The Untold Story of the D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations Forever
by Rachel Lance
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Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2024
448 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
For readers of The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Code Girls, who want stories about the tech behind military successes and the maverick groups that generate historic innovations.
This is the previously classified story of one group of scientific researchers—men and women—who exposed themselves to extraordinary risks to make D-Day a success.
On the beaches of Normandy, two summers before D-Day, the Allies attempted an all but forgotten landing. Of the nearly seven thousand Allied troops sent ashore, only a few hundred survived the terrible massacre, and the reason for the debacle was a lack of reconnaissance. The shore turned out to be impassable to tanks. The Nazis had hidden obstacles in unexpected places. The fortifications were more numerous—and deadly—than imagined. The Allies knew they needed to take the fight to Hitler on the European mainland to end the war, but they could not afford to be unprepared again. A small group of eccentric researchers, experimenting on themselves from inside pressure tanks in the middle of the London air raids, explored the deadly science needed to enable the critical reconnaissance vessels and underwater breathing apparatuses that would enable the Allies' dramatic, history-making success during the next major beach landing: D-Day.
Based on top secret documents only recently declassified and hunted down by Rachel Lance, this is the story of a band of maverick, hard-drinking submarine researchers, led by the controversial, brilliant biologist and communist sympathizer JBS Haldane as well as the intrepid Dr. Helen Spurway. Without their lab and its wartime work, neither SEALs nor submarines could prowl the ocean the way they do today.
"A riveting account of the daredevil Allied researchers who made advances in underwater warfare possible during WWII…Propulsively narrated and full of moments of astonishing sacrifice, this brings a remarkable history to light." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"In this bracing history of an obscure but significant aspect of the D-Day landing, Lance (In the Waves, 2020) combines a staggering amount of research with an array of compelling personalities to tell an unforgettable story." —Booklist (starred review)
"A fascinating, hair-raising account of groundbreaking research." —Kirkus Reviews
"With skill and heart, Rachel Lance tells the story of a group of unlikely heroes, who sacrificed their own bodies to advance a hidden world of warfare. Exploring the unseen depths of WWII's most dangerous operations, Lance reveals the secret wartime science that remains essential to protecting our freedoms." —Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls and Wise Gals
"Meticulously researched, the unbelievable yet true story of the eccentric, maverick submarine scientists whose courage and expertise ensured the success of D-Day. Inspirational reading."
—Dr Helen Fry, author of MI9
"Rachel Lance has produced a gripping, beautifully researched narrative that plunges readers deep into the drama of one of the most important military operations in history. WWII buffs and those looking for a genuine page turner will be delighted."
—Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of Against All Odds
"An illuminating account of the women and men whose dogged efforts and sacrifice helped to enable and protect the most critical, but also most fragile weapon in war – the human body. Chamber Divers sheds new light on an little-known aspect of some of history's most famous operations. Entertaining and informative – a great read."
—General Stanley McChrystal, USA, New York Times bestselling author of My Share of the Task and Team of Teams
This information about Chamber Divers was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rachel Lance is a biomedical engineer and blast-injury specialist who works as a scientific researcher on military diving projects at Duke University. Before returning to graduate school to earn her PhD, Dr. Lance spent several years as an engineer for the United States Navy, working to build specialized underwater equipment for use by navy divers, SEALs, and Marine Force Recon personnel. A native of suburban Detroit, Dr. Lance lives in Durham, North Carolina. Her first book, In the Waves, was published by Dutton.
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