The Fighting Commodores: The Convoy Commanders in the Second World WarSo much has been written about the great land campaigns of the Second World War that it is easy to forget, if indeed many people today are even aware of the fact, that the nearest Great Britain came to defeat had nothing whatsoever to do with either the British Army or the Royal Air Force. The country was simply on the verge of running out of supplies. The task of seeing that the merchant ships which carried the vital supplies reached their destinations fell largely on the shoulders of the Convoy Commanders, who were mostly senior but retired Naval officers who had volunteered to return to duty and it is their story which Alan Burn, who sailed on many such convoys, tells in this book. |
Contents
Starvation or Surrender | 1 |
The Making of a Commodore | 8 |
The Convoy Signalmen | 23 |
Copyright | |
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action Admiral Admiralty ahead aircraft Allied already American Arctic arrived ashore astern Atlantic attack battle boat bridge Britain British brought Captain cargo carried channels close coast column command Commodore continued convoy corvettes course crew damaged December deck destroyers east engine escorts fire five Fleet followed force four fuel further German Group half journey land later leading lifeboats light look lost March masters merchant ships miles mines months Naval never night North ocean officers operating ordered passed picked port position problems protect range reached reported round routes Royal Navy Russian sailed seamen seen September side sighted signal signalmen sinking speed staff started station sunk surface survivors taken tons took torpedoed turned U-boats warships weather World