SKELETON COAST John H Marsh

1944, Third Edition. Hardcover with dustcover, 124 pages. Cover is a photocopy of the original. Good condition; tightly bound, neat and clean on the inside. Some rustspots on back-endpage and on page ends. Hardcover has marks on the front. Parcel under 1kg.

This is a true story.

During World War 2 the event started with a passenger ship being wrecked in the middle of a desert coast far from any possible rescue and support. To rescue the passengers and crew, a major operation was launched involving other ships, aircraft and finally an overland convoy to rescue the castaways. In the operation another ship got wrecked and a precious aircraft got bogged down, as well as many army trucks written off, now meaning three groups of survivors needed rescue.

This book was written during WW2 using information provided by the government and participants which detailed the exploits of the parties involved in such a massive rescue in such an inhospitable environment in their race against time trying to keep all the castaways alive and supplied with food and water in a desert with an impassible shore line. Later versions revealed information that had been embargoed during the war.

The story of these epic rescues became so famous, that part of the coast of South West Africa (Namibia) became known as the Skeleton Coast after the book.