To win a war against a monster across the ocean, the United States Navy had to recruit the monsters at home.
Phantoms of Salerno reveals the buried history of Operation Underworld, a jarring alliance between the guardians of democracy and the kings of organized crime. Follow Lieutenant Anthony Marsloe, a former "racket buster" turned Naval Intelligence agent, as he bridges the gap between the starched collars of the ONI and the blood-stained aprons of the Manhattan waterfront.
From the smoke-filled suites of the Astor Hotel to the desperate, mine-filled beaches of Salerno, this is the true story of how the Navy used the Mafia's "Manhattan Rolodex" to secure New York Harbor and gather the intelligence needed to liberate Italy.
In this book, you will discover:
The secret negotiations held in prison visiting rooms with Lucky Luciano.
How professional safecrackers became elite military assets behind enemy lines.
The dark reality of the black market empires built on the ruins of Naples.
The decades-long cover-up of the Herlands Report that the government didn't want you to see.
Experience a world where the line between hero and criminal is as thin as a safecracker's blade