Memorial Hall Library

So close to home, a true story of an American family's fight for survival during World War II, Michael J. Tougias and Alison O'Leary

eng

individual biography

platesillustrationsmaps

no index present

non fiction

So close to home

bibliography

948520404

Michael J. Tougias and Alison O'Leary

a true story of an American family's fight for survival during World War II

On May 19, 1942, a U-boat in the Gulf of Mexico stalked its prey fifty miles from New Orleans. Captained by twenty nine-year-old Iron Cross and King's Cross recipient Erich Wurdemann, the submarine set its sights on the freighter Heredia with sixty-two souls on board. Most aboard were merchant seamen, but there were also a handful of civilians, including the Downs family: Ray and Ina, and their two children, eight-year-old Sonny and eleven-year-old Lucille. Fast asleep in their berths, the Downs family had no idea that two torpedoes were heading their way. When the ship exploded, chaos ensued--and each family member had to find their own path to survival. -- Amazon.com

A Tired Old Workhorse -- Ina and the South American Venture -- Admiral Dönitz and his Grey Wolves -- Harro Schacht and U-507 -- The Grey Wolves and the Mississippi -- Moving Ever Closer -- Denied a Safe Port -- An Uneasy Feeling -- Torpedoes in the Night -- The Raft -- A most Hopeless Night -- Dawn -- Desperation -- Running Out of Time -- The Shrimp Boat and a Surprise -- Ina -- Lucille -- Triumphant Return to Lorient -- Morgan City and the Hospital -- The Laconia: A Sinking and a Rescue -- Spies, Duty, and the Turning of the Battle Tide -- Passages So Far from Home -- Sonny

True story of an American family's fight for survival during World War II