I Can't Even Pretend

(I don't know who to credit this image to but I found it on this blog)

I don't pretend to be a history buff.  When it comes to historical battles and wars, if it wasn't included in a Ben Affleck movie, I probably don't know anything about it.  But I read the book Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson a few years ago and LOVED it.

(go buy it or get it from your library immediately!)

It's a nonfiction story about a group of divers who found the wreckage of a WWII German U-boat off the coast of New Jersey.  There were no government records of a boat ever being near the area and certainly no records of one sinking.  The men spent years attempting to gather enough information about the boat to identify it and be able to provide information to the families of its crew.  The story is absolutely fascinating and reads like an excellent documentary.  You simply don't need to be a history/war buff to enjoy this book. Although, if you are anything like me, you'll find yourself simultaneously intrigued and totally freaked out by submarines afterwards.

There's a cool Nova sight about it HERE btw.

That being said, ever since finishing this book, I've been really interested in stories about wreckage from WWII and it's retrieval.  This morning, I was excited to read in the Chicago Tribune that a WWII fighter plane had been pulled from the Waukegan Harbor, not even 15 miles from my home! From what I've read, it doesn't have quite as exciting as a background that the U-boat from Shadow Divers had, but I think it's very cool anyway.

Check out the story HERE