The Sailors Behind the Medals - Waging War At Sea 1939 - 1945

The story of the Royal Navy in the Second World War is an epic, consisting both of dramatic battles such as the River Plate and Matapan, and drawn-out campaigns such as the escort of convoys to Malta and northern Russia. The author examines the careers of twenty-three sailors who took part in these actions which resulted in the award of their medals. Each man's story is presented in context, including details of the ships that he served on, and the reason for the awarding of the medal under consideration. He illustrates a cross-section of the war-time Navy long-service regulars, volunteers, recalled veterans of the Great War, Hostilities Only ratings. They served in nearly every kind of warship and in all the main theatres of the war and their individual acts of gallantry under extreme conditions make for inspiring reading. The author also examines the medals that were awarded for gallantry.

Table of contents: 

Chapter 1 - Death of a Pocket Battleship
Chapter 2 - 'The Navy's Here!'
Chapter 3 - Sole Survivor
Chapter 4 - Dunkirk
Chapter 5 - A Forlorn Hope
Chapter 6 - Rescue in the North Atlantic
Chapter 7 - Massacre at Matapan
Chapter 8 - Kiwi at Crete
Chapter 9 - Orion under the Stukas
Chapter 10 - One of Ark Royal's Engineers
Chapter 11 - Born Survivor
Chapter 12 - Dido in the Med
Chapter 13 - Operation Mincemeat
Chapter 14 - Operation Pedestal
Chapter 15 - Desert Water Rats
Chapter 16 - The Ship that Torpedoed Herself
Chapter 17 - Russian Gold
Chapter 18 - Convoy Rescue Ship Commander
Chapter 19 - Arctic Convoys
Chapter 20 - The Battle of the North Cape
Chapter 21 - Landing Craft Assault
Chapter 22 - The Divine Wind
Chapter 23 - The Fighting Schoolmaster

Available from:
Pen and Sword