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N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia
"GRIPPING. ... One of the greatest polar rescue efforts ever mounted." — Wall Street Journal The riveting true story of the largest polar rescue mission in the desperate race to find the survivors of the glamorous Arctic airship Italia, which crashed near the North Pole in 1928. Triumphantly returning from the North Pole on May 24, 1928, the world-famous exploring airship Italia —code-named N-4—was struck by a terrible storm and crashed somewhere over the Arctic ice, triggering the largest polar rescue mission in history. Helping lead the search was Roald Amundsen, the poles’ greatest explorer, who himself soon went missing in the frozen wastes. Amundsen’s body has never been found, the last victim of one of the Arctic’s most enduring mysteries . . . During the Roaring Twenties, zeppelin travel embodied the exuberant spirit of the age. Germany’s luxurious Graf Zeppelin would run passenger service from Germany to Brazil; Britain’s Imperial Airship was launched to connect an empire; in America, the iconic spire of the rising Empire State Building was designed as a docking tower for airships. But the novel mode of transport offered something else, a new frontier of exploration. Whereas previous Arctic and Antarctic explorers had subjected themselves to horrific—often deadly—conditions in their attempts to reach uncharted lands, airships held out the possibility of speedily soaring over the hazards. In 1926, the famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen—the first man to reach the South Pole—partnered with the Italian airship designer General Umberto Nobile to pioneer flight over the North Pole. As Mark Piesing uncovers in this masterful account, while that mission was thought of as a great success, it was in fact riddled with near disasters and political pitfalls. In May 1928, his relationship with Amundsen corroded beyond the point of collaboration, Nobile, his dog, and a crew of fourteen Italians, one Swede, and one Czech, set off on their own in the airship Italia to discover new lands in the Arctic Circle and to become the first airship to land men on the pole. But near the North Pole they hit a terrible storm and crashed onto the ice. Six crew members were never seen again; the injured (including Nobile) took refuge on ice flows,unprepared for the wretched conditions and with little hope for survival. Coincidentally, in Oslo a gathering of famous Arctic explorers had assembled for a celebration of the first successful flight from Alaska to Norway. Hearing of the accident, Amundsen set off on his own desperate attempt to find Nobile and his men. As the weeks passed and the largest international polar rescue expedition mobilized, the survivors engaged in a last-ditch struggle against weather, polar bears, and despair. When they were spotted at last, the search plane landed—but the pilot announced that there was room for only one passenger. . . . Braiding together the gripping accounts of the survivors and their heroic rescuers, N-4 Down tells the unforgettable true story of what happened when the glamour and restless daring of the zeppelin age collided with the harsh reality of earth’s extremes.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published August 31, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 2, 2024
Good storytelling! Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
March 19, 2022
“N-4 Down: the hunt for the Arctic airship Italia,” by Mark Piesing (HarperCollins, 2021). This is from the days when Italians were not seen as a noisy joke, when Mussolini was a visionary leader, and airships were the future of aerial transportation. Piesing follows the history of light-than-air flight into the 1920s and ‘30s, when huge craft such as Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg flew scheduled, luxury service from Europe to the Americas. This was also the last great period of exploration, when Roald Amundsen was the hero who had beaten Scott to the South Pole and no one had yet made it to the North Pole. Umberto Nobile was one of the many who were attempting to head north. He was a pioneer of dirigible flight and planned an expedition to the top of the polar ice cap. He, Amundsen, and Robert Peary were the primary adventurers. Amundsen was broke and perhaps desperate to get there; Peary claimed to have made it by dog sled, but his computations were suspect. Nobile made the attempt with his great ship N-4, Italia, cheered on by Mussolini. Piesing details the rivalries, betrayals, and extraordinary travails of the explorers, who survived the crash of the Italia, and were eventually rescued. A fascinating tale, though marred with some flawed editing in the text.
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April 13, 2023
A wild story, and surprising in that some people made it! But the book doesn't get to the titular event until the sixty percent mark, and meanders around several different nations' and explorers' history before getting to it. Context is helpful but it was a slog to get to the more riveting content.
October 17, 2022
What Mark Piesing has done is dragged into the spotlight (or should that be searchlight to remain in keeping with the topic) an epic story of discovery, rivalry, endurance, and deceit. This is a story that deserves a wider audience not just for the tale of daring do but also the lessons to be learned within the context of a time which was to become dominated by war within a decade.
In this work the reader is left in no doubt that Amundson was a true professional, polar exploration and more importantly survival was his life’s work but would prove ultimately to be his death.
American Robert Peary may (or may not) have been the first to reach the North Pole and in doing so claim to see unknown land. Amundsen being a pragmatist realised that there was no fame or fortune in following in his footsteps (the author makes it clear that to finance his voyages and expensive lifestyle Amundsen relied upon lecture tours and publications.) Being the first to fly over the Pole would be something new and lucrative. So the book starts with this ill-fated plan where eventually damage to the two planes lead to a variation of the movie The Flight of the Phoenix where model airplane engineer Hardy Krüger saves the day. This itself could have been an amazing story of reliance and recovery but merely serves as an hors d’oeuvre. Summed up perfectly by the chapter title “You are supposed to be dead” as Amundsen returns against the odds.
The main thrust of the book is the relationship between Roald Amundsen and Italian airship designer Umberto Nobile. They first come together when Amundsen decides an airship would be the best way to fly to the Pole so the need for Nobile’s help becomes a marriage of convenience. Amundsen has the knowledge, experience and funding whereas Nobile has the means of transport but also a desire to curry favour with Mussolini whose patronage was vital. As laid bare in the book, this was a recipe for conflict and ill feeling as in Amundsen’s view Nobile highjacked his voyage, which whilst not a complete success achieved most of the main objectives.
Undeterred Nobile was to return with a bigger, better airship the N-4 Italia with the aim of landing a man at the North Pole. It is this ill-fated journey and the subsequent rescue mission provides the bulk of the narrative.
There are several fascinating side stories, but the author sticks to the main historical flow never pausing for too long. This isn’t a dusty old-style history book though, there is a lightness to the prose and at times you feel as if you could be reading an Alistair Maclean thriller. Like the best popular history writing he manages to bring the story to life without over embellishing or projecting his ideas where there are gaps in the historical record.
It is the personalities, relationships and humanity that really grab the reader though. Even though they had fallen out irreparably, Amundsen knew he had the skills needed so volunteered to aid the rescue mission using a totally inadequate plane that was to cost him his life. How Nobile was usurped by Italo Balbo within the establishment somehow having a hold over Mussolini such that he was the darling for his flying circus antics whereas Nobile was damned whether he succeeded or not. In the 1930’s patronage could be vital for mere survival. Finally, there is Nobile’s simple misjudgment prompted by listening to well-meaning others which was to cost him dearly for the remainder of his life.
N-4 Down is a magnificent work of non-fiction story telling. Entertaining, engaging and at times gripping it is incredibly well researched and written.
In this work the reader is left in no doubt that Amundson was a true professional, polar exploration and more importantly survival was his life’s work but would prove ultimately to be his death.
American Robert Peary may (or may not) have been the first to reach the North Pole and in doing so claim to see unknown land. Amundsen being a pragmatist realised that there was no fame or fortune in following in his footsteps (the author makes it clear that to finance his voyages and expensive lifestyle Amundsen relied upon lecture tours and publications.) Being the first to fly over the Pole would be something new and lucrative. So the book starts with this ill-fated plan where eventually damage to the two planes lead to a variation of the movie The Flight of the Phoenix where model airplane engineer Hardy Krüger saves the day. This itself could have been an amazing story of reliance and recovery but merely serves as an hors d’oeuvre. Summed up perfectly by the chapter title “You are supposed to be dead” as Amundsen returns against the odds.
The main thrust of the book is the relationship between Roald Amundsen and Italian airship designer Umberto Nobile. They first come together when Amundsen decides an airship would be the best way to fly to the Pole so the need for Nobile’s help becomes a marriage of convenience. Amundsen has the knowledge, experience and funding whereas Nobile has the means of transport but also a desire to curry favour with Mussolini whose patronage was vital. As laid bare in the book, this was a recipe for conflict and ill feeling as in Amundsen’s view Nobile highjacked his voyage, which whilst not a complete success achieved most of the main objectives.
Undeterred Nobile was to return with a bigger, better airship the N-4 Italia with the aim of landing a man at the North Pole. It is this ill-fated journey and the subsequent rescue mission provides the bulk of the narrative.
There are several fascinating side stories, but the author sticks to the main historical flow never pausing for too long. This isn’t a dusty old-style history book though, there is a lightness to the prose and at times you feel as if you could be reading an Alistair Maclean thriller. Like the best popular history writing he manages to bring the story to life without over embellishing or projecting his ideas where there are gaps in the historical record.
It is the personalities, relationships and humanity that really grab the reader though. Even though they had fallen out irreparably, Amundsen knew he had the skills needed so volunteered to aid the rescue mission using a totally inadequate plane that was to cost him his life. How Nobile was usurped by Italo Balbo within the establishment somehow having a hold over Mussolini such that he was the darling for his flying circus antics whereas Nobile was damned whether he succeeded or not. In the 1930’s patronage could be vital for mere survival. Finally, there is Nobile’s simple misjudgment prompted by listening to well-meaning others which was to cost him dearly for the remainder of his life.
N-4 Down is a magnificent work of non-fiction story telling. Entertaining, engaging and at times gripping it is incredibly well researched and written.
January 17, 2023
An engaging account of the Airship Italia’s heroic attempt to land explorers at the North Pole. Thorough background on prior arctic journeys is provided as well, painting the backdrop for Commander Nobile’s arctic quest. Nicely woven into the narrative are political intrigue (e.g. the rise of Fascism), personal rivalries (Amundsen, Balbo, etc) and fractious patriotism of the nation’s involved. Kudos also to Mark Piesing for his non partisan and unbiased presentation.
One overriding and surprising element of this tale is this. As bold as the Italia’s flight was, what’s more remarkable were the ill-planned and executed rescue attempts, where suddenly the rescuers needed rescuing. These forays to the north were adventures on an epic scale. Sad, too, the treatment of General Nobile by the jackboot Balbo and the herd of Fascist appeasing journalists.
Despite being an aviation buff, I knew very little of arctic exploration by air, so this story was a welcome eye opener. Thanks to author Piesing’s riveting account, I will endeavor to conduct further reading on the subject, something of a testimonial to Piesing work.
The reason I did not award a “5” rating is due to the grievous omission of maps. There is one at the beginning of the book but it is no way up to the task of illustrating the whereabouts of all the protagonists. My progress through the book was slowed by repeated visits to Google maps in an attempt to visualize the geographic surroundings of the unfolding events. It would be one thing if the explorers were venturing from Cincinnati to Milwaukee, say, but we are talking about the most remote earthly outposts, hardly known to any of us other than perhaps graduate school cartographers.
Criticism aside, a most enjoyable voyage and a job well done by Mark Piesing.
One overriding and surprising element of this tale is this. As bold as the Italia’s flight was, what’s more remarkable were the ill-planned and executed rescue attempts, where suddenly the rescuers needed rescuing. These forays to the north were adventures on an epic scale. Sad, too, the treatment of General Nobile by the jackboot Balbo and the herd of Fascist appeasing journalists.
Despite being an aviation buff, I knew very little of arctic exploration by air, so this story was a welcome eye opener. Thanks to author Piesing’s riveting account, I will endeavor to conduct further reading on the subject, something of a testimonial to Piesing work.
The reason I did not award a “5” rating is due to the grievous omission of maps. There is one at the beginning of the book but it is no way up to the task of illustrating the whereabouts of all the protagonists. My progress through the book was slowed by repeated visits to Google maps in an attempt to visualize the geographic surroundings of the unfolding events. It would be one thing if the explorers were venturing from Cincinnati to Milwaukee, say, but we are talking about the most remote earthly outposts, hardly known to any of us other than perhaps graduate school cartographers.
Criticism aside, a most enjoyable voyage and a job well done by Mark Piesing.
July 12, 2022
Just finished this on the plane back to Ireland this morning. It got me through one of those overcrowded flights where the guy beside me kept coughing and the child behind me kept prodding my back with the full force of his two feet. Fortunately, I had this fantastic story to keep me sane. A guy I met at a Celtic Con Festival told me about the book, he had interviewed the writer for his podcast, and having written about the Arctic myself I was instantly hooked. It did not disappoint and this was a story I knew nothing about. I had never heard of N-4 Airship Italia nor General Nobile but I had wondered how Roald Amundsen met his end. And, I suppose, I can continue wondering about that. Next thing I'm going to do is watch the film, 'The Red Tent'.
June 30, 2022
The generalities of the story of Umberto Nobile and the loss of the "Italia" I've been aware of for years, but it was a pleasure to get a deep dive into the man's life, and how he became involved with the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen. This is very much a tale of the Golden Age of Aviation, as there was almost as lively a competition to fly over the North Pole as there was to be the first to cross the Atlantic. There being great stress between Amundsen and Nobile to claim the maximum prestige for their respective countries via the flight of the "Norge," the first of Nobile's airships to be used for polar exploration. This is with Amundsen trying to denigrate Nobile as a mere hired hand, while most people outside of Norway noticed that Nobile designed, built, and flew the airship in question.
So, the next expedition by Nobile was even more problematic as, for whatever reasons, he was on the general outs with the Fascist government, though he was permitted to undertake a second expedition that had issues from the start, and which did come to grief. The bizarre development being that Amundsen volunteered to help rescue Nobile and his crew, despite all the bad blood from their previous partnership; Piesing has the suspicion that this was a case of Amundsen having a desire for one last "death or glory" adventure at the end of his life. The result being that Amundsen and the crew of his plane were the ones who lost their lives, while Nobile was rescued under sketchy circumstances that remain somewhat controversial to this day. With the biggest irony that Nobile lived long enough to enjoy all the virtues of being a martyr and national hero without losing his own life.
There is very little that I'd mark this book down for, except I do wonder if Piesing is spreading the aura of violent Fascist politics on a little too thick. Again, Nobile seems to have been a lousy "joiner" and this was always going to be held against him, regardless of the political regime.
So, the next expedition by Nobile was even more problematic as, for whatever reasons, he was on the general outs with the Fascist government, though he was permitted to undertake a second expedition that had issues from the start, and which did come to grief. The bizarre development being that Amundsen volunteered to help rescue Nobile and his crew, despite all the bad blood from their previous partnership; Piesing has the suspicion that this was a case of Amundsen having a desire for one last "death or glory" adventure at the end of his life. The result being that Amundsen and the crew of his plane were the ones who lost their lives, while Nobile was rescued under sketchy circumstances that remain somewhat controversial to this day. With the biggest irony that Nobile lived long enough to enjoy all the virtues of being a martyr and national hero without losing his own life.
There is very little that I'd mark this book down for, except I do wonder if Piesing is spreading the aura of violent Fascist politics on a little too thick. Again, Nobile seems to have been a lousy "joiner" and this was always going to be held against him, regardless of the political regime.
October 8, 2021
I've read and reviewed a number of polar exploration accounts and am usually captivated. While I enjoyed Piesing's account of the race to claim the North Pole and its resources by various teams from around the world, I didn't get completely caught up in the drama of the lost airship *Italia*.
Piesing examines how politics, national pride, money, and the quest for fame all played a role in the search for the true North Pole. When the Italia went down in a storm, the search for survivors quickly ensued, though troubles -- including the disappearance of the great polar explorer Roald Amundsen -- made for a lengthy recovery of the crew.
I think my issues had to do with the many threads to the overall story. Unlike some reviewers, I liked the references to the Golden Compass series (in the introduction), and also wonder along with Piesing if the melting polar cap might reveal more clues to Amundsen's final flight and what happened to him and his crew.
Narrator Matt Jamie takes a matter-of-fact approach. I needed a bit of time to get used to his delivery, but in the end I thought his performance okay.
Piesing examines how politics, national pride, money, and the quest for fame all played a role in the search for the true North Pole. When the Italia went down in a storm, the search for survivors quickly ensued, though troubles -- including the disappearance of the great polar explorer Roald Amundsen -- made for a lengthy recovery of the crew.
I think my issues had to do with the many threads to the overall story. Unlike some reviewers, I liked the references to the Golden Compass series (in the introduction), and also wonder along with Piesing if the melting polar cap might reveal more clues to Amundsen's final flight and what happened to him and his crew.
Narrator Matt Jamie takes a matter-of-fact approach. I needed a bit of time to get used to his delivery, but in the end I thought his performance okay.
June 27, 2021
The race to get to the arctic circle was run on foot and in the air by zeppelin in the 1920s. This was not without great risk as we know by the number of expeditions who turned back or disappeared. One of these expeditions was the Italia who Roald Amundsen crewed to be the first ship to land on the North Pole but instead ran into a huge storm where they lost some of the crew and were left to try to survive as best they could. Even though a huge rescue operation was launched they had little means of finding them out in the vast polar region. An exciting adventure that pits men against the most extreme elements and with basic means of surviving. The pace is good but I did get lost with the extra information about the bad blood between Noble and Amundsen. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
July 17, 2022
Polar exploration. The golden age of airships. The rise of fascism. Big egos. National rivalries. Triumph and disaster. N-4 Down is a heady mix that combines the personal stories of numerous protagonists including the Italian airship designer and pilot Umberto Nobile and explorer Roald Amundsen with loads of historical context including the rise to power in Italy of Mussolini. Mark Piesing expertly brings together a wide range of different threads. I found this a fascinating read about an area of which I little prior knowledge and I tore through it in just a couple of days.
October 19, 2021
Based on the first 74 pages and skimming the rest, this is a great story that needs retold, damned here by poor organization, little if any editing, and sketchy "I can use Google!" research. Nobile deserves better.
January 25, 2025
Italia was a semi-rigid airship that was property of the Italian Air Force. This airship participated in a scientific expedition to the North Pole, under the leadership of General Umberto Nobile. The airship departed on April 15, 1928, facing several instances of bad weather and some delays. After participating in the North Pole mission, the airship planned to return home but suffered some serious failures that ultimately led to it crashing. Several crew members died from the initial crash and exposure while waiting for rescue. This book outlines the construction of the airship, the mission, and goes into considerable detail about the circumstances surrounding the crash and the subsequent rescue efforts. I found the book to be decently informative and engaging enough to keep me reading.
June 15, 2024
Z jednej strony jest to obszerny reportaż i zahacza o wiele tematów, które dla mnie osobiście były zbędne, a z drugiej strony nie ma choćby wymienionych z nazwiska ofiar katastrofy, które zostały we wraku... Interesująca książka, ale trochę zabrakło
January 26, 2023
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC I got in a goodreads giveaway.
I enjoy stories of polar exploration which, let's face it, are disaster stories more often than not. However, I guess they can't all be Shackletons.
Right out of the gate, Piesing quotes a YA fantasy novel (admittedly, a very popular one) to describe Svalbard. This does not bode well.
tbc...
I enjoy stories of polar exploration which, let's face it, are disaster stories more often than not. However, I guess they can't all be Shackletons.
Right out of the gate, Piesing quotes a YA fantasy novel (admittedly, a very popular one) to describe Svalbard. This does not bode well.
tbc...
July 17, 2022
This book has far more than the cover implies.
The history of airships, the race to the North Pole & the exploration of the Artic are all included.
The often bitter rivalry & politics between those involved, & their countries which included Mussolini's Italy & Stalin's Russia.
I knew nothing on this subject before, and I'm so glad I have read this exceptional book.
Highly recommended.
The history of airships, the race to the North Pole & the exploration of the Artic are all included.
The often bitter rivalry & politics between those involved, & their countries which included Mussolini's Italy & Stalin's Russia.
I knew nothing on this subject before, and I'm so glad I have read this exceptional book.
Highly recommended.
October 27, 2022
This absorbing book tells the story of the largest polar rescue mission in history, which took place when the massive Italian airship Italia crashed on its way back from its exploratory journey to the North Pole in 1928, after becoming caught in an unexpected Arctic storm. Conversely, despite the number of lives lost among the crew of the airship itself and the souls involved in the rescue, this was a mission hailed as a great success given the huge logistical difficulties the rescuers faced. This was a disaster that I had never heard of, although it was the focus of a media circus at the time, so I was really interested in learning what Mark Piesing had to say about the extraordinary events that surrounded this historic episode - and what a rewarding experience it was!
There is so much more to this book than a simple retelling of crash, rescue mission and its aftermath, which is not hinted at by the blurb. Piesing starts by laying out an intricate account of the events which led up the disaster, helping to paint the picture about the hows, whys and wherefores of what happened. He includes fascinating information about the international disputes around the ownership of the lands that inhabit the icy Arctic region, and the political wrangling between the countries that wished to lay claim to them, which extends nicely into the rivalries that came with the fierce race to conquer the Arctic for personal and national renown, and the competitive development of the mind-blowing, massive airships that were intended to make the region more accessible.
However, for me it is the personalities themselves that are the stars of the show, and I really enjoyed the great lengths Piesing goes to in making them leap from the page as real people, warts and all. There are more famous names than you can throw a snowball at in this adventure, such as the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, whose fate was sealed when he became involved in the rescue mission, despite being rather less than friendly with the Italia's captain General Umberto Nobile in the years leading up to the crash. At times, the story Piesing tells seems bizarrely like something out of an old-time movie like The Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, or The Great Race, with shady shenanigans, and backstabbing double-dealing, fuelled by the competitive natures of the pioneers of Arctic exploration who pushed themselves to the very limit of human endurance, and sometimes tragically beyond. It is all quite surreal, especially when you discover the intriguing parts played by Mussolini - and the feminist fire-brand American millionaire Louise Boyd whose name really does deserve to be more widely known.
There is also something quite magical about the way Piesing takes you back to the glamourous days of air travel by those behemoths of the sky - the luxurious airships that seem like something out of a fictional steam-punk world (think Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials books). Although at no point does he shy away from the impracticalities and the dangers of airship travel. And to read about the dark times when air ships were used for horrific silent bombing raids in the Great War is intensely chilling.
I came to this book expecting an account of an air disaster that was oddly named a success, but along the way I have learned so much about the Arctic region, its recent history, the politics of exploration (including the propaganda that surrounds it), and the characters that marked this period of history as so captivating. Piesing's own visits to some of the locations he talks about give a poignant perspective too, as he looks back over the gulf of the years between the disaster and the present.
It is fair to say that this is a book heavy in period and technical detail, delving into the intricacies of history, which tells of the amount of research Piesing has undertaken about Arctic exploration and the downing of the Italia. It is not a light read, but Piesing writes in an engaging way and manages to make the story absolutely riveting, which is quite a feat for a non-fiction book of this kind.
There is so much more to this book than a simple retelling of crash, rescue mission and its aftermath, which is not hinted at by the blurb. Piesing starts by laying out an intricate account of the events which led up the disaster, helping to paint the picture about the hows, whys and wherefores of what happened. He includes fascinating information about the international disputes around the ownership of the lands that inhabit the icy Arctic region, and the political wrangling between the countries that wished to lay claim to them, which extends nicely into the rivalries that came with the fierce race to conquer the Arctic for personal and national renown, and the competitive development of the mind-blowing, massive airships that were intended to make the region more accessible.
However, for me it is the personalities themselves that are the stars of the show, and I really enjoyed the great lengths Piesing goes to in making them leap from the page as real people, warts and all. There are more famous names than you can throw a snowball at in this adventure, such as the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, whose fate was sealed when he became involved in the rescue mission, despite being rather less than friendly with the Italia's captain General Umberto Nobile in the years leading up to the crash. At times, the story Piesing tells seems bizarrely like something out of an old-time movie like The Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, or The Great Race, with shady shenanigans, and backstabbing double-dealing, fuelled by the competitive natures of the pioneers of Arctic exploration who pushed themselves to the very limit of human endurance, and sometimes tragically beyond. It is all quite surreal, especially when you discover the intriguing parts played by Mussolini - and the feminist fire-brand American millionaire Louise Boyd whose name really does deserve to be more widely known.
There is also something quite magical about the way Piesing takes you back to the glamourous days of air travel by those behemoths of the sky - the luxurious airships that seem like something out of a fictional steam-punk world (think Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials books). Although at no point does he shy away from the impracticalities and the dangers of airship travel. And to read about the dark times when air ships were used for horrific silent bombing raids in the Great War is intensely chilling.
I came to this book expecting an account of an air disaster that was oddly named a success, but along the way I have learned so much about the Arctic region, its recent history, the politics of exploration (including the propaganda that surrounds it), and the characters that marked this period of history as so captivating. Piesing's own visits to some of the locations he talks about give a poignant perspective too, as he looks back over the gulf of the years between the disaster and the present.
It is fair to say that this is a book heavy in period and technical detail, delving into the intricacies of history, which tells of the amount of research Piesing has undertaken about Arctic exploration and the downing of the Italia. It is not a light read, but Piesing writes in an engaging way and manages to make the story absolutely riveting, which is quite a feat for a non-fiction book of this kind.
September 6, 2022
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Harper Collins- Mariner Books for an advanced copy of this book about the risks and rewards of Arctic Exploration in the early days of manned flight.
With Google Maps offering views of most of the Earth from the comfort of a person's couch on either tablet, or phone, it's amazing to think that just one hundred years earlier there were places on Earth that were still unknown, still mysterious and drew many a person to their deaths trying to find out there secrets. Men, dogs, money and reputations were lost, heroes and villains were created equally. Soon a new piece of technology was to change the idea of exploration. If the ice was so dangerous, why not just fly over it. However what happened if a flying transport was to crash? Mark Piesing in his book N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia tells of one airship expedition that went wrong, the rescue attempts, the lives lost and those who were changed forever.
The North was still a mystery even one hundred years ago. Ideas about the size of the land, was there an inland sea, so many questions begged to be answered. Flight would help answer these questions, and airships were thought to be the best to lead the way. Huge craft, able to carry men, supplies and fuel, lead by experienced aviators with trained explorers assisting. The first attempt with famed explorer Roald Amundsen and Italian airship designer General Umberto Nobile has been a success, but infighting about who did what, and attacks on each other's characters made left a bad taste and lots of rumors about the expedition. Nobile attempted another expedition, with a mostly Italian crew, but disaster struck, killing 4 men immediately and leaving the rest trapped on breaking ice, and far from rescue. Amundsen began to prepare for a rescue attempt.
A book about the draw of the north, what makes a person journey to the unknown and puzzle out its mysteries. The lives of aviators and the explorers are covered almost all men, but one brave woman who joined the search for the missing airmen. Plus the book is a history of airships there slow rise, and spectacular fall. Piesing has done a wonderful job of collecting a lot of stories and doing a tremendous amount of research on a very large cast of characters, from pretty much all over Europe. Piesing has a nice way of writing keeping the narrative going, not bogging down with again a lot of characters and keeping the story moving and moving well. I learned quite a bit about the Arctic, building and maintaining airships, and what it took to be an explorer, and how thin skinned many of these people were. A really fascinating story.
Two things stick out. One a scene where the survivors come to Norway, who blame the Italians for the loss of one of their most loved heroes and an entire town being completely silent as the men left the ship. That must have been a truly amazing and scary scene. And learning about Louise Arner Boyd a rich American who financed her own travels to the Arctic and carried out scientific exploration and even was awarded a medal for her service in looking for the missing aviators. I had never heard of her, and really want to learn more. There are many suck moments in this book, and I highly recommend it both for aviation fans and for people who like to explore, even if it is from their favorite reading chair.
With Google Maps offering views of most of the Earth from the comfort of a person's couch on either tablet, or phone, it's amazing to think that just one hundred years earlier there were places on Earth that were still unknown, still mysterious and drew many a person to their deaths trying to find out there secrets. Men, dogs, money and reputations were lost, heroes and villains were created equally. Soon a new piece of technology was to change the idea of exploration. If the ice was so dangerous, why not just fly over it. However what happened if a flying transport was to crash? Mark Piesing in his book N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia tells of one airship expedition that went wrong, the rescue attempts, the lives lost and those who were changed forever.
The North was still a mystery even one hundred years ago. Ideas about the size of the land, was there an inland sea, so many questions begged to be answered. Flight would help answer these questions, and airships were thought to be the best to lead the way. Huge craft, able to carry men, supplies and fuel, lead by experienced aviators with trained explorers assisting. The first attempt with famed explorer Roald Amundsen and Italian airship designer General Umberto Nobile has been a success, but infighting about who did what, and attacks on each other's characters made left a bad taste and lots of rumors about the expedition. Nobile attempted another expedition, with a mostly Italian crew, but disaster struck, killing 4 men immediately and leaving the rest trapped on breaking ice, and far from rescue. Amundsen began to prepare for a rescue attempt.
A book about the draw of the north, what makes a person journey to the unknown and puzzle out its mysteries. The lives of aviators and the explorers are covered almost all men, but one brave woman who joined the search for the missing airmen. Plus the book is a history of airships there slow rise, and spectacular fall. Piesing has done a wonderful job of collecting a lot of stories and doing a tremendous amount of research on a very large cast of characters, from pretty much all over Europe. Piesing has a nice way of writing keeping the narrative going, not bogging down with again a lot of characters and keeping the story moving and moving well. I learned quite a bit about the Arctic, building and maintaining airships, and what it took to be an explorer, and how thin skinned many of these people were. A really fascinating story.
Two things stick out. One a scene where the survivors come to Norway, who blame the Italians for the loss of one of their most loved heroes and an entire town being completely silent as the men left the ship. That must have been a truly amazing and scary scene. And learning about Louise Arner Boyd a rich American who financed her own travels to the Arctic and carried out scientific exploration and even was awarded a medal for her service in looking for the missing aviators. I had never heard of her, and really want to learn more. There are many suck moments in this book, and I highly recommend it both for aviation fans and for people who like to explore, even if it is from their favorite reading chair.
October 21, 2022
This non-fiction book of N-4 DOWN The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia, that I liked reading as is based on history facts, that includes, history of Arctic and Antarctica, history of exploration, aviation history, and history of Norway.
Fans of Philip Pullman, Michael Palin, Julian Sancton and David Grann will enjoy this gripping history rescue mission.
I recommend this book specifically to readers that are interested in true history.
This is a riveting true story of the largest polar rescue mission in history: the desperate race to find the survivors of the glamorous Arctic airship Italia, that crashed near the North Pole in 1928.
The author Mark Piesing takes us through a magnificent story of how he picked up an ninety-year-old book in a second hand store with stiff pages the title With the Italia to the North Pole. He wanted to know what was the Italia? And who was going to the North Pole? The author was just as mysterious. The question was who was Umberto Nobile ?
Mark was looking for a mystery to solve and now he sure did have one. When something strange happened, an old cutout newspaper clipping slipped out of the book, which read Bound for the North Pole. Italian’s Big Adventure. The story was by-lined London, April 16, 1928.
The book that Mark found sounds fascinating, as the book he bought had an old map that unfolded from the back cover, to give him another clue. Svalbard it was titled. Svalbard is a tiny group of dots in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. A trip of a life time, Mike Piesing went to investigate. He visited an North Pole Expedition Museum. The fact is a Swedish hero Salomon August Andree, decided he would try to fly from Svalbard to the North Pole in a ballon. On July 11, 1897, he and his two crewmen took off for the pole, floated over the horizon and disappeared.
Find out in this remarkable book about all what happened. I give full credit to author Mark Piesing, who has penned his research and gone into such incredible detail about the Arctic Airship Italia.
Here is a list of all what the chapters are about
Map: Routes of the Italia and Rescue Efforts Introduction: Once upon a Time in the North Prologue: The Arctic Ocean, May 25, 1928,
One: You Are Supposed to Be Dead
Two: There Is No Room for Prima Donna’s in the Italian Air Force
Three: Do You Know Where Amundsen Is ?
Four: She Would Be There to Inform on Us
Five: The Most Sensational Sporting Event in Human History
Six : Let Him Go, for He Cannot Possibly Come Back to Bother Us Anymore
Seven: We Are Quite Aware that Our Adventure Is Difficult and Dangerous….but It Is This Very Difficulty and Danger which Attracts Us
Eight: God Save Us!
Nine: We Will Die When God Has Decided
Ten: Do You as You Like, but I Am Going Looking for Nobile
Eleven: Woman Joins Arctic Search
Twelve: When I Die You Can Eat Me, but Not Before
Thirteen: Down with Nobile! Death to Nobile! Fourteen:
This Is Real Exploring despite the Luxury
Epilogue: The Kremlin Moscow, 1933
Fans of Philip Pullman, Michael Palin, Julian Sancton and David Grann will enjoy this gripping history rescue mission.
I recommend this book specifically to readers that are interested in true history.
This is a riveting true story of the largest polar rescue mission in history: the desperate race to find the survivors of the glamorous Arctic airship Italia, that crashed near the North Pole in 1928.
The author Mark Piesing takes us through a magnificent story of how he picked up an ninety-year-old book in a second hand store with stiff pages the title With the Italia to the North Pole. He wanted to know what was the Italia? And who was going to the North Pole? The author was just as mysterious. The question was who was Umberto Nobile ?
Mark was looking for a mystery to solve and now he sure did have one. When something strange happened, an old cutout newspaper clipping slipped out of the book, which read Bound for the North Pole. Italian’s Big Adventure. The story was by-lined London, April 16, 1928.
The book that Mark found sounds fascinating, as the book he bought had an old map that unfolded from the back cover, to give him another clue. Svalbard it was titled. Svalbard is a tiny group of dots in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. A trip of a life time, Mike Piesing went to investigate. He visited an North Pole Expedition Museum. The fact is a Swedish hero Salomon August Andree, decided he would try to fly from Svalbard to the North Pole in a ballon. On July 11, 1897, he and his two crewmen took off for the pole, floated over the horizon and disappeared.
Find out in this remarkable book about all what happened. I give full credit to author Mark Piesing, who has penned his research and gone into such incredible detail about the Arctic Airship Italia.
Here is a list of all what the chapters are about
Map: Routes of the Italia and Rescue Efforts Introduction: Once upon a Time in the North Prologue: The Arctic Ocean, May 25, 1928,
One: You Are Supposed to Be Dead
Two: There Is No Room for Prima Donna’s in the Italian Air Force
Three: Do You Know Where Amundsen Is ?
Four: She Would Be There to Inform on Us
Five: The Most Sensational Sporting Event in Human History
Six : Let Him Go, for He Cannot Possibly Come Back to Bother Us Anymore
Seven: We Are Quite Aware that Our Adventure Is Difficult and Dangerous….but It Is This Very Difficulty and Danger which Attracts Us
Eight: God Save Us!
Nine: We Will Die When God Has Decided
Ten: Do You as You Like, but I Am Going Looking for Nobile
Eleven: Woman Joins Arctic Search
Twelve: When I Die You Can Eat Me, but Not Before
Thirteen: Down with Nobile! Death to Nobile! Fourteen:
This Is Real Exploring despite the Luxury
Epilogue: The Kremlin Moscow, 1933
October 3, 2022
Interesting throughout, this is not quite friendly enough for the layman to get what I think is the expected score. It's practically halfway through the narrative chunk of the book (there being many references and a healthy index) before we even see mention of the titular N4 dirigible. Instead we've built slowly and too forensically to that stage with the N1, when Umberto Nobile was employed by the erstwhile heroic explorer Roald Amundsen to fly an airship containing the Norwegian to the second of the world's opposite Poles he wanted to achieve. Amundsen had definitely beaten Scott to the South Pole, with better equipment, less bluster in the press and the right kind of dog, but having failed to fly over the North Pole before, he needed something way beyond his remit to get him to maximum north – and that was an Italian airship, piloted by Nobile in full-on "sleep? What's that?!" mode with Amundsen and his American funder more or less as glorified passengers.
Yes, it may have been a lot different if the cockamamie plan to drop men onto the Arctic ice to claim the bag was at all possible, but it wasn't, and this book really didn't seem to be too great a fan of Amundsen's approach when it came to working with Nobile, nor of his bitter last book where he moaned about Nobile getting his tuppenny worth into the public domain better than the ageing Norseman. But eventually we get to see the crux of the matter – the N4 flights, where Nobile again left Svalbard for not one but a planned five jaunts for scientific research and exploration. With bad weather, and so many other problems, they never got finished. And oh the irony, and the hatred from some, when he needs rescuing – and the failed recovery of him and his crew was the last activity of a certain Roald Amundsen…
There is a lot here about jingoism, about the bizarre politics of Mussolini and his aviator henchman in not wanting to bother too much to get the guys off the ice, and so much more. Too much more, as I say (a biased commission investigating Nobile had a worthy ally of his on it, but to so little effect it barely deserves a mention, for one example). This wants all the forensic detail of who is who and when they did or did not get rescued (except it leaves us hanging with one aviator completely), and all the possible backstory running up to all this – if given a lighter touch it might well have become a popular classic on the shelves of Arctic exploration history books. It still remains readable, mind, and I dithered over four stars, but I saw the more compelling scenes as hampered by all the minutiae elsewhere. Three and a half, instead, then.
Yes, it may have been a lot different if the cockamamie plan to drop men onto the Arctic ice to claim the bag was at all possible, but it wasn't, and this book really didn't seem to be too great a fan of Amundsen's approach when it came to working with Nobile, nor of his bitter last book where he moaned about Nobile getting his tuppenny worth into the public domain better than the ageing Norseman. But eventually we get to see the crux of the matter – the N4 flights, where Nobile again left Svalbard for not one but a planned five jaunts for scientific research and exploration. With bad weather, and so many other problems, they never got finished. And oh the irony, and the hatred from some, when he needs rescuing – and the failed recovery of him and his crew was the last activity of a certain Roald Amundsen…
There is a lot here about jingoism, about the bizarre politics of Mussolini and his aviator henchman in not wanting to bother too much to get the guys off the ice, and so much more. Too much more, as I say (a biased commission investigating Nobile had a worthy ally of his on it, but to so little effect it barely deserves a mention, for one example). This wants all the forensic detail of who is who and when they did or did not get rescued (except it leaves us hanging with one aviator completely), and all the possible backstory running up to all this – if given a lighter touch it might well have become a popular classic on the shelves of Arctic exploration history books. It still remains readable, mind, and I dithered over four stars, but I saw the more compelling scenes as hampered by all the minutiae elsewhere. Three and a half, instead, then.
October 21, 2022
N-4 Down is a fascinating book, with cleverly interwoven strands making up the true story:
Arctic exploration: Yes;
Aviation technology: Yes;
Geopolitical history: Yes;
Rescue mission: Yes;
The psychology of human behaviour: Yes.
“Had it been safe and easy, other people would have already preceded us,” said General Nobile, pre-departure, 1928.
This gives an indication of just how significant an Arctic exploration and aviation adventure this really was. Mark Piesing does the story justice.
N-4 Down is well researched and evidenced. For example, the reader learns that the rescue ship Krassin sets sail under the power of Welsh coal, the best for steam-powered engines. Later, we learn that airship flight manuals make tasty snacks…for polar bears.
I enjoyed how atmospheric this book was. It gave such a sense of what General Umberto Nobile and his crew were facing, such as ice forming on the propellers of the airship, the sound of the ice hitting the sides of the airship envelope and clever techniques using rubber to counteract this problem. The scene setting, particularly at the beginning with the geopolitical context of the time, gives the reader a real depth of understanding of the attitudes, political drivers and personal motivations of those involved in the flying of the airship and its rescue attempt. Not all parties were on the same page…
The desire for newsworthy events in the age of print media added further pressures for the N-4 team. The weather was not their friend, causing damage and excessive fuel consumption on route from Italy to Stolp (Poland). Lack of national support from Italy’s Mussolini Government, hostile locals and time spent waiting for spare parts meant that time was lost and the Australian team landed their Lockheed Vega first in Svalbard, the last stop before the Arctic.
The N-4 then set off for Svalbard via Stockholm. Blizzards came. Fortunately the crew member assigned the task of climbing to the top of the airship for inspection duty, reported that the howling winds were helpfully blowing the snow off the airship. Inevitably, due to disastrous conditions, some challenging decision-making and fragile egos, the airship crashed.
The rescue effort and the associated risks are straight out of a disaster movie. Throw in political meddling, telecommunications issues, unco-ordinated international rescue efforts and the personal and national pride at stake. Will nations work together? Will the men cope with the Arctic conditions? Will the men be rescued in time? You’ll have to read it to find out.
Arctic exploration: Yes;
Aviation technology: Yes;
Geopolitical history: Yes;
Rescue mission: Yes;
The psychology of human behaviour: Yes.
“Had it been safe and easy, other people would have already preceded us,” said General Nobile, pre-departure, 1928.
This gives an indication of just how significant an Arctic exploration and aviation adventure this really was. Mark Piesing does the story justice.
N-4 Down is well researched and evidenced. For example, the reader learns that the rescue ship Krassin sets sail under the power of Welsh coal, the best for steam-powered engines. Later, we learn that airship flight manuals make tasty snacks…for polar bears.
I enjoyed how atmospheric this book was. It gave such a sense of what General Umberto Nobile and his crew were facing, such as ice forming on the propellers of the airship, the sound of the ice hitting the sides of the airship envelope and clever techniques using rubber to counteract this problem. The scene setting, particularly at the beginning with the geopolitical context of the time, gives the reader a real depth of understanding of the attitudes, political drivers and personal motivations of those involved in the flying of the airship and its rescue attempt. Not all parties were on the same page…
The desire for newsworthy events in the age of print media added further pressures for the N-4 team. The weather was not their friend, causing damage and excessive fuel consumption on route from Italy to Stolp (Poland). Lack of national support from Italy’s Mussolini Government, hostile locals and time spent waiting for spare parts meant that time was lost and the Australian team landed their Lockheed Vega first in Svalbard, the last stop before the Arctic.
The N-4 then set off for Svalbard via Stockholm. Blizzards came. Fortunately the crew member assigned the task of climbing to the top of the airship for inspection duty, reported that the howling winds were helpfully blowing the snow off the airship. Inevitably, due to disastrous conditions, some challenging decision-making and fragile egos, the airship crashed.
The rescue effort and the associated risks are straight out of a disaster movie. Throw in political meddling, telecommunications issues, unco-ordinated international rescue efforts and the personal and national pride at stake. Will nations work together? Will the men cope with the Arctic conditions? Will the men be rescued in time? You’ll have to read it to find out.
August 8, 2022
A lesser known story from the age of global explorers opened by the 19th and early 20th centuries' rapid development of mobility by sea and air. This is the story of the successful effort of an Italian explorer, Umberto Nobile, to fly and airship to and land men at the North Pole.
In the post-Hindenburg world, it may be difficult for a reader to understand why a crew would fly to the North Pole supported only by a gigantic, very flammable bag of gas, but in the early 1900s, every nation had very active airship programs with ports and hangars developed all over Europe and in Russia. The story's titular airship, the N-4, was Italian-designed, operated by a larger-than-life Italian General and the pride of a youthful, aggressive fascist government of that country.
Before the author gets to the main story, he tells its prequel: of a mission to the North Pole with the N-4's sister ship, the N-2, co-led by Nobile and the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. That mission successfully reached the pole, though did not land anyone. Thought the ship was lost during the return trip, their success at reaching the pole won world acclaim for Nobile and Amundsen. The author tells the entire story of that trip which, though successful, was beset by all sorts of underlying problems, national intrigue and near disaster.
Following that success, Nobile set about to return to the pole, only this time with the objective of landing men there for a short visit. This time, his crew was all Italian, with just a few trusted others. The result, however, was even a worse disaster. Though they made the North Pole, they encountered a large storm on the return that destroyed the N-4 and set off a massive rescue operation in the Arctic that itself was beset by all sorts of difficulties, errors and intrigue.
A very interesting story reminding a reader that a crew needs to be a crew and where trust breaks down, trouble is not very far at all behind.
In the post-Hindenburg world, it may be difficult for a reader to understand why a crew would fly to the North Pole supported only by a gigantic, very flammable bag of gas, but in the early 1900s, every nation had very active airship programs with ports and hangars developed all over Europe and in Russia. The story's titular airship, the N-4, was Italian-designed, operated by a larger-than-life Italian General and the pride of a youthful, aggressive fascist government of that country.
Before the author gets to the main story, he tells its prequel: of a mission to the North Pole with the N-4's sister ship, the N-2, co-led by Nobile and the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. That mission successfully reached the pole, though did not land anyone. Thought the ship was lost during the return trip, their success at reaching the pole won world acclaim for Nobile and Amundsen. The author tells the entire story of that trip which, though successful, was beset by all sorts of underlying problems, national intrigue and near disaster.
Following that success, Nobile set about to return to the pole, only this time with the objective of landing men there for a short visit. This time, his crew was all Italian, with just a few trusted others. The result, however, was even a worse disaster. Though they made the North Pole, they encountered a large storm on the return that destroyed the N-4 and set off a massive rescue operation in the Arctic that itself was beset by all sorts of difficulties, errors and intrigue.
A very interesting story reminding a reader that a crew needs to be a crew and where trust breaks down, trouble is not very far at all behind.
December 12, 2024
I've been a student of polar exploration for almost 40 years, ever since I saw the series "The Last Place on Earth" based on the Roland Huntford book that covered the race to the South Pole by the Norwegians led by Roald Amundsen and the British led by Robert Scott. As is well know, Amundsen reached the pole first and Scot and his party perished on their return journey after winning second place in the race.
That book was study in the comparison of the expeditions and personalities of their leaders. Amundsen preparations and precautions were amazing as one would expect from a highly accomplished and successful polar explorer. Scott and company's preparations were an illustration of ineptitude as one would expect from polar exploration tyros and a leader who was impervious to advice. From 'Last Place I knew ab out Amundsen's flight over the North Pole in the Norge airship designed, built and piloted by Italian Engineer Umberto Nobile. I also knew of Nobile's attempt a year later because Nobile felt he was cheated of credit and glory in the expedition (he was). Nobile's Italia expedition ended in disaster, Nobile surviving but much of the crew perishing.
There's always a background story which this book fills out. The bad blood between Amundsen and Nobile was considerable. There was also major political machinations in Fascist Italy which ultimately tried to sabotager Nobile's Italia expedition. The survivors of the crash were finally rescued after 2 months on the ice by an international effort but Italy dragged its feet and actually was not interested in rescuing them.
As I well known despite that bad blood Amundsen felt he had to participate in the search and rescue of Nobile, took off in an older plane and disappeared. The most cautious of polar explorers then being incautious in this reckless and impetuous attempt.
There was one fact that surprised me. I have read about the truly impressive pilot and polar explorer Bernt Balchen. Balchen was assisting the preparations for the Norge flight when Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennet were trying to take off to fly over the North Pole but couldn't manage to take off because the skis of the plane would drag in the show. Balchen showed them how to prepare the skis which enabled the plane to finally take off and which permitted Byrd to claim they had flown the round trip to the North Pole.
This was always portrayed as a generous act on the part of Amundsen's expedition but apparently Amundsen did not approve and was furious at Balchen for assisting. This permitted Byrd to claim being the first to fly over the North Pole, a claim which is now known to be false. He never made it or even came close. Byrd was another one of the American fraudulent polar explorers, along with Robert Peary, and the book in passing casts doubts on Peary's claim. A bit off topic but Peary did not make it and was a despicable human being as well as a liar.
That book was study in the comparison of the expeditions and personalities of their leaders. Amundsen preparations and precautions were amazing as one would expect from a highly accomplished and successful polar explorer. Scott and company's preparations were an illustration of ineptitude as one would expect from polar exploration tyros and a leader who was impervious to advice. From 'Last Place I knew ab out Amundsen's flight over the North Pole in the Norge airship designed, built and piloted by Italian Engineer Umberto Nobile. I also knew of Nobile's attempt a year later because Nobile felt he was cheated of credit and glory in the expedition (he was). Nobile's Italia expedition ended in disaster, Nobile surviving but much of the crew perishing.
There's always a background story which this book fills out. The bad blood between Amundsen and Nobile was considerable. There was also major political machinations in Fascist Italy which ultimately tried to sabotager Nobile's Italia expedition. The survivors of the crash were finally rescued after 2 months on the ice by an international effort but Italy dragged its feet and actually was not interested in rescuing them.
As I well known despite that bad blood Amundsen felt he had to participate in the search and rescue of Nobile, took off in an older plane and disappeared. The most cautious of polar explorers then being incautious in this reckless and impetuous attempt.
There was one fact that surprised me. I have read about the truly impressive pilot and polar explorer Bernt Balchen. Balchen was assisting the preparations for the Norge flight when Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennet were trying to take off to fly over the North Pole but couldn't manage to take off because the skis of the plane would drag in the show. Balchen showed them how to prepare the skis which enabled the plane to finally take off and which permitted Byrd to claim they had flown the round trip to the North Pole.
This was always portrayed as a generous act on the part of Amundsen's expedition but apparently Amundsen did not approve and was furious at Balchen for assisting. This permitted Byrd to claim being the first to fly over the North Pole, a claim which is now known to be false. He never made it or even came close. Byrd was another one of the American fraudulent polar explorers, along with Robert Peary, and the book in passing casts doubts on Peary's claim. A bit off topic but Peary did not make it and was a despicable human being as well as a liar.
November 9, 2022
Piesing does a very nice job of telling the story of the Arctic research and exploration efforts of the Italian airship N-4 and the subsequent rescue efforts. One of the strengths of the book is that Piesing provides readers with limited knowledge of Arctic exploration (like me) with context about the Arctic exploration and research, the development and rivalry among post-WW1 airship development and construction, and the entanglement of the Italian aviation industry and fascism.
A significant portion of the story revolves around some of the important aviation and arctic figures of the interwar period - Umberto Nobile (designer and pilot of the N-4); Roald Amundsen; Italo Balbo; and others.
Piesing discusses the earlier exploration flight in the airship Norge with Nobile, Admundsen, and Lincoln Ellsworth and how the earlier success and limitation of this flight set up Nobile's second set of flights in the N-4.
Piesing does a very nice job of bringing this characters to life, explaining the factors that shaped their decisions, and telling the story of the N-4's exploration flights, crash, and the dramatic and tragic survival and rescue efforts.
An interesting, well researched and well written account of the N-4 exploration flights, crash, and rescue that bring this period of rigid airships and polar exploration to life.
A significant portion of the story revolves around some of the important aviation and arctic figures of the interwar period - Umberto Nobile (designer and pilot of the N-4); Roald Amundsen; Italo Balbo; and others.
Piesing discusses the earlier exploration flight in the airship Norge with Nobile, Admundsen, and Lincoln Ellsworth and how the earlier success and limitation of this flight set up Nobile's second set of flights in the N-4.
Piesing does a very nice job of bringing this characters to life, explaining the factors that shaped their decisions, and telling the story of the N-4's exploration flights, crash, and the dramatic and tragic survival and rescue efforts.
An interesting, well researched and well written account of the N-4 exploration flights, crash, and rescue that bring this period of rigid airships and polar exploration to life.
June 27, 2022
I have given this book 2 stars. For me, it was okay.
I may not be the target audience for this book. I was looking for a thrilling real-life adventure of the survivors and those endeavoring to save them. There was some of that, but there was also a lot of other stuff.
The first quarter of the book was essentially a complete history of lighter-than-air flight. If you know a student that wants to do a report on dirigibles, this is a fantastic source!
Next up was building up the political context for the fateful flight. The author really did his research and it shows.
The actual doomed flight begins a little past half-way in the book. If that’s all your interested in, just open the book to the middle and start from there. I don’t think the first half was completely necessary to appreciate the travails of the shipwrecked and rescue effort.
I listened to the audio-book version, but also got the print version which as a lot of great photos. The audio helped a lot with name pronunciation, and the photos helped make it real.
Mussolini was a major player in the story and while I recognize the name, I admit to knowing little about him. I became super-interested in how Mussolini and his Fascism took such a strong hold in Italy. I do plan to read more on that topic!
I may not be the target audience for this book. I was looking for a thrilling real-life adventure of the survivors and those endeavoring to save them. There was some of that, but there was also a lot of other stuff.
The first quarter of the book was essentially a complete history of lighter-than-air flight. If you know a student that wants to do a report on dirigibles, this is a fantastic source!
Next up was building up the political context for the fateful flight. The author really did his research and it shows.
The actual doomed flight begins a little past half-way in the book. If that’s all your interested in, just open the book to the middle and start from there. I don’t think the first half was completely necessary to appreciate the travails of the shipwrecked and rescue effort.
I listened to the audio-book version, but also got the print version which as a lot of great photos. The audio helped a lot with name pronunciation, and the photos helped make it real.
Mussolini was a major player in the story and while I recognize the name, I admit to knowing little about him. I became super-interested in how Mussolini and his Fascism took such a strong hold in Italy. I do plan to read more on that topic!
December 20, 2023
Before WWII, Italian dirigible designer Umberto Nobile designed the airship the Italia. He and it were commissioned to fly to the Arctic in an attempt to locate the lost (Sir John Franklin) Franklin expedition. This air crew was not the only crew that headed out to either rescue or search for the bodies of the disastrous Franklin expedition.
Needless to say, it was the 59 year old Franklin’s last expedition to the locate the Northwest Passage and or the Arctic.
Nobile’s airship didn’t quite make it to its destination. Yes, it crashed. Yes, all but one of the rescue teams came to their unfortunate end.
This nonfiction book is a great read and definitely one for anyone who is interested in polar exploration. The Italia was the only airship ever to have undertaken such an operation. One of history’s greatest polar explorers, Roald Amundsen commanded Norway’s search and rescue mission to try to find the crews of Franklin’s Erebus and Terror, both of which had capsized long before teams from many countries embarked on missions to locate them. Sadly, his mission led to his own death. Yes, the account of his mission is included in this book.
Needless to say, it was the 59 year old Franklin’s last expedition to the locate the Northwest Passage and or the Arctic.
Nobile’s airship didn’t quite make it to its destination. Yes, it crashed. Yes, all but one of the rescue teams came to their unfortunate end.
This nonfiction book is a great read and definitely one for anyone who is interested in polar exploration. The Italia was the only airship ever to have undertaken such an operation. One of history’s greatest polar explorers, Roald Amundsen commanded Norway’s search and rescue mission to try to find the crews of Franklin’s Erebus and Terror, both of which had capsized long before teams from many countries embarked on missions to locate them. Sadly, his mission led to his own death. Yes, the account of his mission is included in this book.
March 17, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!!! Author Mark Piesing has given us a super review of the history of airships, as well as the last stage of the Heroic Explorer era. Umberto Nobile is not a very well known name today, for many reasons set forth in the book. But he built wonderful airships, however the Arctic weather can be brutal and varies from year to year. Part of the team that previously reached the North Pole and flew the Northwest Passage, Nobile wanted to get back to the Pole a few years later with an almost exclusive Italian crew. Weather, vanity, improperly repaired airship?? You name it, it happened, including changing political fortunes. The ship, N-4 crashed and this set up a major international effort to find the downed crew, with the exception of Italy who really were disinterested in helping. This book really taught me a lot of history and did a very good job of examining the plight of airships, the N-4 crash, Heroic Adventurers, Umberto Nobile and a host of other issues.
Kudos, Mark!!! 4.5****
Kudos, Mark!!! 4.5****
March 9, 2024
This was really rather good.
I first read of the Italia when reading a biography of Roald Amundsen. In that book, the Italia expedition was lightly detailed, so when I saw this book, I simply had to read it.
This is a fascinating part of global history, and it was presented in good detail, and in a way that brought the story into the present time.
I think Mark Piesing did a good job in bringing together all the different threads and in bringing forward the impacts of various governments and individual egos on Arctic exploration.
A number of previous reviewers weren't happy with the first half of the book dealing with previous Arctic exploration and politics (personal and government), and wanted just the Italia story.
But I feel you can't properly weigh the importance of the Italia expedition, the personal fallouts, and the loss of life of expedition members and searchers without that information.
Although, if you already have a good knowledge of Arctic exploration and the explorers, you might skip the first half.
I first read of the Italia when reading a biography of Roald Amundsen. In that book, the Italia expedition was lightly detailed, so when I saw this book, I simply had to read it.
This is a fascinating part of global history, and it was presented in good detail, and in a way that brought the story into the present time.
I think Mark Piesing did a good job in bringing together all the different threads and in bringing forward the impacts of various governments and individual egos on Arctic exploration.
A number of previous reviewers weren't happy with the first half of the book dealing with previous Arctic exploration and politics (personal and government), and wanted just the Italia story.
But I feel you can't properly weigh the importance of the Italia expedition, the personal fallouts, and the loss of life of expedition members and searchers without that information.
Although, if you already have a good knowledge of Arctic exploration and the explorers, you might skip the first half.
October 25, 2022
British author and journalist Mark Piesing shares his passion for aviation and exploration by brining to life the exploits of historical explorers such as Ronald Amundsen, Hugo Eckener and aeronaut Umberto Nobike, names we are generally not familiar with today.
Readers of Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy (recently screened on TV) will recall the armoured bear Iovek Byrnison, true heir to the throne of Svalbard and the great airships Lyra travelled on and be able to imagine the airships of the 1920’s such as the Norge and the Italia attempting to fly over the North Pole.
The Italia’s (code named N-4) passage to the North Pole and it’s crash over the Arctic ice on its return journey triggered one of the largest polar rescue missions in history, and Amundsen the first man to reach the South Pole and would be heroic rescuer was lost forever, his body never found.
Well written and insightful.
Readers of Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy (recently screened on TV) will recall the armoured bear Iovek Byrnison, true heir to the throne of Svalbard and the great airships Lyra travelled on and be able to imagine the airships of the 1920’s such as the Norge and the Italia attempting to fly over the North Pole.
The Italia’s (code named N-4) passage to the North Pole and it’s crash over the Arctic ice on its return journey triggered one of the largest polar rescue missions in history, and Amundsen the first man to reach the South Pole and would be heroic rescuer was lost forever, his body never found.
Well written and insightful.
June 14, 2024
Tym razem walka o zdobycie niezbadanych obszarów podbiegunowych i samego bieguna północnego, droga powietrzną. Głównymi postaciami są Włoch Umberto Nobile i Norweg Roald Amundsen. Najpierw razem polecieli statkiem "Norge", ale później Włosi chcieli osiągnąć ten cel sami, bez pomocy Norwegów. Doszło do włoskiej wyprawy sterowcem "Italia", w 1928 roku. "Italia" osiągnęła cel, ale nie wróciła, rozbijając się o lód. Zorganizowano międzynarodową akcję ratunkową.
Kończyło się często na tym, że ratowników też trzeba było ratować, a Amundsen w tej akcji zaginął. Książka jest pełna ciekawostek, m.in o nie zawsze etycznych decyzjach podsycanych rywalizacją. Jest dramatycznie ale też zabawnie. Np. nagłówki w magazynie Time "Czy Włosi naprawdę zjedli Szweda?"
Od strony technicznej również interesujące- sterowce, wątpliwy komfort podróży, nieistniejąca komunikacja między pilotami, fatalna funkcjonalność i kulawa nawigacja. Jednak wtedy - prawie science fiction :)
Kończyło się często na tym, że ratowników też trzeba było ratować, a Amundsen w tej akcji zaginął. Książka jest pełna ciekawostek, m.in o nie zawsze etycznych decyzjach podsycanych rywalizacją. Jest dramatycznie ale też zabawnie. Np. nagłówki w magazynie Time "Czy Włosi naprawdę zjedli Szweda?"
Od strony technicznej również interesujące- sterowce, wątpliwy komfort podróży, nieistniejąca komunikacja między pilotami, fatalna funkcjonalność i kulawa nawigacja. Jednak wtedy - prawie science fiction :)
November 12, 2024
With thanks to the author, publishers Harper Collins and Mariner Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I have always enjoyed reading about the polar exploits of men such as Shackleton, Scott, Crean etc, but had somehow never heard of Umberto Nobile and the part played by airships in the history of polar exploration before coming across this book.
The second half of the book that focused on the main incident with the N-4 itself and its aftermath was particularly interesting. The level of suffering endured by those men was extraordinary, while the apparent indifference shown by the Italian political regime to their fate was astonishing in equal measure.
The first half of the book dealt more with the history of airships in polar exploration and set the political context but, while it did provide some interesting background on the rivalry between Nobile and Amundsen, was perhaps a little too forensic in its level of detail for me, and I found myself struggling through it to get to the N-4 part of the story. I’m sure others would appreciate that level of detail a bit more than I did though.
All in all, though, this is undoubtedly a thoroughly researched and well-written account of the N-4 disaster and the subsequent rescue mission.
I have always enjoyed reading about the polar exploits of men such as Shackleton, Scott, Crean etc, but had somehow never heard of Umberto Nobile and the part played by airships in the history of polar exploration before coming across this book.
The second half of the book that focused on the main incident with the N-4 itself and its aftermath was particularly interesting. The level of suffering endured by those men was extraordinary, while the apparent indifference shown by the Italian political regime to their fate was astonishing in equal measure.
The first half of the book dealt more with the history of airships in polar exploration and set the political context but, while it did provide some interesting background on the rivalry between Nobile and Amundsen, was perhaps a little too forensic in its level of detail for me, and I found myself struggling through it to get to the N-4 part of the story. I’m sure others would appreciate that level of detail a bit more than I did though.
All in all, though, this is undoubtedly a thoroughly researched and well-written account of the N-4 disaster and the subsequent rescue mission.
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