21 February 2013

Motor Gunboat 658


Motor Gunboat 658: The Small Boat War in the Mediterranean

This is an autobiography of a man who as a young (19) Midshipman joins a 'Dogboat' in the final stages of construction as the Pilot and shortly thereafter deploys to the Med with her.  They first see action in the Sicilian campaign and proceed from there.  As the war progresses he moves up to being First Lieutenant and finally CO of the same boat.

I enjoyed the story, but to be honest probably because it had a lot of professional interest for me and because Coastal Forces are a particular interest of mine.  If you are looking for a mad dash read of action at 30+ kts, this isn't the book for you.  But if you want to know more about the naval campaign in the med, or about life on a Dog Boat, then 'Rover' Reynolds' book will probably get your interest. 

3 comments:

  1. Hi Paul,

    This is a great read and very inspirational. If I ever get around to WW2 coastal actions this will be the book that cliches the deal!

    All the best,

    DC

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  2. Paul,

    I have a thing for anything World War Two. I have never read of the campaign in the med using gun/P.T. Boats, so this should be an interesting read for me.

    Will let you know my reaction when I have read this book.

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  3. I tend to prefer ww1 over ww2 due to the lack of meaningful airpower... that said, ww2 coastal forces seem very active. It seems the smaller the ship, the more combat it sees...

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