The burning shore

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On June 15, 1942, as vacationers enjoyed the sun at Virginia Beach, two fireballs erupted offshore from a convoy of oil tankers entering Chesapeake Bay. Onlookers watched as two tankers began to sink, followed by a violent explosion from a small escort warship. Despite the Navy's attempts with depth charges, within twenty-four hours, a fourth ship was lost, all victims of Kapitänleutnant Horst Degen and his crew aboard the German U-boat U-701. This thrilling account details the U-boat offensive along America's East Coast in 1942, focusing on Degen's three war patrols and highlighting a forgotten chapter of World War II. For six months, German U-boats wreaked havoc off the Eastern Seaboard, sinking merchant ships and threatening vital supply lines to Great Britain. Degen's successful infiltration of Chesapeake Bay underscored the U-boats' effectiveness and instilled fear in the American public. However, his mission was cut short when U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant Harry J. Kane spotted U-701 offshore, leading to a pivotal clash that marked a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic and forged an unlikely friendship between two survivors. This gripping tale of heroism and sacrifice reveals a little-known theater of World War II, where the U-boats nearly triumphed before American forces ultimately prevailed.