Prelude to War
The US Navy's On-the-Roof Gang, Volume 1
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Narrated by:
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Joseph Robert Courtemanche
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By:
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Matt Zullo
About this listen
The US Navy's On-the-Roof Gang, Volume 1: Prelude to War is an historical novel based on the unknown true-life story of the "On-the-Roof Gang", the US Navy's fledgling radio intelligence organization in the years leading up to World War II. It is based on the real life of Harry Kidder, a US Navy radioman who first discovered and deciphered Japanese katakana telegraphic code while stationed in the Philippines in the 1920s, discovering the he was listening to Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) radio communications. Kidder strongly believed in the future of radio intelligence, and a chance meeting with Lieutenant Laurance Safford led to the birth of the Navy's Radio Intelligence community.
Kidder taught others the nascent art of intercepting IJN communications on the roof of the Main Navy Building in Washington, DC. From 1928 to 1941, 176 sailors and marines attended this training and were then stationed as radio intercept operators around the Pacific. These men would become known as the On-the-Roof Gang and were charged with keeping track of the IJN as they prepared for war with the United States. The circumstances of America's entry into World War II hinged on success or failure of the On-the-Roof Gang, and Harry Kidder knew this.
On-the-Roof Gang: Prelude to War concludes with the "date which will live in infamy", December 7, 1941.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020, 2023 Matthew T Zullo (P)2023 Matthew T ZulloListeners also enjoyed...
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In Made in America, Bryson de-mythologizes his native land, explaining how a dusty hamlet with neither woods nor holly became Hollywood, how the Wild West wasn't won, why Americans say 'lootenant' and 'Toosday', how Americans were eating junk food long before the word itself was cooked up, as well as exposing the true origins of the G-string, the original $64,000 question, and Dr Kellogg of cornflakes fame.
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Bryson Not Reading Makes For a Rare Fail
- By John on 02-28-14
By: Bill Bryson
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The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome
- By: Gregory S. Aldrete, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
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The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome traces the breathtaking history from the empire’s foundation by Augustus to its Golden Age in the 2nd century CE through a series of ever-worsening crises until its ultimate disintegration. Taught by acclaimed Professor Gregory S. Aldrete of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, these 24 captivating lectures offer you the chance to experience this story like never before, incorporating the latest historical insights that challenge our previous notions of Rome’s decline.
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Gregory S. Aldrete is a treasure
- By Laurel Tucker on 02-04-19
By: Gregory S. Aldrete, and others
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The Pagan World
- Ancient Religions Before Christianity
- By: Hans-Friedrich Mueller, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Hans-Friedrich Mueller
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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In The Pagan World: Ancient Religions Before Christianity, you will meet the fascinating, ancient polytheistic peoples of the Mediterranean and beyond, their many gods and goddesses, and their public and private worship practices, as you come to appreciate the foundational role religion played in their lives. Professor Hans-Friedrich Mueller, of Union College in Schenectady, New York, makes this ancient world come alive in 24 lectures with captivating stories of intrigue, artifacts, illustrations, and detailed descriptions from primary sources of intriguing personalities.
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The Pagan World
- By arnold e andersen md Dr Andersen on 03-28-20
By: Hans-Friedrich Mueller, and others
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Flannery O'Connor and the Scandal of Faith
- By: Jessica Hooten Wilson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jessica Hooten Wilson
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
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Across six revealing lectures, Professor Jessica Hooten Wilson will introduce you to one of the 20th century’s most fascinating and divisive writers in Flannery O’Connor and the Scandal of Faith. Beginning with an overview of her brief but remarkable life, Professor Wilson will then take you through an exploration of themes in O’Connor’s work and the hallmarks of her literary style. You’ll get a clearer picture of O’Connor’s historical and geographical context while digging into how her stories can transcend time and place.
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The author reading her own book.
- By James T Casey on 12-16-24
By: Jessica Hooten Wilson, and others
What listeners say about Prelude to War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jackie W
- 05-08-24
Amazing story of little known important work
When I began listening to the audio version of this story, I expected it to be historical fiction and was surprised to find that it is a very accurate story about a number of dedicated men and a few women who worked under the radar to develop and utilize a clever system crucial to the history of American cryptology. Since I had worked in Maryland myself in this field some years back, I was captivated with all the detail that was so fascinating and is now unclassified so that we all might learn of it. The story was very well written and entertaining, and it was greatly enhanced in this Audible version read by Joseph Courtemanche. There were many details that might have been confusing to the general reader (military and cryptologic acronyms), but these did not detract from the story and actually made it more real for the educated reader. It was not just an historical recitation at all, though, since the actual story was both compelling and even heartbreaking at times. Kudos to the author for all the research it must have entailed and the manner in which he put the story together…and also to the excellent reader for using just the right cadence and feeling in his telling us this incredible tale!
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- KZ
- 08-05-23
Captivating!
I’ve read both books and was very excited to hear the audio version. I’m so very impressed. It is wonderfully read, bringing this captivating and historical piece of history to life through the audio version. The reader’s voice is perfectly balanced adding just the right amount of depth and clarity to the storytelling. The author also added a .pdf file to enhance the listening experience, which I greatly enjoyed. I highly recommend this audiobook for the very important and untold piece of history.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sarah
- 07-20-23
Loved it!
I read this when it was first published, and was captivated by the story. The audio gives even more depth to an already compelling story! And the new content in the PDF was great! Such a fascinating story!
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- delaney
- 10-01-23
Great Listen/read
Thoroughly enjoyed the very informative narration of some behind the scenes GIs who (due to the nature of their work) hit minimal recognition.
Can't wait to dive in to Volune 2
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- Lynzie P
- 08-20-23
What a wonderful homage!
What a wonderful homage to this group of men who annonymously protected and defended our country! Really, nobody was allowed to know this was going on! These books provide a lot of behind-the-scenes, real-life accounts of real troops and what they had to deal with...although, I'm sure there are still many factoids one would not want to recall. I've always had a tough time with my history lessons in general, so I did need to concentrate pretty hard to follow along. To remedy that, I focused on the men's individual accounts, making it become more of a novel. Because of this, I was either glad or sad for each fellow, depending on the outcome of their own experience. I continually tried to keep in mind that they were not fictional, but real people, living real lives. However, there were definitely a couple of moments when I'd shout out "Dude, don't do that!" These books also bring to light a better understanding of why people feel the way they do about other people, while trying to overcome those thoughts. I can understand the fear Americans must have been experiencing at the time.
Thanks, Matt, for researching and compiling these events into something I thoroughly enjoyed!
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- wfstargazer
- 01-17-24
Details of the origination of intercept value
I truly enjoyed the infinite details of the initial beginning of intercept operations. Nothing was of any dislike to me.
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- RLB
- 07-22-23
Enjoyed the book and audiobook
Read the book when it came out and bought the audiobook so I could revisit the stories while exercising. Listened to the sample first to make sure that the narrator had a voice that I could listen to for hours. The narration does the book justice, I enjoyed it as much as reading the book myself.
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- Dennis
- 09-24-23
Outstanding!
Excellent book. I expected this to read like a history lesson, but was quite impressed to find it presented as a novel. The background and detail provided was fascinating and a great listen.
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- Gayle
- 08-15-23
loved the review of history.
Another great script and narrations to travel through time and place. Thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.
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- Diana Baumgarten
- 07-19-23
Not to be missed
I confess I have read the hard copy of this book. The Audible version really brought the content to life for me. I would recommend this Audible version to every American. Folks really will be drawn in to the history and the story itself.
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2 people found this helpful