Fighting under the Sea
London: Evens Brothers Limited, 1965. Presumed First Edition/First Printing. Hardcover. 174, [2] pages. Illustrations. Footnotes. DJ has some wear and soiling. The Pioneers; Ocean-going Submarines; Horton in the Baltic; Seawolf of the Atlantic; On the Enemy's Doorstep; Skagerrak and The Straits, Malta Flotilla; Cutting Rommel's Life-Line, More Mediterranean Exploits; Uncle Sam's Submariners; Medal of Honour; Success in Japanese Waters. When Submarines first became units of the fighting fleets of the world in the early years of this century they were unimpressive, unseaworthy craft equipped with unreliable, low performance weapons. Those who manned them were, like the early aviator, looked on as harmless cranks. Even at the outbreak of the First World War they had not entirely lived down that reputation but before it was over Britain, at that time the world's greatest naval power, had been brought to within sight of total defeat by the submarine in the hands of her enemies. Submariners had thus joined the front rank of fighting seamen and in doing so they had revolutionized naval warfare. In the Second World War they comprised one of the most effective arms of sea warfare. This is the story of the submarines and of the men who sailed in them from their invention until the end of the Second World War. This exciting volume, in Evans' "Fighting" series, is filled with stories of the greatest possible heroism in the lonely world of the submariner. Donald George Frederick Wyville Macintyre DSO and Two Bars, DSC (26 January 1904 – 23 May 1981) was a Royal Navy officer during the Second World War and a successful convoy escort commander. Following the war, he was an author of numerous books on British naval history. Macintyre's first action as Senior Officer Escort, was with convoy HX 112 as part of a major battle which resulted in the destruction of two U-boats, U-100 and U-99 commanded by Joachim Schepke and Otto Kretschmer, for the loss of five ships. U-100 was destroyed by Vanoc, while MacIntyre in Walker sank U-99, though her captain and most of her crew were saved. Kretschmer, complete with his binoculars, was among the survivors of his boats' sinking who were picked up by Walker. Macintyre 'liberated' the binoculars and used them throughout the rest of the war. With the loss of U-47 and her skipper Günther Prien earlier that month, the elimination of three leading U-boat aces saw the end of the "Happy Time", a period of U-boat ascendancy; for the rest of the year, the escorts would have the upper hand. Before and after D-Day (6 June 1944), Macintyre, Bickerton and the 5th Escort Group were part of the RN's contribution to the invasion of France by patrolling in the relatively shallow waters of the Western Approaches. On the 15th, the group were investigating the sighting of a U-boat using its snorkel. HMS Mourne, a ship well known to Mcintyre, was the victim of an acoustic torpedo. After several hours of searching, there was no sign of the U-boat. The subject of the hunt could well have escaped retribution amongst the plethora of wrecks which litter the floor of the English Channel. Macintyre left the Navy after the war, forging a successful career as a historian and author. He published an autobiography, U-Boat Killer, in 1956, and followed it with 15 books on various aspects of naval history. Macintyre was a highly successful U-boat killer, a soubriquet he took as the title of his autobiography. He was responsible for the destruction of six U-boats during the Second World War, making him one of the highest scoring ASW commanders. He was also an equally successful escort commander, taking seriously the "fateful instructions that" 'the safe and timely arrival of the convoy' "was our main objective". Over a two-year period with B-2, Macintyre commanded the escorts for 28 convoys, a total of 1100 ships, with the loss of just two. The vast majority (99.8%), arrived safely, a record of which Macintyre was justifiably proud, although he was "in a fury" at the loss of the two ships when escorting SC 129. Macintyre was also highly decorated for his service, winning the Distinguished Service Order with two bars and the Distinguished Service Cross. Condition: Good / Good.
Keywords: Submarine Warfare, Escort Ships, Convoys, U-Boats, HMS Horton, HMS Seawolf, U-47, D-day, NC 112, U-100, U-99, Joachim Schepke, Otto Kretschmer, HMS Mourne, ASW, SC 129, Naval Operations, Naval Warfare, Undersea Warfare, Warships
[Book #84072]
Price: $45.00