Alcatraz '46: The Anatomy of a Classic Prison Tragedy
- ISBN-10
- 1647380448
- ISBN-13
- 9781647380441
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2021-09-11
- Author
- Don DeNevi
Description
On May 3, 1946 Alcatraz inmate Bernard Coy successfully breached the gun gallery in the main cell block on Alcatraz using a homemade bar spreader. Over the next few moments, Coy and multiple accomplices subdued a number of guards, armed themselves and attempted to escape the prison. Thus began the notorious "Battle for Alcatraz" which included shots fired on both sides as the guards armed themselves and attempted to retake the prison. In the chaotic hours and days that followed, many guards were killed and prison officials brought in the US Marines, recently returned from the Second World War. Using grenades and fully automatic weapons, the marines attempted to recapture "The Rock". The primary ringleaders of the escape attempt, Joe Cretzer, Bernard Coy, and others, were killed in the battle. The remainder were sent to the electric chair for their role in murdering certain guards in cold blood. Due to the fast moving and chaotic nature of the events and the desperation of the men involved, the world would likely never know the specific details of the Battle for Alcatraz were it not for inmate Joe Carnes. Joe Carnes, "the Choctaw Kid", was the only inmate involved who lived to tell his story. After Joe Cretzer shot multiple guards in cold blood, he sent young Carnes in to make sure they were dead and "finish the job". Rather than murder the injured officers, Joe Carnes told them to keep quiet and in doing so saved their lives. As for the guards, the man who led their response was Lieutenant Phil Bergen. Both Phil Bergen and Joe Carnes intimately knew the hidden details of the Battle of Alcatraz and both men collaborated on this volume with author Don DeNevi. The result is the undisputed gold standard for the story of the Battle for Alcatraz, unmatched in its detail and completeness and told by the men who participated firsthand in the bloodiest battle in US prison history.
