British Submarines at War; 1939-1945

Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1971. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. 256 pages. Bookplate on fep with ink notation. Ink notations, underlining, and yellow highlighting noted. DJ worn, torn, chipped and soiled. Includes Illustrations, Maps, Acknowledgments; Dedication, Foreword by Vice-Admiral J.C.Y. Roxburgh; Author's Introduction; Chapter 1--Before the Second World War; Chapter 2--Home Waters before the invasion of Norway; Chapter 3-- The Influence of British Submarine Power in the Far East; Chapter 4--British Submarine Operations in the Far East September 39-June 1940; Chapter 5--The Norwegian Campaign; Chapter 6--Mediterranean Operations, June 1940-May 1941; Chapter 7; The Scene at Home, July 104--February 1942; Chapter 8--The Ascendancy of Malta- Based Submarines, July 1941 - March 1942; Chapter 9--The Fight for Malta, March-August 1942; Chapter 10--'The Army Game' in the Mediterranean, September 1942-August 1943; Chapter 11--Operations in Home Waters March 1942-August 1943; Chapter 12--Home and Mediterranean Operations, August 1943 - May 1945; Chapter 13--Far East: December 1940-August 1945; Brief Summary, Epilogue, Appendix I, Appendix II, Bibliography. Index. In this book Alastair Mars summarizes British submarine operations in WW2. All significant actions get a mention. The book provides an interesting overview of the British submarine force during the war. Mars was himself a participant in some of those actions and he has added his own opinions to the text in several places. Lieutenant Commander Alastair Campbell Gillespie Mars, DSO, DSC and Bar (1 January 1915 – 12 March 1985) was a Royal Navy World War II submarine commander. In 1952 he was court martialled and dismissed from the service under controversial circumstances and pursued a career as an author. In November 1941 Mars was appointed as commanding officer of HMS Unbroken, which he served on until June 1943 on operations in the Mediterranean. From August 1943 until December 1943 he was a staff officer at HMS Dolphin submarine base in Portsmouth. In December he was placed in command of HMS Thule in the Far East, remaining there until November 1945. Mars was arrested and court martialled for insubordination and absence without leave, which resulted in his dismissal from the Navy in June 1952. The controversy over his dismissal was the subject of a parliamentary question the following month, when the future prime minister James Callaghan asked the then First Lord of the Admiralty whether Mars would receive his pension. Following his dismissal Mars became a successful author, publishing several autobiographical works and novels. Condition: Good / Fair.

Keywords: WWII, Second World War, Naval Operations, Submarines, Malta, Norwegian Campaign, Max Horton, Menzies, Convoys, Tirpitz, James Somerville, Royal Navy, Roxburgh, HMS Unbroker, HMS Thule, HMS Dolphin

ISBN: 0870218115

[Book #84066]

Price: $60.00

See all items in Naval Operations, Submarines, WWII
See all items by