Customer Reviews

Battle of the Atlantic (British Battles)

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A long time ago, someone gave me a copy of this book (previously published in 1961) and it became one of the first books I ever read about War at Sea. I remember it as being "very" exciting. Now that I have read it again, it is interesting to see how some people and events have remained exactly as I had remembered them whereas others had not.

At one time, Captain Donald MacIntyre was a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm. During WW2, however, he commanded 3 different Escort Destroyers at one time or another during the battle of the Atlantic. He was awarded the DSO and two bars and the DSC. In terms of success against the U-Boat, this man was second only to the great Walker RN - who achieved the rare distinction of 4 DSOs. On retiring from the Navy in 1954, Donald MacIntyre became a widely read and much respected naval historian with a number of successful books to his credit.

This is one of those books and I pleased to see it republished - if only because it will give all those people who were never able to find a copy, an opportunity to read this amazing story at long last.

The Battle of the Atlantic is a paper-back book measuring 196 mm x 130 mm and containing 208 pages plus a collection of 47 glossy black and white photographs found together after page 96.

It is a well written classic of naval warfare by one who was there. At first glance, it may not look like a "5" star book, but it certainly has more than 5 star content. With contributions taken from the log-books of such people as Walker and Gretton on the one side and from the combat-reports of such adversaries as Prien, Kretschmer and Schepke on the other, this account is as full, vivid and accurate as they get.

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