Athenia Torpedoed: The U-Boat Attack That Ignited the Battle for the Atlantic

University of Manitoba professor emeritus Carroll offers the first meticulously researched and comprehensive recounting of an early German submarine attack during the Battle of the Atlantic. On September 3, 1939—just hours after Great Britain and Germany went to war—a German submarine torpedoed the civilian liner Athenia, carrying 1,418 passengers and crew. The sinking, which cost 112 lives, violated naval treaties, the law of war, and even the specific instructions of the German command. Carroll expertly assesses the event in the context of the beginning of global war and examines all aspects of the sinking: how the Germans misidentified the ship; the denial and coverup of their role in its sinking; and the diplomatic reactions in Berlin, London, and Washington. His primary focus, however, is on the passengers and crew of the Athenia and the rescue ships that came to aid the survivors. The most poignant of the many stories Carroll shares are those of the families caught in the tragedy, separated during the rush to the life boats, sometimes never to be reunited. This first clash in the Battle of the Atlantic was also one of the first instances of the Nazi military attacking civilians; a portent that, in hindsight, only intensifies its tragic nature. (Oct.)