Think about watching the Titanic without the movie stars and Celine Dion’s soundtrack and you have a taste of what this book is about. Only the Athenia didn’t run into a giant iceberg. It was sunk by a German U-Boat as Germany marched into Poland and the world plunged into war. Without Warning is a fictionalized account of a real tragedy based on interviews with survivors and extensive research.

Although it is historical fiction, Sanger made it eminently readable and easy to approach. He traces the journeys of the various passengers on the Athenia who ranged from Poles fleeing the Germans advance to Americans on holiday and British traveling to the US and Canada to pursue acting careers, a very diverse lot. For some, they were just going about their lives. For others, the War was coming and they hoped they were heading for safety.

Sanger does another interesting turn in that he also gives us the point of view of the German U-Boat (submarine) captain and how anxious he was to make a good impression and how concerned he was about British merchant ships pressed into military service. They gave no warning, but even with all the other atrocities it was not an intentional torpedoing of a passenger liner.

The actual hit on the Athenia took place quickly, and there is no doubt the anxious desperate escape onto the liferafts is vividly portrayed. It is hard to imagine how desperate these people were and how ill-prepared for the frigid waters.

This is a fascinating true story well worth reading.

Not read yet but cannot delete this review for some reason :/

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel based on fact from Netgalley, Thomas C. Sanger and Greenleaf Book Group, River Grove Books, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

There is obviously a massive amount of work involved in researching the background of this based on fact historical novel. His grandmother Rhoda Thomas, a passenger and survivor of the Athenia torpedoing, wrote of her experiences - I am grateful that Thomas C. Sanger was compelled to flesh out her work and write this novel, to add to our knowledge the personalities of both the lost and rescued victims in these British and American, Canadian and Polish travelers on the Athenia. The torpedoing of the British Passenger Liner Athenia by the German Submarine U-30 happened within hours of England's Declaration of War with Germany, announced at 11:00 am September 3, 1939. The passengers and crew of the Athenia were in lifeboats before midnight.

We follow the experience through actual persons onboard the ship - seven passengers and the chief officer and second in command, Barnet Copland, as passengers arrive and board the Athenia, and travel from Saturday September 2, 1939, through the rescues and recoveries on September 4, 1939 and beyond. Thomas Sanger brings these people to life in his prose. These folks are now firmly peopled in my mind and heart.

Although the first British ship sunk in WWII, lose of life was limited to about 10% and was a contributing factor the the lack of widespread knowledge about the tragedy of the Athenia. Sanger fills in the post-catastrophe lives of the these folks we follow through the sinking of Athenia, however, rounding out nicely their life stories.

The author compiled mountains of research that traced the tragic events that led to the sinking of the British merchant ship Athenia. The narrative also took an up-close-and-personal look at the lives of several passengers aboard the doomed vessel. It helped provide heartfelt meaning to this horrific event. This historical fiction was bursting at the seams in rich detail. The added personal quality made it difficult to put down. My kind of problem.

The British passenger liner Athenia with eleven hundred passengers and crew aboard had the dubious distinction of being the first ship sunk by a German U-Boat. This act of terrorism jump-started World War II. The date - September 3rd, 1939.

While scanning the horizon at periscope depth, German submarine officer Captain Fritz Lemp spotted an ocean-going vessel in the distant horizon. He had no way of knowing with certainty if it was friend or foe. If non-threatening, it was protected by International Maritime treaties in times of War. Accordingly, if friendly, a warning would first be issued if intercepted by an enemy state. Lemp, however, was eager to be the first submarine Commander of the Reich to sink an enemy vessel. To have his name in lights. Had his reasoning been blinded by his overzealous ambition? Did he see only what he wanted to see?

Not wasting any time, he calculated the proper trajectory for the Athenia's date with death. A missile that carried a 600 pound payload. He gave the order. Fire one! A torpedo was underway. At precisely 7:39 p.m. on September 3rd, it found its easy target. The first strike of World War II had made its mark. The war was now officially underway.

Everyone on board the Athenia felt the powerful mind-splitting blast and vibration that violently shook the ship. Where struck, the hull of the ship had been breached. Seawater was pouring in. The ship went black. Everyone was cast into total darkness. Confusion and terror ran rampant through the ship. A living nightmare had been unleashed.

The piercing emergency signal for "Abandon Ship" had sounded . Eight short, one long. The passengers had been drilled shortly after getting underway. To everyone's fright, no one ever expected to hear that calamitous sound ever again. Could this really be happening?

On board the submarine, a second torpedo had been fired. Luckily, for the Athena, it got stuck in the tube. One was already bad enough. There was a chance it could detonate in the U-boat . The men worked feverishly to rid the vessel of it. Their lives hung in the balance. They were successful. It was a close call. Captain Lemp congratulated his men for a job well done.

On the sinking Athenia, everyone was in a state of confusion. Picking their way through darkness, they found their assigned muster for their lifeboats. In not so orderly a fashion. So much for the controlled drill. "Women and children first!", echoed from the crew. It was all so surreal. Totally unprepared for this emergency, many of the passengers were clad only in their thin evening wear or pajamas. Many did not even have possession of their life jackets. No way to make the acquaintance with the freezing waters of the Atlantic. Misery was just around the corner.

The submarine surfaced to survey the damage. Through binoculars, the Captain was able to see crowded lifeboats being lowered over the side. He noted that the stricken ship was listing to the port side. Ominous shape. But for what it was worth, it was still afloat. Not sinking fast enough for his satisfaction. From the surface, he gave the order to fire another torpedo. Finish her off. Somehow it missed or was a dud. Either way, the captain wasn't done. He ordered his gun crew to prepare the eighty-eight millimeter deck cannon for firing. That would do the trick. Just moments before shelling the Athenia, he realized that he had attacked a passenger ship. A grave mistake had been committed. He acted in haste. WITHOUT WARNING!

5 stars

This remarkable tale is told from several points of view, from the commander of the submarine named the U-30 that sunk the Athenia to some of the passengers and crew of the ill-fated ship on her way from Glasgow by way of Belfast and Liverpool to Canada.

We meet the passengers and crew of the Athenia as they make their way to their various ports to take the journey to Canada. Oberleutnant Lemp has already left Germany with his submarine and is sailing a zig-zag course to the North Sea. After all the passengers are boarded the ship sets out for Canada. They have been ordered to sail a zig-zag pattern for safety.

It’s September 3, 1939 and Oberleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp has a ship in his periscope’s sights. Believing it to be a merchant ship, he fired upon it, his first attack in the new war.

We follow the survivors through the harrowing boarding of the lifeboats, children separated from their mothers, wives separated from their husbands, and those brave souls who helped the others to board while they waited behind. We learn their stories about surviving in their lifeboats in a pitching sea for eleven hours, becoming separated from the other boats, the accidents that occurred and the lives lost.

When they board the five rescue ships they are cold, exhausted and some without their family members. Some are injured and some have lost their lives in the water. The rescue ships sail to different ports, exacerbating the problem in contacting their loved ones.

I didn’t have any knowledge of the sinking of the Athenia until I read this book. The novel is a complete marvel. This book is extremely well written and plotted. The research into the sinking of the ship must have been exhaustive and extensive. The book tells the story of the sinking of the Athenia and the aftermath of that sinking. It tells of the indomitable human spirit and the will to survive. It tells of the instinct to help one another in times of disaster; the everyday simple generosity of people everywhere.
This is my first Thomas Sanger novel, but I can guarantee it won’t be my last. I sincerely hope he writes more.

I want to thank NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group/River Grove Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most enlightening and wonderful book to read and enjoy.

Everyone knows about the Lusitania of WW1, but the sinking of the Athenia has not been as popular in books. As England declares war with Germany (WW2) a U boat fires on the Athenia. Carrying 1013 passengers, the Athenia faired better than the Lusitania. Based on passengers memoirs, interviews with survivors and or their relatives, Thomas C. Sanger gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of passengers, crew and the crew of the submarine. The true happenings were not revealed until 1946, but this book is a must read for those who have been interested in the current publications of WW2 stories. Well crafted,"Without Warning" is a glimpse into a small crack of history no one has known about. This is a must read for everyone whether interested in history or fiction.