The World War II Chronicles

A navy admiral’s firsthand accounts of three triumphant operations in Europe and North Africa during World War II.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, naval engineering genius Edward Ellsberg came out of retirement to serve his country once again. In these three riveting histories, he recounts the incredible salvage missions and audacious battle plans he took part in during the Second World War.
 
Under the Red Sea Sun: In 1942, Mussolini’s forces were on the run in East Africa. At Massawa, Eritrea, the fleeing Italians left the largest mass wreck in the world, turning a vital port into a tangle of shattered ships and dangerous booby traps. In order to continue the war effort and push back the Axis powers in Africa, the Allies enlisted Commander Ellsberg, who navigated the complicated American and British bureaucracies to pull off a historic feat of engineering—the largest of its kind the world had ever seen.
 
The Far Shore: Rear Admiral Ellsberg describes in detail the meticulous preparation and efforts behind the Normandy Invasion—efforts that would keep the flow of men and materials streaming onto the beaches and into the heart of Europe. From dealing with the extremes of engineering possibilities to wrestling with the knowledge that countless lives depended on the success of his intricate planning, Ellsberg worked himself into exhaustion to do his part. Vividly described by a man who saw firsthand the horrors of war and the cost of victory, The Far Shore takes readers through the brutal surf, onto the bloody beaches, and into the mind of one of World War II’s little-known heroes.
 
No Banners, No Bugles: In Oran, Algeria, a crucial port city, Ellsberg helped the Allies prepare for Operation Torch, the fight to reclaim North Africa from the Axis powers. As General Eisenhower’s chief of salvage in the Mediterranean, Ellsberg had to sort out the disorganized mess left by the Vichy French and find a way to open the harbor, though his flagging health proved to be a dangerous obstacle. No Banners, No Bugles is the riveting story of how Ellsberg, the miracle worker, tackled his greatest mission yet.