the unchanging demands of leadership at sea, where commanders must make rapid decisions in the heat of battle with lives - and the fate of nations - hanging in the balance.
-
-
Interesting book...but not great
- By Anonymous User on 11-22-20
By: Craig L. Symonds
-
Atlantic Nightmare
- The Longest Continuous Military Campaign in World War Ii
- By: Richard Freeman
- Narrated by: Will Huggins
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No other battle of the Second World War lasted longer than the 2,075 days of the Battle of the Atlantic. It raged from the opening day of the war in September 1939 until it ended almost six years later with Germany’s surrender in May 1945. Vital supplies of food, fuel, and the raw materials needed by the Allies to wage war had to be transported in merchant ships in escorted convoys across the Atlantic Ocean, where they were at the mercy of German U-boats and warships.
-
-
Slanted Badly
- By Christopher on 07-07-24
By: Richard Freeman
-
Torpedo Run
- The Story of WWII Submarine Hero Eugene B. Fluckey
- By: Don Keith
- Narrated by: Vincent Caruso
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the course of five combat patrols during the Pacific War, Commander Fluckey reinvented submarine warfare, pioneering audacious strategies to hunt and sink Japanese warships and merchant vessels. At the helm of the USS Barb, he directed his boat to attack warship convoys - never mind the lop-sided odds - and to slip into heavily defended enemy harbors to launch torpedoes at unsuspecting targets.
-
-
Fluckey was a legend.
- By Sarah H. on 10-28-24
By: Don Keith
-
A Game of Birds and Wolves
- The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II
- By: Simon Parkin
- Narrated by: Elliot Fitzpatrick
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Combining vibrant novelistic storytelling with extensive research, interviews, and previously unpublished accounts, Simon Parkin describes for the first time the role that women played in developing the Allied strategy that, in the words of one admiral, "contributed in no small measure to the final defeat of Germany." Rich with unforgettable cinematic detail and larger-than-life characters, A Game of Birds and Wolves is a heart-wrenching tale of ingenuity, dedication, perseverance, and love, bringing to life the imagination and sacrifice required to defeat the Nazis at sea.
-
-
A lost story thrillingly revealed
- By Maudiemanding on 02-18-20
By: Simon Parkin
-
The Deadly Deep
- The Definitive History of Submarine Warfare
- By: Iain Ballantyne
- Narrated by: Paul Ansdell
- Length: 28 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iain Ballantyne considers the key episodes of submarine warfare and vividly describes the stories of brave individuals who have risked their lives under the sea, often with fatal consequences. His analysis of underwater conflict begins with Archimedes discovering the principle of buoyancy. This clandestine narrative then moves through the centuries and focuses on prolific characters with deadly motives.
-
-
American Effors Get Short Shift
- By GEORGE on 03-22-19
By: Iain Ballantyne
-
Tin Cans and Greyhounds
- The Destroyers That Won Two World Wars
- By: Clint Johnson
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Tin Cans and Greyhounds, author Clint Johnson brings listeners inside the quarter-inch hulls of destroyers to meet the men who manned the ships' five-inch guns and fought America's wars from inside a "tin can" - risking death by cannon shell, shrapnel, bomb, fire, drowning, exposure, and sharks.
-
-
a lengthy history lessonn
- By SCOTTY on 09-14-19
By: Clint Johnson
-
Hunt the Bismarck
- The Pursuit of Germany’s Most Famous Battleship
- By: Angus Konstam
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bismarck entered service in the summer of 1940. She was well-armed, with eight 15-inch guns as well as a powerful array of lighter weapons, while her armored protection earned her the reputation of being unsinkable. This claim was finally put to the test in May 1941, when she sortied into the Atlantic and fought the legendary battle of the Denmark Strait, destroying HMS Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy. Bismarck was now loose in the North Atlantic.
-
-
A fresh look at a well known story!
- By Donald Hill on 10-26-19
By: Angus Konstam
-
Days of Steel Rain
- The Epic Story of a WWII Vengeance Ship in the Year of the Kamikaze
- By: Brent E. Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sprawling across the Pacific, this untold story follows the crew of the newly-built "vengeance ship" USS Astoria, named for her sunken predecessor lost earlier in the war. At its center lies US Navy Captain George Dyer, who vowed to return to action after suffering a horrific wound. He accepted the ship's command in 1944, knowing it would be his last chance to avenge his injuries and salvage his career. Yet with the nation's resources and personnel stretched thin by the war, he found that just getting the ship into action would prove to be a battle.
-
-
The Other Side of the Story: USS Astoria CL-90
- By Mike Williams on 11-16-21
By: Brent E. Jones
-
Killing the Bismarck
- Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet
- By: Iain Ballantyne
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In May 1941 the German battleship Bismarck, accompanied by heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, broke out into the Atlantic to attack Allied shipping. The Royal Navy's pursuit and subsequent destruction of the Bismarck was an epic of naval warfare. In this new account of those dramatic events at the height of the Second World War, Iain Ballantyne draws extensively on the graphic eyewitness testimony of veterans to construct a thrilling story, mainly from the point of view of the British battleships, cruisers, and destroyers involved.
-
-
1960 a young boy became awed
- By torpedo alley on 10-02-19
By: Iain Ballantyne
-
Castles of Steel
- Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea
- By: Robert K. Massie
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 40 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The predominant image of this first world war is of mud and trenches, barbed wire, machine guns, poison gas, and slaughter. A generation of European manhood was massacred, and a wound was inflicted on European civilization that required the remainder of the twentieth century to heal.
-
-
Stick With It!
- By Matt on 09-22-12
By: Robert K. Massie
-
Bismarck
- The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship
- By: Niklas Zetterling, Michael Tamelander
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sinking of the German battleship Bismarck - a masterpiece of engineering, well-armored with a main artillery of eight 15-inch guns - was one of the most dramatic events of World War II. She left the port of Gotenhafen for her first operation on the night of 18 May 1941, yet was almost immediately discovered by Norwegian resistance and Allied air reconnaissance. British battlecruiser Hood was quickly dispatched from Scapa Flow to intercept the Bismarck, together with new battleship Prince of Wales.
-
-
A must read for any WWII Naval Historian!
- By Rick on 10-14-13
By: Niklas Zetterling, and others
-
Turning the Tide
- How a Small Band of Allied Sailors Defeated the U-Boats and Won the Battle of the Atlantic
- By: Ed Offley
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The U.S. experienced its most harrowing military disaster of World War II not in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, but rather in the period from 1942 to 1943, in the frigid North Atlantic and American coastal waters from Newfoundland to the Caribbean. Nearly seven decades after the event, the Battle of the Atlantic still stands as the longest-running and most lethal clash of arms in naval history.
-
-
Just The Facts
- By PismoPat on 05-15-11
By: Ed Offley
What listeners say about The Ghost Ships of Archangel
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J.Brock
- 06-16-20
Amazing, Untold Story
With all of the WWII books and accounts, the story of ships traveling through arctic waters during WWII is one truly remarkable story. After reading about fighting around Alaska, this tale of escape from German U-boats through Arctic waters, and the near misses, truly astonishes. It's hard to imagine temperatures so cold and war at the sea going on at the same time. What bravery of these men, and William Geroux brings the reader so close to the action one can feel it. Arthur Morey is a most superb narrator every time. he's in his element here.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MolllyT
- 05-16-19
History at its finest!
naval-history, war-is-hell, WW2, arctic-warfare, historical-places-events, historical-research
4-4-2019 Amazing research and presentation! I kept diving into it despite my total lack of foreknowledge. So much to learn and keep annoying friends and family with tidbits and more, even the Norwegians! Ok, just to give examples: in 1940 the Norse who were at sea when the Nazis seized Norway were forced to live at sea or in temporary lodgings in Allied or Neutral nations, one converted Liberty Ship in the convoy included an old cannon from a public park in Baltimore among its armaments, not only was the Nazi Wolfpack doing their best to annihilate the convoy but so was the cold weather and the ice. Included among the many resources is a diary of an Able Bodied Seaman.
I need to get a print copy for the library and hope that an audio is made for a fanatic who spends a lot of time in his car!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Penguin Group-VIKING via NetGalley. Thank you!
5-16-19 Just bought the audio performed by the inimitable Arthur Morey!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TomJ
- 07-04-19
Excellent Account of WWII
We generally are not told of the heroics on the periphery of the war. This book does that very well. It is informative and interesting. A good read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jon Evans
- 05-31-23
Worldly but Personal
I knew little about the American and British convoys supplying the Soviet Union in WWII with valuable war items.
As as a history teacher, I found the book interesting.
It tells about Merchant Marines sailing in the Arctic Ocean and their heroic efforts bringing supplies to Stalin.
This is why I called the story personnel.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Willson
- 02-01-22
A lot of chaff
This book takes a good, very short story and stretches it out into multiple chapters. There is a lot of context provided that has nothing to do with the story of the convoy. There is even a significant part of a final chapter and talks about global warming and the effects on the ice today of the region where the ships went. All this is unnecessary.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Little known, important ww2 story
Narration: clear, arresting cadence.
Story: excellent, detailed description of important ww2 merchant disaster. Also, vivid account of life in Archangel.the critically important Russian arctic port where war materials were received and sent on to Russian depots.
Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- R. Frost
- 08-26-23
A part of WWII that I knew almost nothging about.
This book ended up being pretty good. I'm a military history buff, but hadn't learned much about this part of the war.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pete Harrell
- 03-26-21
Fantastic Forgotten Bit of Naval History
Geroux is a master of research and story telling. The arctic mariners of WW-II finally get their due. Truly the greatest generation. The story of the arctic supply convoys to keep the Soviet Union alive and able to fight the Nazis is epic. Though not exactly ignorant of naval and military history, I was delighted and intrigued by this telling of the largely forgotten bit of history and the political events surrounding it. Who knew that American troops had ever engaged in combat on Russian soil or of the frozen sacrifices of American and British sailors and merchantmen to feed and arm our communist ally against Hitler? A must read for everyone interested in military history.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christian
- 03-02-21
A must read!
Perfect for historians and lovers of history. I had heard about the convoy but didn't really dig in to it until now. I'll be reading even more books about pq-17 in the future.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 07-23-21
narrative history at its best
conveys from the perspective of all those involved PQ-17's importance then and now. great read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful