Step into Alcatraz history with this captivating book by renowned park historian and former National Park Service ranger John Martini.
It was June 1942...
Twenty-six-year-old Captain Freeman, mulling over his options, feared he was in for a long evening.
Much of the Pacific Fleet lay at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, and the US Army was feverishly bolstering West Coast defenses.
With fears that Japanese bombers could appear over San Francisco, Freeman's superiors were eyeing a small rock in the middle of the bay: Alcatraz. The island's location in the center of the harbor made it the perfect spot for a gun platform. The prison's cellhouse rooftop was considered an especially strategic artillery location.
But Alcatraz's warden, James A. Johnston, had already developed a reputation as a curmudgeon when it came to following the military's wartime regulations. Although he had recently agreed to the installation of several gun positions on the island, assuming command of the new battery could turn out to be a tricky job...
Alcatraz was going to war. Again.