Duel
1 primary work • 2 total works
Book 3
The U-boat was a formidable foe, developed from a small coastal vessel into a state-of-the-art killer picking off merchant convoy ships at will. It was not until the destroyer escort was introduced, alongside with dedicated anti-submarine tactics, that there was an effective means of defence and attack against the U-boat. This book describes the design and development of these two deadly opponents, analysing their strengths and weaknesses and assessing their tactics, weaponry and training. Moreover, it is an insight into the lives of the Royal Navy and Wolf Pack crews as they played their deadly games of cat and mouse on the high seas as they gambled not only with their lives but with the fate of the war.
During WWII, German E-Boats were so active in the English Channel that the narrow stretch of water became known as 'E-Boat Alley'. To counter the threat of these E-Boats, Britain brought its coastal forces to bear - flotillas of small Motor Torpedo and Gun Boats (MTBs and MGBs) and Motor Launches (MLs). As the Germans sought to maintain their supremacy in Channel waters, they continued to develop their E-Boat designs to accommodate more armor and more firepower. Rather than matching the newer E-Boats for armament, the British developed several types to fulfill the varied roles for which the Kriegsmarine were attempting to use the E-Boat. This book details this developing conflict, examining the evolution of the boats involved, and covering the their battles from fights in the Thames Estuary to the build-up for D-Day.