Countdown to Atomgeddon
The Pacific War
by
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The German seaman Nicklaus had been hit in the right cheek of his lower back more commonly known as his butt. The general had been disarmed and secured before anything could be done to help the seaman with his wound. Dino asked the seaman. “How do you feel?” The seaman responded. “It is painful, but my pride hurts more than my butt. I hope you and Purcell take good care of the general for me.” Purcell had made sure that the general was confined securely before he and Captain Fueller began to find and subdue the other three German officers. Each of them had offered no resistance and life on the submarine was almost back to normal except for the addition of several more security personnel from the Sutton. It was learned from John on the Sutton that their first port would be St. John’s, Newfoundland supposedly to deposit the injured seaman. The reason given was to provide surgery and confinement for the injured seaman until he could be returned to Germany. John was curious why the Sutton’s medical team could not perform the necessary surgery. Without asking Purcell, John assumed that there must be another reason to stop in Newfoundland before proceeding to Virginia. Could some of the classified materials onboard be unloaded here rather than Virginia? Purcell contacted Powers to report the progress of the surrender of the submarine. He was pleased that the surrender had been accomplished without incident. Powers had been issued instructions from Alsos headquarters that the second stop for the captured submarine would be necessary at a currently undisclosed port in the eastern seaboard. Colonel Powers ended the conversation with Purcell. “Further instructions are forthcoming.” Purcell asked the colonel. “What is to become of the supplies on the submarine?” COL Powers responded. “We are working on that. The uranium and heavy water will be removed before the submarine reached Virginia but we have yet to find a reason for the diversion and at which port.” John joined Purcell and Dino on the submarine as Nicklaus was being transferred to the Sutton’s medical facility for better care of his wound but surgery would be postponed until they reach Newfoundland. John was in the control room as the speaker system had been activated by Captain Fuller.
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About the Book
The German submarine U-234 left Norway on April 14, 1945, on its last mission to Japan with a cargo of uranium and other strategic military supplies. The cargo included a complete jet aircraft and several tons of documents and plans to build jet aircraft and other German aircraft in a plant to be built in Japan. Japan and Germany had cooperated in their efforts to build the first atomic bomb by sharing precious raw materials and technology. The Allies had effectively blocked thousands of tons of seagoing strategic military supplies, and later in the war, Germany had invaded the previously neutral country of Russia, cutting off the other route for supplies traffic via the Trans-Siberian Railway. At the time, there were no aircraft capable of large shipments of cargo over such distances, and the only option was shipping by the only route left: underwater by submarine. The U-234 was the last resort to ship large quantities of cargo over long distances. Aboard the submarine were forty-five crewmen, a German general, three German officers, and two high-ranking Japanese naval officers. On 8 May, 1945, the submarine was ordered to surrender to the Allies as it plied the cold waters of the North Atlantic. The war had ended in Germany, and the submarine surrendered to the USS Sutton. The surrender of the submarine and its cargo was accomplished with the aid of the Alsos Missions as part of the Manhattan Project. The Alsos Missions continued work in the Pacific to assist the Allies develop and eventually deploy the first atomic bomb.
About the Author
James Howell is a retired sales executive in the medical field. He now lives in Georgetown, Texas and writes historical novels about World War II. He has been fascinated with military history and tries to stay true to the facts while adding interesting characters, conspiracies and humor to the stories. His first three books are titled: Countdown to Atomgeddon, The Race to Build the First Atomic Bomb. Much of the information presented in the trilogy was gathered personally during the testing of the first atomic bomb in the desert 30 miles from his home town of Socorro, New Mexico, research at the National Nuclear Museum and his time in the Army while stationed at a Defense Atomic Support Agency base in Killeen, Texas. His new book, Operation Trickery is another historical fiction showing another side of WWII. It is often the unreported or small event of battle that makes the difference in winning a hilltop or small operation that eventually helps determine the result of the war.