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La brigada de los bastardos: La apasionante historia de los científicos y espías que sabotearon la bomba atómica nazi

La brigada de los bastardos: La apasionante historia de los científicos y espías que sabotearon la bomba atómica nazi

  • Downloads：9167
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-07 02:50:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sam Kean
  • ISBN：8434433567
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Un libro que revela cómo el desenlace de la guerra podría haber sido una nube de hongo sobre Londres， París o Nueva York。

Raramente los secretos científicos han sido tan vitales como lo llegaron a ser durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial。 En medio de la planificación del Proyecto Manhattan， la Oficina de Servicios Estratégicos de Estados Unidos ideó un plan secreto: la Operación Alsos， destinada a rastrear y entorpecer las investigaciones sobre energía nuclear llevadas a cabo por las Potencias del Eje。 El resultado fue un complot digno del mejor thriller， basado en sabotajes， espionajes y asesinatos。 En el corazón de esta misión se encontraba la llamada «brigada de los bastardos»， un grupo de soldados， científicos y espías que se infiltraron entre los físicos， químicos y militares alemanes para detener la amenaza más aterradora de la guerra: la bomba nuclear ideada por Hitler。

En esta fascinante historia de la batalla por la supremacía atómica destaca no solo el increíble elenco de personajes， sino la capacidad de Sam Kean para mostrarnos las mentes de esos hombres y mujeres que realizaron una de las labores de inteligencia más importante de todos los tiempos。

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Reviews

Quinby6696 Frank ，

This is a book to chill your blood detailing how close the Nazis came to beating the Allies to the atomic bomb。 The Bastard Brigade was a polyglot collection of scientists and spies that operated under the radar to try and prevent that from happening。 The group included the inimitable Mo Berg， a Major League baseball player who spoke （according to some） eight languages and was willing to do anything in service to the cause。 While on a public relations trip to Japan in 1934， Berg was among a coll This is a book to chill your blood detailing how close the Nazis came to beating the Allies to the atomic bomb。 The Bastard Brigade was a polyglot collection of scientists and spies that operated under the radar to try and prevent that from happening。 The group included the inimitable Mo Berg， a Major League baseball player who spoke （according to some） eight languages and was willing to do anything in service to the cause。 While on a public relations trip to Japan in 1934， Berg was among a collection of all-stars like Babe Ruth， Lou Gehrig， Lefty Gomez， and Jimmy Foxx。 The Japanese loved Berg。 "At one point Berg greeted a few people in Japanese， which drew an incredulous stare from Ruth。 At the start of their sea voyage two weeks earlier， he'd （Babe Ruth） asked Berg if the catcher spoke any Japanese; Berg claimed not to。 So what gives？ Ruth now asked。 Berg shrugged。 "That was two weeks ago。"The stories in this book include the early disastrous attempts to destroy the heavy water plant in Vemork in Norway and the mind-boggling risks taken to keep the water from reaching Germany。 Also included is the story of Joe Kennedy's tragic obsession to outdo his kid brother's heroics in the Pacific。 There is a surprising amount of humor in the "truth is stranger than fiction" vein and everything you could ever want to know about fusion， fission， uranium， heavy water， cyclotrons， physics， etc。 A real page turner。 Some of these events are portrayed in the movie "The Heroes of Telemark" starring Kirk Douglas。 It's a very old movie but well worth watching。 。。。more

Kislay Chandra ，

Sam Kean has firmly established himself as one of my favorite authors。 His writing and storytelling are so engaging that it is quite hard to stop。 This book in particular， is about one of my favorite historical events， the Second world war， and physics， I science I am in awe of。 Needless to say， it was one heck of a red。

Matt Heavner ，

great narrative， lots of cool history and several strands woven together nicely。 May be my favorite Sam Kean book。 I do love this history。 I have read much about "did Heisenberg `throw' the race？" and I was surprised this barely even addressed it and didn't give it any credence。 I'd be curious to know what research （that others all missed？） led to this。 The Kennedy thread / tragedy was interesting to weave through。 I've always been fascinated by the Vermork and Alsos histories， and this is a gre great narrative， lots of cool history and several strands woven together nicely。 May be my favorite Sam Kean book。 I do love this history。 I have read much about "did Heisenberg `throw' the race？" and I was surprised this barely even addressed it and didn't give it any credence。 I'd be curious to know what research （that others all missed？） led to this。 The Kennedy thread / tragedy was interesting to weave through。 I've always been fascinated by the Vermork and Alsos histories， and this is a great telling of it。 。。。more

Katie Bowers ，

This was one of my favorite WW2 books I've read so far。 It showed the bravery of unlikely people and showed the enormity of WW2。 Truly believe anyone who was any interest in WW2 needs to make this book part of their library。 This was one of my favorite WW2 books I've read so far。 It showed the bravery of unlikely people and showed the enormity of WW2。 Truly believe anyone who was any interest in WW2 needs to make this book part of their library。 。。。more

Eric ，

If you like history， science， and adventure， this is a good book for you。 I particularly enjoyed learning more about the back story of several names that I previously knew from college physics books。 It was also really fascinating to learn about the threat of the Nazi atomic weapon program。

Daniel Farabaugh ，

This book is more straight history than Kean's previous work， but he does an admirable job with the topic。 The narrative is a bit sprawling at times but his writing is quick and engaging and he contrasts the various motives well。 This book is more straight history than Kean's previous work， but he does an admirable job with the topic。 The narrative is a bit sprawling at times but his writing is quick and engaging and he contrasts the various motives well。 。。。more

Michelle Dunlap ，

Interesting how Berg went from baseball player to spy。

Buphalough ，

I love Sam Kean ability to write historical and scientific information in a lively way。 I wish my history classes were told like this。 Great in-depth account of the Atomic race during WWII。 I never knew the details of this part of history and Mr。 Kean told the story extremely well bouncing between the major historical figure’s past and how they were involved in the WWII events of the Atomic race。 Excellent well written book！

Anup Sinha ，

Simply put， if we don’t get the bomb before the Germans， we’re not here right now。 This is a fascinating and impactful story that is both well-written and exhaustively researched by Sam Kean; a “science guy” who has plenty of grasp for history as well。 I knew bits and pieces of the story， particularly Moe Berg’s role and the attack on Vemork， but it went way above and beyond anything I imagined。 The Americans fully understood the danger they were in and took huge risk and expense to make sure th Simply put， if we don’t get the bomb before the Germans， we’re not here right now。 This is a fascinating and impactful story that is both well-written and exhaustively researched by Sam Kean; a “science guy” who has plenty of grasp for history as well。 I knew bits and pieces of the story， particularly Moe Berg’s role and the attack on Vemork， but it went way above and beyond anything I imagined。 The Americans fully understood the danger they were in and took huge risk and expense to make sure the world wasn’t nuked by Germany。 There are so many fascinating little stories and tidbits as well as intriguing characters。I love science and history， and baseball actually， and Sam Kean does a remarkable job putting it all together。 This is the fourth book of Kean’s that I have read and all were exceptional。 。。。more

Tamara Cassinat ，

I really enjoy Sam Kean books。 I found him through "The Disappearing Spoon" and have gone through most of his titles now。 This one was writted just as well - but it is much longer than his other books I've read and sadly it dragged on near the end。 Most of the book is engaging and quick， but near the end I couldn't wait for it to just END。 Maybe I felt this way because I just finished a similar book （"Bomb"） and it covered most of the same material just from a different angle。 But also， having r I really enjoy Sam Kean books。 I found him through "The Disappearing Spoon" and have gone through most of his titles now。 This one was writted just as well - but it is much longer than his other books I've read and sadly it dragged on near the end。 Most of the book is engaging and quick， but near the end I couldn't wait for it to just END。 Maybe I felt this way because I just finished a similar book （"Bomb"） and it covered most of the same material just from a different angle。 But also， having read both so closely it was easier to remember everything and make connects， so maybe it both helped and made it worse。 Anyway， I did enjoy it， just wished it wouldn't have gotten so slow near the end。 。。。more

Froggarana ，

i thought the disappearing spoon was better

Donna ，

I always enjoy books by Sam Kean and this was no exception。 He writes so well and has a good sense of humor about his subject matter。 （The first book of his I read was The Disappearing Spoon。 Who ever could have imagined that the periodic table could be so interesting。 The cast of characters in this book are memorable， especially Mo Berg the catcher turned spy。 Kean made the physics in the book understandable and even included illustrations to help。 Mostly， this is a story about a group of scien I always enjoy books by Sam Kean and this was no exception。 He writes so well and has a good sense of humor about his subject matter。 （The first book of his I read was The Disappearing Spoon。 Who ever could have imagined that the periodic table could be so interesting。 The cast of characters in this book are memorable， especially Mo Berg the catcher turned spy。 Kean made the physics in the book understandable and even included illustrations to help。 Mostly， this is a story about a group of scientists in unusual roles as spies， and the organizations that recruited them to find out how far along the Nazi atomic bomb research was。 I highly recommend。 。。。more

Kristi ，

The title sets you up for a bit of a letdown。 According to the book itself， the Nazis weren't able to build an atomic bomb， despite having a head start on the Americans， not b/c their work was sabotaged by the scientists and spies， who were in fact pretty ineffective。 There are lots of interesting stories here， though。 I'd heard about Moe Berg， the former MLB player turned spy， from my baseball-loving son， so hearing more about him was fun。 Kean does a good job explaining complex scientific idea The title sets you up for a bit of a letdown。 According to the book itself， the Nazis weren't able to build an atomic bomb， despite having a head start on the Americans， not b/c their work was sabotaged by the scientists and spies， who were in fact pretty ineffective。 There are lots of interesting stories here， though。 I'd heard about Moe Berg， the former MLB player turned spy， from my baseball-loving son， so hearing more about him was fun。 Kean does a good job explaining complex scientific ideas。 。。。more

Charles Fried ，

I knew of some of these WW2 stories， but there were many that I did not。 And these are some crazy stories。 The author's breezy writing style makes for easy reading。 I knew of some of these WW2 stories， but there were many that I did not。 And these are some crazy stories。 The author's breezy writing style makes for easy reading。 。。。more

Gregg ，

Good book。 Interesting， well-told story。 Nice balance of accessible science and military adventure。

Andy Klein ，

I absolutely loved this book。 I’m a fan of Kean’s earlier works like the Disappearing Spoon， but this book was special。 I knew very little about the Allies’ efforts to thwart the Nazis’ atomic program and was enthralled by the characters， exploits， and goings of the eclectic and eccentric group of folks that Kean followed。 The book was a true life thriller and held my complete interest from page 1 to the end。

Jane Griffiths ，

Loved it。 Recommend it to anyone who loves spy stories。

Laura Fish ，

While I found the information interesting， it was a long read for me。 I learned so much by reading this， items that aren’t covered in standard High School or College level courses， there were times when I had to force myself to pick it up again。 Grateful I finished it， this history is so important。

Devin S ，

Great read， particularly the science around 1940s fission research。

Chris ，

New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean tells the incredible story of how a renegade group of spies kept Hitler from obtaining his ultimate prize: a nuclear bomb。Scientists have always kept secrets。 But rarely in history have scientific secrets been as vital as they were during World War II。 In the midst of planning the Manhattan Project， the U。S。 Office of Strategic Services created a secret offshoot-the Alsos Mission-meant to gather intelligence on and sabotage if necessary， scientific rese New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean tells the incredible story of how a renegade group of spies kept Hitler from obtaining his ultimate prize: a nuclear bomb。Scientists have always kept secrets。 But rarely in history have scientific secrets been as vital as they were during World War II。 In the midst of planning the Manhattan Project， the U。S。 Office of Strategic Services created a secret offshoot-the Alsos Mission-meant to gather intelligence on and sabotage if necessary， scientific research by the Axis powers。 What resulted was a plot worthy of the finest thriller， full of spies， sabotage， and murder。 At its heart was the Lightning A team， a group of intrepid soldiers， scientists， and spies--and even a famed baseball player--who were given almost free rein to get themselves embedded within the German scientific community to stop the most terrifying threat of the war: Hitler acquiring an atomic bomb of his very own。 While the Manhattan Project and other feats of scientific genius continue to inspire us today， few people know about the international intrigue and double-dealing that accompanied those breakthroughs。 The Bastard Brigade recounts this forgotten history， fusing a nonfiction spy thriller with some of the most incredible scientific ventures of all time。 。。。more

Sara ，

So good！ An excellent mixture of history and science。 As a nerd in both areas， this was a great read。 Already loved this author， this just confirmed it。

Swampthing ，

History told like a Hollywood blockbuster， minus the politics。 Incredibly refreshing！

David ，

The lack of good intelligence gathering during WWII made both the Allies and the Axis powers over-think and under-think what the other side was going to use on their next attack。 The Allies created this 'Bastard Brigade' per their over-thinking of how far along the Nazi's were with their Atomic Bomb development。 While Werner Heisenberg was helping Germany， he had been cut off from knowing the swift developments the Manhattan Project in the USA。 Better to over-think the need for answers here rath The lack of good intelligence gathering during WWII made both the Allies and the Axis powers over-think and under-think what the other side was going to use on their next attack。 The Allies created this 'Bastard Brigade' per their over-thinking of how far along the Nazi's were with their Atomic Bomb development。 While Werner Heisenberg was helping Germany， he had been cut off from knowing the swift developments the Manhattan Project in the USA。 Better to over-think the need for answers here rather than to find out the hard way！I found this story very engaging。 The physics explained was in very layman terms， but just enough to help understand the history and science behind nuclear fission by inserting slow neutrons。 But it was the cast of characters that drove this book。 Indeed， each short chapter jumped back and forth between characters （scientists， military leaders， spies， allies and axis）。 My one minor qualm about the book - the small time-jumps between chapters。 For example， a character will be followed from July to September。 The next chapter will go to another character and go from August （where you last left him）， to December。 But these were very logically divided segments on each person。As a physics person， I enjoyed the well-explained science and the emphasis on how the military and government elevated this to the highest priority。 I have read a good number of WWII books， but never anything on Germany's Atomic program。 The reason why， would be that Germany really didn't have a nuclear program that came remotely close to the level of the Allies。 So I can understand limited books being available。But during WWII we definitely were scared when we saw Germany building large missile launching sites。 Could the V-3 be either a nuclear weapon （that kills instantly）， or even just carry a dirty bomb （nuclear isotopes that poison you slowly）？ The respect for German science， in particular Werner Heisenberg， legitimized our fear。 We knew Germany was coveting heavy water （D2O） and Uranium， so surely they must be further along。 German radio kept giving hints of WMD。 Indeed， some of the weapons discussed in this book shocked me。Our spies on the bastard brigade needed to be science-smart， but actual Manhattan Project level scientists could not be used。 The use of Moe Berg， a multi-language pro baseball catcher surprised me how effective he was in the field。 Lots of drama （bullets， bungled operations， delays， near-death events） so this story read like an adventure novel。 I found that the momentum of this book got better and better as I continued reading。I listened to an audio-book version where I was very unimpressed by the reader。 He read with too much overemphasis on words， making me feel he was reading to second graders。 I found that speeding up the audio to a solid 1。5x relieved the annoyance considerably。 I would advise getting the actual book。 I'm actually requesting the hard-copy of the book too from my library， and might amend my review per any extra maps， bibliography highlights I might find。Solid 4。5 for the new information and adventure-novel feel。 。。。more

Robert ，

You could probably make 3-4 good movies based solely on plot lines within this book。 What an interesting story about a part of the war that likely is neglected because Germany failed to win the nuclear race。

Jean Blackwood ，

Amazing story wonderfully told by Sam Kean。

Les ，

Very well researched and written。 The stories are fascinating and the narrative never gets bogged down or too dry。

Bob ，

Having just watched the 2014/15 TV series， Manhattan， I was curious about the Nazi Germany atomic bomb program that concerned many of the characters， I was curious about the true history of that effort。 This book， which details the Allied efforts to disrupt that program answered those questions。 An extremely interesting read for anyone curious about that program and the Allied efforts to disrupt it。

John E。 ，

Nail-biting An excellent read for WW II buffs。 More exciting than a 007 movie， and a picture of real heroes doing heroic deeds。

Dawn ，

A motley crew of scientists， problem children military men， and even Moe Berg， the famous baseball player， work together in the beginnings of the OSS （the precursor of today’s CIA） to stop the Nazi’s from building an atomic bomb。 Things I liked about this book: the author’s writing style。 Even with such a serious， historical subject， he manages to add bits of humor into his writing beyond the characters。 However， there are a few things that he adds that either don’t need to be added， or just ar A motley crew of scientists， problem children military men， and even Moe Berg， the famous baseball player， work together in the beginnings of the OSS （the precursor of today’s CIA） to stop the Nazi’s from building an atomic bomb。 Things I liked about this book: the author’s writing style。 Even with such a serious， historical subject， he manages to add bits of humor into his writing beyond the characters。 However， there are a few things that he adds that either don’t need to be added， or just aren’t true。 He spends a fair bit of time on Joe Kennedy， Jr。 （you’ll understand why）， but we really don’t need the entire family history as to how his father was an ass， the family had wealth and political influence， as well as JFK’s career and why he was awarded medals for his service。 Not to mention the crack about Rosemary’s developmental disabilities。 That’s not entirely true。 Or rather， we don’t quite know what was wrong with her before Joe Sr。 paid for her to undergo a lobotomy in 1941。 I wouldn’t call a lobotomy a “developmental disability，” I’d call that butchering her。 Then he spends quite a bit of time trying to convince the reader that Oppenheimer was a spy for the Russians。 Yes， he had been a member of a Communist Party， his brother was， many of his friends were， he was even a very odd duck。 Ultimately， he was found not guilty despite all the surveillance。 There still remains no proof。 。。。more

Marc Stephenson ，

The narrative is engaging and much easier to follow than one might expect given the subject matter。 I think that the sections about Joe Kennedy could have been left out without harming the story at all。 I found that story line distracting and unnecessary， but it wasn’t enough to make me knock this down to four stars。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=La brigada de los bastardos: La apasionante historia de los científicos y espías que sabotearon la bomba atómica nazi

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=La brigada de los bastardos: La apasionante historia de los científicos y espías que sabotearon la bomba atómica nazi&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,La brigada de los bastardos: La apasionante historia de los científicos y espías que sabotearon la bomba atómica nazi&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0