This convoy must not get through—U-boats pursue, attack and sink. This was the signal that Admiral Dnitz sent to the commanders of the 21 U-boats of the Markgraf wolf-pack on September 9, 1941 just before the United States entered the war. Sixty-three merchant ships were strung out in 12 columns abreast, covering 25 miles of inhospitable ocean. They set sail from Nova Scotia at a time when the German U-boats were sinking more than one hundred ships a month and the US Navy could do nothing but stand-by and watch—at least officially. ...The American ships had served their purpose, for although they had taken great pains not to be associated with SC42's official escort, the mere presence of these modern, powerful men-of-war had contributed to the withdrawal of the U-boats. The battle lasted for seven days and covered 1,200 miles of ocean.
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Bernard Edwards
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: ATTACK & SINK (Paperback)
"This convoy must not get through-U-boats pursue, attack and sink." This was the signal that Admiral Dönitz sent to the commanders of the 21 U-boats of the Markgraf wolf-pack on September 9, 1941 just before the US entered the war. Sixty-three merchant ships; a number old and dilapidated and all slow and heavy-laden with vital supplies from the United States for the United Kingdom, were strung out in 12 columns abreast, covering 25 miles of inhospitable ocean. They set sail from Nova Scotia at a time when the German U-boats were sinking more than one hundred ships a month and the US Navy could do nothing but stand-by and watch (at least officially). The convoy's escort of one destroyer and three corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy, all untried in combat, was hopelessly outclassed when the battle for SC42 commenced. The battle lasted for seven days and covered 1,200 miles of ocean. First hand accounts by participants on both sides add interest and drama.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting to read but rather weak in content,
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This review is from: Attack & Sink (Hardcover)
"Attack And Sink..." is one of those books that gives every appearance of being a very interesting story on a subject not usually heard about much. While it is, indeed, interesting, it is also very slow in starting, slow in getting to the main story, which is supposed to be the Battle of The Atlantic in 1941, and disappointing when it gets to its destination. At 225 pages, 211 of which are story, the author spends the first 98 pages "setting the stage", describing every detail one could possibly want to know (and many one doesn't want to know) about the size, tonnage, cargo, crew, age, origins, history and appearance of the ships. Then when he finally gets to the actual action, one gets the impression that the only "battle" in the Atlantic involved U-boats torpedoing commercial ships. Granted, the title does include "...Summer 1941" but this reader, being only moderately familiar with World War II found himself thinking that the whole Battle of The Atlantic took place in the summer of `41. It was only when I got to the end and thought "Is this all there was?" and decided to check the internet that I learned the battle was 6 years, 1939-1945 in the fighting.Don't misunderstand. Bernard Edwards is a talented writer. His use of descriptive adjectives brings events to life and enables the reader to "see" exactly what the scene looks like. Sentences like "...the corvettes were on hand merely as sheepdogs, to snap at the heels of stragglers, to be at the beck and call of a shepherd, sailing in what appeared to be the scruffiest ship in the convoy." (pg. 53) and "Men grew tired and careless, and the cumbersome merchantmen, reduced to the equivalent of a brisk walking pace, blundered through the confined waters of the strait [in fog] like a herd of blind elephants." (pg. 61-62) These and many other descriptions made the story almost visual. Also included in the story was a vivid picture of the pathetic and almost inhumane living conditions of the average commercial sailor and their treatment by the owners and employers of the vessels. On the other hand, the technical language and phrases Edwards used throughout the book were most likely to be understood only by those most familiar with shipping. Several times I was sent to the dictionary to find the meaning of words and phrases like: "the repaired mast was stepped...", " Wetteland ordered the oars to be shipped...", the mountain "hove in sight" and a reference to the "DEMS gunners". A couple of other weaknesses: There was only one very blurry map in the entire book, and the editing was problematical: numerous misspellings throughout the book indicated that proof reading was left up to the "spell-checker" resulting in many "be's" that should have been "he's" and other similar word substitutions. All in all, however, the author has a great talent as a "word-smith", crafting a story which, once it got started, overcame the books deficiencies. Four stars, but only because of the author's story telling talent.
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