Codename Nemo: The Hunt for a Nazi U-Boat and the Elusive Enigma Machine

Lachman (Footsteps in the Snow) recounts the capture of U-Boat 505, which yielded a treasure trove of codebreaking knowledge for the Allied forces. The book takes listeners through U-505’s entire history, evocatively rendering the smells, sights, and feelings of the people inside. Launched in August 1941, the U-Boat ran with skilled (and sometimes young) captains, sinking merchant ships with deadly accuracy. The story follows Captain Daniel V. Gallery, the leader of antisubmarine Task Group 22.3, as he and his men hunt the elusive and famous U-boat, then proceed to make history. Lachmann also details the events after the seizure of U-505, including what happened to both the Germans and the Americans involved in the skirmish. 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.