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Darkest Before Dawn: U-482 and the Sinking of Empire Heritage 1944 Paperback – September 1, 2011

by John Peterson (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
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The full story of one of the greatest Allied shipping losses of World War II

For the first time, this book describes how U-482 managed to slip undetected into the busy shipping lanes of the North Channel and carry out the last great U-boat patrol of the war. In the autumn of 1944 World War II was coming to an end, and the U-boats in the Atlantic had been beaten back through a massive program of Allied shipbuilding combined with tactical, technological, and intelligence improvements. The threat to Allied shipping had diminished but not disappeared, and a lone U-boat on its first active patrol slipped into the North Channel—in just a few days five ships lay broken on the seabed including the Empire Heritage, one of the largest Allied ships lost in the entire war. Also lost was a rescue ship attacked while trying to rescue survivors from the Empire Heritage; the Jacksonville, an American tanker sailing out of New York; and a RN corvette sent to hunt the U-boat down. This is the story of the attack, the aftermath, and the men involved.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    192 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 1, 2011
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0752458833
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0752458830
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Peterson first became interested in the story of the Empire Heritage upon discovering that his grandfather had been aboard when she was sunk. He was one of the few survivors. He has written many articles for Scottish Island Explorer, Shetland Life, and The New Shetlander.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The History Press (September 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0752458833
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0752458830
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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John Peterson

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
13 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jim Carone--Capt.
5.0 out of 5 stars History on the U-482.
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2018
Verified Purchase
SB//flat manila paper//192 pages//36 glossy BW photos//5 flat bw photos//2 maps//22 charts of interesting data. There are great photos of the cargo from the Empire Heritage strewn about on the bottom of the---Sherman tanks! Excellent book,,,,jim
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Anita Birt
4.0 out of 5 stars Darkest Before Dawn
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2012
John Peterson tells the story of convoy HX 305 for the first time. The ninety-eight ship convoy, out of Halifax, Canada in 1944 crossed the Atlantic without incident and entered the north channel passing Ireland safely. On September 8th, 1944, U-482 sighted the passing ships and chose Empire Heritage as its target. Empire Heritage was a large vessel lying low in the water, heavily laden with oil, trucks, tanks, tires and other material. The ship took a direct hit and the explosion from the torpedo tore the ship apart. Pinto, the convoy rescue ship, hurried to pick up survivors and was torpedoed. Men who survived the attack struggled to stay alive in the frigid, oily water while awaiting rescue.

I was a passenger on the Ariguani, a small ship carrying RAF dependents home to Britain. I was a Canadian war bride hopping to link up with my husband who was serving "Somewhere in England." The Ariguani was close enough to Empire Heritage to feel the explosion when the torpedo struck. I was lifted up off my bunk. Fearing the worst, I dressed quickly in warm clothes, life jacket on my arm and hurried to the saloon where stewards assured us all was well but the captain would not allow us out on deck.

Fortune smiled on me that day but not on the many men serving on Empire Heritage and Pinto who lost their lives. John Peterson is a gifted story-teller. Darkest Before Dawn is a page turner focusing on the U-boat menace during the Battle of The Atlantic. I read Darkest Before Dawn on my e-reader but have ordered two hard cover copies, one for my bookshelf and a copy for my son.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

JeanH
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive exploration
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is the story of four very different vessels, brought together on one particular dark night in 1944 off Ireland by the fortunes of war: a German submarine, a former whaling ship now converted to a tanker, and two trawlers, one pressed into naval service as a hospital and rescue ship, the other requisitioned as a convoy escort. It is possible that their encounter would have been a mere line in the history of the battle of the Atlantic, had the tanker, Empire Heritage, not been carrying a deck cargo of Sherman tanks. Today, that cargo lies on the seabed in remarkable condition, a magnet for properly equipped and trained divers. Type 'Empire Heritage' into You Tube...
If you know a reasonable amount about the naval history of the Second World War, it's easy to get a handle on the story, but John Peterson has decided to reach out to both those who do and those who don't. So he gives the in-depth history of all four vessels. bringing them to what you could call - if you were being melodramatic - their moment of destiny, when the commander of U-482 struck at the convoy. He explains the convoy system, and U-boat tactics, as well, making this book a very useful introduction to the broader subject. He also deals well with the findings of the court of inquiry that followed the loss of this huge ship and her critically important cargo - as well as that of the rescue ship, Pinto, which was also torpedoed, even as she was rescuing survivors.
The author was inspired to write the book by the discovery that his grandfather was involved in the drama, but he doesn't make the mistake of skewing the content to over-emphasise the family connection. What comes through, instead, is his personal commitment to provide a comprehensive account of a what for the German U-boat arm was a triumphant patrol at a time when their submarines were fighting for their lives. For the Allies it was a rude reminder that they needed to maintain the leadership and organisation in their convoys that had so dramatically reversed the course of the Battle of The Atlantic
4 people found this helpful
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C. H. Maginniss
4.0 out of 5 stars Darkest Before Dawn
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2011
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Comprehensively researched and completely absorbing, Darkest Before Dawn is certainly a different perspective on the tonnage war. Combining the academic with the personal, John Peterson has written a most interesting account of sea combat that reminds us that even late in the Second World War men and women were dying in the defence of freedom within view of our shores. Leigh Bishop's underwater photographs are quite superb and clearly illustrate, nearly 70 years on, the results of the action.

There are a few technical inaccuracies but these in no way affect the flow or the thrust of the narrative. I found though, the constant and inappropriate use of "actually", finally" "simply", "in fact" and "managed", to be irritating; this is a fault which could have been easily remedied by a good editor. That said, John Peterson is commended for most ably extending our knowledge of a forgotten event and I strongly recommend his book for those interested in maritime operations in the Second World War.
4 people found this helpful
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Patten44
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
A well told story.
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Horace
3.0 out of 5 stars Like the Torpedoes, a bit hit and miss
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2020
Verified Purchase
Having read dozens of naval military history and particularly Battle of the Atlantic books, I was very keen to get this. Firstly, on the positive, when it sticks to what it set out to do i.e. just tell the story, it works really well. However, in a pretty short book, it is unforgivable to have such a huge amount of repetition - "as we have mentioned earlier... ", "as we have already seen" - It's a BOOK - I can turn back a dozen pages - STOP PADDING. There are just too many absolutely superfluous parts and some really bad howler errors - the port of Manchester as a convoy destination??? Over the English Channel at Abbeville? Carbon MONOXIDE would build up in the boat...err..I don't thinks so...
One person found this helpful
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MR J L MOAR
4.0 out of 5 stars Good story, well told.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
A well told tale, and told from all viewpoints. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, thank you John for the research you did.
One person found this helpful
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