Phil Zimmer

Jamestown native Phil Zimmer wrote this month’s cover story on the dramatic capture of U-505 for “America in WWII” magazine.

The extensive feature details how the U.S. Navy forced the German submarine to the surface off the west coast of Africa and then managed to board and capture the wallowing vessel with all its codebooks and related secrets intact.

Zimmer, a former Post-Journal reporter, has written extensively on World War II for numerous journals and national magazines. His features have included the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Battle of Britain. His technical articles have ranged from the Soviet T-34 tank, arguably the best all-around tank in WWII, to one on a large underwater aircraft carrier developed by the Japanese that had the potential to significantly alter the course of the war.

The retiree also assisted with the “Defenders of Freedom” project at the Robert H. Jackson Center. More than 250 area World War II veterans have been interviewed there by Greg Peterson, the driving force behind the project.

Zimmer is a Vietnam-era veteran who holds an undergraduate degree in history from the State College at Fredonia and a masters in journalism from Penn State University.