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Germany's Last Mission to Japan: The Failed Voyage of U-234. By Joseph Mark Scalia. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2000. ISBN 1-- 55750-811-9. Photographs. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. xxiv, 250. $29.95.
In early 1945, the large German submarine U-234 was en route to Japan when, at the end of the war in Europe, it surrendered to a U.S. Navy destroyer escort in the North Atlantic. Also surrendered was its ominous cargo that included 560 kilograms of uranium oxide. This is the heart of the intrinsically interesting story of Germany's Last Mission to Japan, a title that is filled with emotion for many students of mid-twentieth century history.
This work, developed out of Mr. Scalia's master's thesis, tackles an intricate incident that had wide-ranging ramifications in the Second World War. Much care has been exercised in efforts to present a careful account that is largely free of sensationalism. After thorough presentation of various views and often-contradictory evidence, basic questions are answered straightforwardly. It would not have made any difference in Japan's war effort if the uranium oxide intended for atomic research had reached...