The Central Pennsylvania World War II Roundtable will hold its next monthly meeting online via Zoom on Thursday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. The guest speaker will be Neal Bascomb, author of "The Winter Fortress."

In 1942, the Nazis were racing to develop the first atomic bomb. Germany had the physicists and the uranium, plus one more crucial ingredient: heavy water. The lone plant in the world able to produce heavy water was located in Norway's Vemork, under control of the Nazis. The only way to stop production was to destroy the plant, which was protected by a castle fortress set on a precipitous gorge. "The Winter Fortress" tells the true story of how a small band of spies helped to sabotage the Vemork plant.

Bascomb is also the author of "Hunting Eichmann," an account of the pursuit and capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, and "The Escape Artists," which tells the story of a prisoner-of-war prison break in World War I.

The Zoom meeting is open to the public, and no registration is required. To attend, visit http://www.centralpaww2roundtable.org.

The Central Pennsylvania World War II Roundtable is a nonprofit organization that provides a forum for World War II veterans, authors, historians, and citizens to share their knowledge and experiences related to the war.