Shadow Enemies: Hitler's Secret Terrorist Plot Against the United States [Paperback]

Alex Abella (Author), Scott Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Here is the incredible true story of one of Adolf Hitler's most diabolical plans: to wreak havoc and terror in America's cities through the hands of carefully trained German agents whose goal was to sabotage manufacturing plants, cut off New York's water supply, and bomb train stations and Jewish-owned department stores. SHADOW ENEMIES follows the incredible facts of this episode, from the recruitment and training of the agents to their landing on the shores of New York and Florida and their successful infiltration into American society, and from there to the desperate attempts of the FBI to apprehend them before they could put their plans into effect. With exclusive access to previously classified material, the authors of SHADOW ENEMIES present a unique account that not only follows the unfolding of the plot, but also affords a glimpse of the motives and fears of a key member of the Nazi cell.

Equally fascinating is the second part of the story. Fearful that a civilian jury might find the defendants innocent, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered that, since the agents had been captured in the act of espionage during wartime, they had no civil rights and could therefore be tried by a hitherto unknown military tribunal. The resulting trial led to the execution of six of the eight conspirators only two months after their arrest.

SHADOW ENEMIES is not only an astonishing World War II story, but it also examines pertinent questions of civil rights, justice, and how wartime necessity affects these central principles of American life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1942, with Americans still on edge after Pearl Harbor, four German-American operatives disembarked from a U-boat and waded ashore, soon melting into the crowds of Manhattan, the first of several teams assigned to blow up manufacturing and transportation centers as well as Jewish-owned department stores in the United States. Novelist and journalist Abella (The Killing of the Saints) and Gordon, commissioner with the Los Angeles County Superior Court and a professor of law at Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, depict a crew of would-be saboteurs with varying degrees of discipline, experience and dedication to the Nazi cause. Their leader, George Dasch, had lived in the U.S. as a boy, but had drifted from job to job without ever satisfying his grand ambitions. Returning to Germany, he joined the military and was eventually recruited for the terrorist mission in the U.S., despite his ambivalence toward Hitler's National Socialism. Realizing that the Allies would most likely win the war, Dasch eventually turned himself and his co-conspirators in to the FBI, with the thought of making himself a war hero. While the exploits of Dasch, his partners and their sympathetic contacts are fascinating, also engrossing is the U.S. government's handling of the ensuing court case. J. Edgar Hoover, closely involved, knew that his agency's reputation was at stake. President Roosevelt, concerned about the lack of control in a civilian trial, ordered a military tribunal, which eventually ordered the execution of many of the conspirators and several of their sympathizers. Dasch was returned to Germany after the war, where he was greeted as a traitor. By painting these sometimes reluctant and occasionally bumbling terrorists in such vivid detail, the authors have re-created timely and compelling series of events with an immediacy that hits close to home.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

International terrorism aimed at American cities did not begin two Septembers ago. In 1942, a team of Nazi saboteurs emerged from a submarine near Amagansett, New York, bearing fake documents and crates of explosives. Chosen for their English language ability and their knowledge of American customs, they were to destroy factories and bomb public landmarks; a second team landed in Florida a few days later. Both might have succeeded had team leader George Dasch not defected and informed the FBI. Choosing secret military tribunals over public civil trials, J. Edgar Hoover & Co. saw most of the conspirators electrocuted, navigating the eerily familiar terrain of national security versus rights of the accused. Abella and Gordon do not press the relevant ethical questions as much as they might. Instead they detail the court proceedings with a Dragnet-like play-by-play; we are then reminded that one author is a lawyer. In spite of its spy-novel-turned-courtroom-drama sensationalism, however, this is a fascinating and timely look at terrorism and wartime justice, especially gripping because it's true. Brendan Driscoll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1st edition (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592281427
• ISBN-13: 978-1592281428
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,426,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Enjoyable!, February 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadow Enemies: Hitler's Secret Terrorist Plot Against the United States (Hardcover)

Abella and Gordon hit the nail on the head with this book. If you are even slightly interested in WWII history, this is a great read. Given what's going on in the world today, the subject matter is truly relevant. Abella and Gordon make this historical story accessible and interesting.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and true story, January 12, 2003

By 

sb-lynn (Santa Barbara, California United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Shadow Enemies: Hitler's Secret Terrorist Plot Against the United States (Hardcover)

This terrific book is about foreign terrorists who landed on American shores and planned to destroy American buildings, military bases, and kill civilians. In particular, they planned to bomb Jewish owned businesses and stores such as Macy's. No, this doesn't take place now, but in 1942. And these terrorists are Nazis.

The first part of the book describes the true story of how 8 Nazis landed on the eastern coast in 1942. These were men who had spent part of their lives in the United States, so they knew how to blend in and they knew American customs. If not for the work of the FBI and for the defection of one of the men to the Americans, the damage that would have been done to America would have been horrendous and these 8 may have been just the first of many terrorists to follow.

The second part of the book describes how these men were given quick military tribunals, because Roosevelt believed that public trials would only endanger our national security and our country. Sound familiar? This is a well-written, timely book that holds the reader's interest from start to finish. I thought I knew quite a bit about World War ll, but I didn't know anything about the events described in the book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned about the politics and policies of today, and for anyone who is simply interested in a good and interesting story.

3.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener!, December 21, 2009

By 

R. Vosburg "Avid Reader" (Anaheim, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shadow Enemies: Hitler's Secret Terrorist Plot Against the United States (Paperback)

An interesting and well developed discussion of a little known fact of history. Well worth reading.