Fourth Service: Merchantmen at War, 1939-45 [Paperback]

John Slader (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1997

Here at last is the true story of the merchant fleet during World War II, the non-fighting service in which 32,000 men died, yet whose essential role has never been fully appreciated. The author, himself a member of the service from 1941-47, relates the stories of merchantmen and their crews with unique insight. From the early days of the war to the day of victory on the Rhine, through combined operations in the Mediterranean and at Normandy, the complete operation of the fleet is examined, with vivid accounts of the horrific losses undergone, the heroism of the crews and the sacrifices endured to ensure that Britain received its essential supplies of food, oil, and raw materials.

Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: Brick Tower Pr (1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1899694455
• ISBN-13: 978-1899694457
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,030,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Merchant Seamen not forgotten, September 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fourth Service: Merchantmen at War, 1939-45 (Paperback)

This book is one of the few around to document the dangerous task of the merchant seamen of the Allied Forces during World War II. It gives you a true perspective on their lives and what they were made to endure. And still they have not been fully recognized as veterans of war in most countries, nor given full post war benefits. The war could not have been won without them.