War at sea

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33065, 4 November 1972, Page 10

War at sea

None But The Valiant. Stories of War at Sea. By Graeme Cook. Rupert Hart-Davies. 27 Plates. Bibliography. 151 pp. "None But The Valiant” is a badly written collection of anecdotes concerning some well known aspects of naval warfare. The author has re-written the stories of such famed actions as the Battle of Narvik, the Combined Operations raid on St Nazaire, and the hunt for and final destruction of the Bismarck. Brief chapters are devoted to the Italian Navy’s invention and use of manned underwater war chariots, to the “X craft” assaults upon naval ships in both the European and Far East war zones, and to some gallant forays made by the Fleet Air Arm in antiquated aircraft. The author seeks to equate British “Q” ships with German commerce raiders. There is, of course, one striking difference: “Q” ships sailed under the Red Ensign while the Germans flew the flags of neutral countries. Mr Cook writes of Royal Naval submarines in action during the First World War. Their exploits in the Sea of Marmora caused much damage on land and sea. The author goes on to eulogise German U boat commanders for their “courage and daring.” He proffers an apologia for the unfortunate sinking of the passenger liner, Athenia, when World War II was only hours old. Mr Cook states that Hitler ordered that no more passenger ships were to be sunk without warning. . . . “U boat captains were then careful to follow their Fuhrer’s orders to the letter.” This can be refuted. The author should consult “A Merchant Fleet in War, 1939-1945,” by Captain S. W. Roskill, R.N., where ample proof to the contrary is available. The only narrative of merit in the book is the story of Lieutenant Gunther Prien and the crew of U 47. Prien’s skill in navigating his submarine through the tortuous channels leading into Scapa Flow was masterly and his dedication to the task of destroying the British Fleet can only be described as fanatical. The fact that the Royal Oak was his only prize does not detract from his courage and tenacity. In summing up, one must deplore a book which fails miserably in presenting fairly the opposing views of the combatants. Other authors succeed in writing of the war as it affected individual countries and do so without bias. Mr Cook, it would seem, has leaned too heavily upon information supplied, with enthusiasm one may judge, by Captain Gunther Raeder, Naval Attache to the Federal German Embassy in London.