War in the Islands: Undercover Operations in the Aegean, 1942-44

War in the Islands is a revealing anthology of true stories about a little-known episode of naval operations in the Mediterranean during the Second World War. As a young officer in the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR), the author (Adrian Seligman 1909-2003) formed and commanded a flotilla of caiques on undercover operations in the Greek islands between 1942-1944.

Mixed bags of volunteers drawn from all three services crewed there motorised caiques, which were commanded by young RNR officers. Their task was to carry Allied raiding parties and their supplies in and out of enemy held territory, in total secrecy and under cover of darkness - risky undertakings that required high levels of navigational and seamanship skills from the skippers.

This clandestine war is recounted by the author, 12 skippers of caiques, one of a motor launch and an RAF officer, who were actually involved in these operations. These men all served with the Levant Schooner Flotilla, the Greek Sacred Company and the Aegean Raiding Forces (SAS / SBS).

This book was published by Sutton Publishing (1997).

Available from:
Amazon.co.uk

The Grey Wolves of Eriboll

The surrender of the German U-boat fleet at the end of World War II was perhaps the principal event in the war’s endgame which signified to the British people that peace really had arrived.
This revised, updated and expanded new edition gives career details of not only the 33 commanders who accompanied their boats to Loch Eriboll but also of a further 23 previous commanders of those U-boats, including four who might be considered ‘Aces’ because of the damage they inflicted, sinking and disabling Allied shipping.

The book also features an analysis of the Allied naval operation under which the surrendering U-boats were assembled in Scotland and Northern Ireland; asks who first contacted those U-boats after the capitulation – armed British trawlers, frigates of the Allied navies or aircraft of the Royal Air Force; and discloses how U-boats spared destruction were distributed to the navies of the USA, France, USSR and the Royal Navy. Also revealed are more unpublished recollections of British and German naval personnel present at the Loch Eriboll surrenders and how 116 surviving U-boats came to be sunk in the waters of the Western Approaches in the winter of 1945/46.

The Grey Wolves of Eriboll includes a wealth of historical insights including the German Surrender Document; detailed descriptions of the construction, service careers and circumstances of each surrendered U-boat; details of the frigates that supervised the surrenders, contemporary newspaper reports and descriptions of the naval Operations Pledge, Commonwealth, Cabal, Thankful and Deadlight, each of which involved Eriboll U-boats. The mysteries surrounding Hitler’s yacht and the alleged ‘Norwegian Royal Yacht’ (which did not exist at the time) are also explored.

Available from:
Whittles Publishing

The Luftwaffe Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot's Kitbag

Reichsmarschall Goring told Hitler that it would take less than a month for his much-vaunted Luftwaffe to conquer the RAF and pave the way for the German invasion of Great Britain. His prediction was to prove disastrously wrong, but for four long months his pilots and aircrew fought for their lives in the skies above the UK. From their bases in continental Europe, the Luftwaffe s fighter pilots escorted the great bomber fleets that sought to destroy the RAF s airfields and installations, and tackled the Spitfires and Hurricanes deployed to defend Britain s towns and cities.

Whilst much has been written on the titanic struggle for supremacy fought throughout the summer of 1940 and of the men and machines of both sides, little attention has been paid to what the pilots wore and carried with them in the air.

All the objects that a Luftwaffe fighter pilot was issued with during the Battle of Britain are explored in this book in high-definition colour photographs, showing everything from the differing uniforms, to headgear, personal weapons, gloves, goggles, parachute packs and the essential life jacket. Each item is fully described and its purpose and use explained.

Congratulations to Mark Hillier - this is a great reference book. Showcasing items from personal collections, providing detailed information on the specific items worn, carried and used by Luftwaffe personnel during the summer of 1940 - the coverage is exhaustive and this should be on the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in Luftwaffe uniforms and equipment. I hope that this type of book could be considered for other periods of the Second World War, as this could be a great series in the future.

Available from:
Pen & Sword