{"product_id":"at-all-costs-how-a-crippled-ship-and-two-american-merchant-mariners-turned-the-tide-of-world-war-ii-paperback","title":"At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSam Moses\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this gripping, page-turning account, Sam Moses has told a story in the tradition of Sebastian Junger's \u003ci\u003eA Perfect Storm, \u003c\/i\u003eRobert Kurson's\u003ci\u003e Shadow Divers, \u003c\/i\u003eand Hampton Sides's \u003ci\u003eGhost Soldiers. \u003c\/i\u003eIt's a story about the heroism of two men in battle at sea during World War II, and one woman fleeing Nazi Norway with her child. It's about how courage can change the course of history. \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eAT ALL COSTS: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Marines Turned the Tide of World War II is the astonishing untold account, with original historical reporting, of how two men faced unfathomable danger to help save the island of Malta, Churchill's crux of the war. \u003cbr\u003eIn 1942, the tiny island of Malta was the most heavily bombed place on earth. Hitler needed Malta as a stepping-stone to get to the oil in Iraq and Iran (Persia at the time). Blockaded by sea, Malta was running on empty, in food, fuel and ammunition. Axis U-boats and dive-bombers made supply convoys to Malta more like suicide missions. In this last-hope convoy, 50 warships escorted 13 freighters carrying aviation fuel, and a single critical tanker, the \u003ci\u003eSS Ohio\u003c\/i\u003e, with 107,000 barrels of oil from Texas. Winston Churchill had traveled to Washington and asked FDR for the tanker-his prime ministership was at stake over this mission to Malta. \u003cbr\u003eRelentlessly dive-bombed and repeatedly torpedoed, the \u003ci\u003eOhio\u003c\/i\u003e suffered huge hits and was abandoned. Two young American merchant mariners-pulled from the sea after their own ship went down in flames-boarded the ravaged tanker, repaired her guns and fought off German and Italian dive-bombers, as the sinking \u003ci\u003eOhio\u003c\/i\u003e was towed at 4 knots toward Malta with a tiny crew of volunteers. \u003cbr\u003eSam Moses' AT ALL COSTS is a triumphant story of human bravery: fearless, selfless acts by men determined to save a ship and win a war; profound communal courage from an island under brutal siege; and leaders who understood the cause of freedom. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003cbr\u003eA historical footnote provides a riveting tale of true American grit during World War II.\u003cbr\u003eIn 1942, the island of Malta was the primary launching point in the Mediterranean for Allied\u003cbr\u003eaircraft and submarine attacks against Axis supply convoys. At the height of the North African\u003cbr\u003ecampaign, Rommel's tanks prepared to sweep into Egypt, Iran and Iraq. The only thing they lacked was\u003cbr\u003ethe fuel to get there, and the shortage was equally desperate on Malta. The Allies launched Operation\u003cbr\u003ePedestal, a last-ditch effort to re-supply the base by sending a convoy from Britain through the Gibraltar\u003cbr\u003eStrait to the beleaguered island. The convoy, which included the American tanker \u003ci\u003eOhio \u003c\/i\u003eand the U.S.\u003cbr\u003efreighter \u003ci\u003eSanta Elisa\u003c\/i\u003e, was anything but a milk run. Vietnam vet Moses (\u003ci\u003eFast Guys, Rich Guys and\u003cbr\u003eIdiots\u003c\/i\u003e, not reviewed) crafts a thrilling adventure on the high seas, though it takes a while to get started.\u003cbr\u003eThe book's first third juxtaposes Malta's plight against the stories of two American merchant seamen\u003cbr\u003eon the \u003ci\u003eSanta Elisa\u003c\/i\u003e Lonnie Dales and Fred Larsen, through whose eyes the battle will be viewed in bluecollar\u003cbr\u003edetail. Once Operation Pedestal begins, the narrative is all action. The convoy comes under\u003cbr\u003erepeated attack, lives are lost, the \u003ci\u003eSanta Elisa \u003c\/i\u003eis sunk. Dales and Larsen find themselves aboard the\u003cbr\u003ewounded \u003ci\u003eOhio\u003c\/i\u003e, full to the brim with Texas crude. If they can hold off Nazi attacks and keep their new\u003cbr\u003eship afloat long enough to reach Malta, the operation will be a success. Moses takes readers directly\u003cbr\u003einto the heat of battle, demonstrating a strong command of historical detail.\u003cbr\u003eHighly recommended for fans of naval adventure. \u003ci\u003e(Agent: Peter Riva\/International\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eTransactions, Inc.)\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eAt All Costs\u003c\/i\u003e is an extraordinary work of research and an exciting read that pays tribute to a crucial enterprise taken against incredible odds. Sam Moses has brought the ghastliness of war and the beauty of heroism together, in jarring union.\" -Frank Deford \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"This book tells a great story. But Sam Moses is not just sharing a gripping tale. He is sharing an important and oft neglected story about a battle that played a decisive role in shaping the outcome of WW II. You will meet people who will linger in memory for their bravery, foolishness, or wisdom.\" -Ken Auletta, author of \u003ci\u003eBackstory\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Thrillingly told and beautifully researched, \u003ci\u003eAt All Costs\u003c\/i\u003e is not just the against-all-odds story of the saving of Malta, but also of how the fate of nations can turn on the personal bravery of two ordinary men.\"\u003cbr\u003e-Robert Kurson, author of \u003ci\u003eShadow Divers\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Sam Moses has skillfully blended the vivid recollections of many eyewitnesses with a wealth of original documentary research to produce an immensely readable and authoritative account of this crucial operation.\" -Mark Whitmore, Director of Collections, Imperial War Museum, London, England\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSam Moses\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the acclaimed race-driving memoir, \u003ci\u003eFast Guys, Rich Guys, and Idiots\u003c\/i\u003e, and a former senior writer for \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e. He began writing as a U.S. Navy Seaman on a heavy cruiser in action off Vietnam. He lives with his two sons in White Salmon, Washington.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.78 x 8 x 6.08 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 04, 2007\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52612014637363,"sku":"9780345476746","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/MFBiWk8xa1l3aXBVcGt5NGphK1EvUT09.webp?v=1761843361","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/at-all-costs-how-a-crippled-ship-and-two-american-merchant-mariners-turned-the-tide-of-world-war-ii-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}