Publisher's Synopsis
In this historical novel Carisella recounts, in detail, the most successful sabotage of World War II. It reads like a spy thriller, except that the content is true. On learning that the Italians had signed a secret Armistice with the Allies, and, at the same time, declared war on Germany, Adolf Hitler became infuriated. Summoning his staff, he gave orders to destroy Rome and Vatican City together with its St. Peters Cathedral. Having been convinced that the bombing would turn the world against Germany and cause more acts of sabotage against his army, Hitler opted to bring down thousands of tons of captured Italian munitions, place them in the Santa Rosa complex located on the outskirts of Rome, and explode them at a pre-arranged time. But, thanks to one Italian, working with the underground, when the Germans pulled the switch, Santa Rosa did not blow up and Rome remained standing, together with its twelve apostles. Outside of the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan, the Santa Rosa would have been the largest single explosion of World War II. The blast would have more than rocked Saint Peter and his Basilica with its monumented Jewish Apostles. On uncovering the German plan, and the Italian counterplot, Carisella spent many years doing the research, interviewing the men (and the women) who took part in the sabotage. In the process, he discovered that the person (still living), who actually succeeded in sabotaging the Germans, has been practically forgotten while another claimed the honors.
