Category: Home Waters 1940-1944

A full examination of the attack.

A good account of the raid.

Describes one element of the Dieppe Raid. A British scientist landed with the Canadians to assess the value of a German radar station situated close to the town.

Contains a chapter on the Dieppe Raid and the reasons for failure.

Attempts to list - including casualties - all the participants in the operation, including RAF and RN personnel.

A sober and up-to-date account by an official historian.

An excellently illustrated account of how each individual tank of the 14th Canadian Army Tank Regiment - the Calgary Tanks - operated during the raid. Naval interest lies in how the then new Tank Landing Craft were used.

An officially sponsored but popular account of an event of particular significance to Canadians. Notably well illustrated.

A detailed account, with extensive appendices, of the RAF involvement in the raid. The role of Calpe and Berkeley is described in some depth since they acted as an early form of fighter direction ship.

The story of No 4 Commando's successful raid on the Hess Battery, led by Lord Lovat. This was a part of the wider landing.

The little known tale of the fifty US Rangers who were blooded at the Dieppe Raid.

A notably well produced basic account which is aimed at senior schoolchildren.

A review of some of the background, notable for its use of German records and intelligence appreciations.

A justification of the Dieppe Raid. Written largely as a personal account by a war correspondent who landed with No. 4 Commando.

A good addition to the literature of the disastrous raid code-named Jubilee. Full use is made both of information from survivors and official papers.

An early and lively account of the raid by the Naval Force Commander.

A Canadian view of the raid and of the fate of the captured survivors. Vividly describes the horror and the tragedy.

A well-illustrated but brief review of the raid.

Records the memories of many of those who took part, with a lively and compelling narrative flow of a raid of great gallantry.

The raid as seen by one of the commandos who destroyed a drydock pump house. Most of the book describes his experiences as a POW in Germany.

An autobiography which focuses on the raid and his service as a POW. He was on ML 306.

The story of the Lofoten islanders in wartime, particularly those who took the opportunity of the raid to escape to the UK.

A description of a raid on the Lofotens by an ex-actor serving with a Special Service Battalion. Originally a letter to his wife, it has been revised for publication.

A war correspondent's view of the commandos and of his own trip with them on the second Lofoten's Raid. A revised edition appeared later the same year with some sparse details of the Commandos' role in the Dieppe raid.

Examines the major raids against Norwegian and French targets from the Lofotens to Dieppe and looks at Layforce in the Mediterranean. Reprinted in 1974 as part of the Pan/Ballantine Illustrated History of World War 2.

This compendious work includes over 200 pages on WWII, with the information mainly gathered from newspapers and official communiquésés on the war.

Tormentor was the Combined Operations training base on the Hamble. This is really a series of reminiscences collected by the author into a coherent structure, but is still basically a collection of anecdotes.

In September 1942, a dozen Commandos were landed by submarine to attack the Glomfjord power station. The attack succeeded, but seven of the raiders were captured and later shot.

An American edition of the Ministry of Information pamphlet of the same name.

A fascinating account of the formation of special forces by Winston Churchill to assist beleagured Britain during World War II, showing their development and successes as the war developed.

The story of this Combined Operations raid. Also gives much detail on the development of radar.

A full, early account of the escape of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau from Brest. It was the subject of a libel action by Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Peirse and was withdrawn in 1962. American sub-title differs.

HICHENS, Robert Peverell. We Fought Them in Gunboats. 152p., illus. London: Joseph, 1944.

A lively picture of the author’s career in Coastal Forces. It was cut short by his death in action off the Dutch Coast in May 1943. A second edition edited by David James was published by Badger Books in 1957.

SPICER, Tim. A Dangerous Enterprise: Secret War at Sea. 312p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Barbreck Publishers, 2021. ISBN: 9781999589134.

A distinguished soldier turned author gives an excellent account of the service of the 15th Motor Gunboat Flotilla. Based in Dartmouth it specialised in ferrying secret agents to and from Brittany. Uses an extensive range of official documents such as SOE files and private papers as well as published and on-line sources.

HASTINGS, Nicholas. Round the Next Corner. 190p., frontis. London: Davies, 1949.

An autobiography for the years 1939-48. The period is viewed in a series of snapshots, through which the author examines some of the memorable incidents in his career. Called up by the Navy in 1939, he quickly gravitated to Combined Operations where he witnessed several of their operations at first-hand.

BARKER, Ralph. The Blockade Busters. 224p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Chatto, 1976. ISBN:0701121890.

Describes special operations to carry special steels vital to the war effort, from Sweden to the UK. Reprinted in 2005 by Pen & Sword Maritime, with the sub-title Cheating Hitler’s Reich of Vital War Supplies, ISBN: 1844152820.        

HAMON, Simon. Voices from the Past: Channel Islands Invaded. xi,227p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Frontline, 2015. ISBN: 9781473851597

The story of the occupation described from a mixture of newspaper reports, official documents and oral recollections of those who were there.

BOWMAN, Martin H. Hitler's Invasion of East Anglia, 1940: An Historical Cover Up? 288p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2018. ISBN: 1526705486.

A good study of a possible small raid or invasion in East Anglia in 1940. Whether real or a conspiracy theory is fully explored.

SEARLE, Adrian. Churchill’s Last Wartime Secret: the 1943 German Raid Airbrushed from History. xii, 180p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2016. ISBN: 1473823811.

Examines the evidence for a long rumoured but never admitted German raid on a radar station on the Isle of Wight in 1943.

POWELL, Ted. The Channel Dash Heroes. iv, 34p., illus. [n.p. East Kent Branch Fleet Air Arm Association, c.1995].

A tribute to the eighteen men who took part in the Swordfish attack. A full retelling is followed by an account of the work undertaken to trace and maintain their graves. A second edition was published in 2002 and a third in 2007.

RAINBOW, Jonathan. Tribute: Operation Sealion. xii, 112p., illus. London: Avon, 1997. ISBN: 1860334296.

 An account of the planned invasion aimed at schoolchildren.

SAUNDERS, Andy. Convoy Peewit August 8, 1940: the First Day of the Battle of Britain? London: Grub Street, 2010. ISBN: 9781906502676.

Convoy CW9 “Peewit” was a coastal convoy from Southend to Weymouth. This in depth account of the relentless attacks on its twenty-four small coasters fully covers the day’s action by the RAF, RN, Merchant Navy, Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe.

SAUNDERS, Tim. The Dieppe Raid: 2nd Canadian Division (Battleground Europe). 224p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2005. ISBN: 1844152456.

An excellent battlefield guide, describing the raid in some detail.

MAUND, L. E. H. Assault from the Sea. xvi, 311p., illus.,  index. London: Methuen, 1949.

One of the best accounts, despite its age. A mixture of personal reminiscence and a history of the development of Combined Operations with which the author was much involved, mainly in the Mediterranean and Far East.  Maund was also Captain of Ark Royal during the Bismarck operation and includes a first hand account of Ark Royal's involvement.

BADEN-POWELL, Dorothy. Operation Jupiter: SOE's Secret War in Norway. 208p., bibliog., illus., index. London:  Hale, 1982. ISBN: 070919367X.

A member of the Scandinavian section of SOE recounts the many operations mounted in Norway, often with a naval component.

CHAPMAN, A. J. The War of the Motor Gun Boats: One Man’s Personal War at Sea with the Coastal Forces, 1943-1945. 176p., illus. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2013. ISBN: 1783462248.

Tony Chapman was born in Southampton in 1924 and joined up as soon as he could. Within hours of being posted to his first Motor Gun Boat as a Telegraphist, he was involved in an epic Coastal Forces engagement when his flotilla took on a force of thirty E-boats. His flotilla operated in the Mediterranean and Aegean where the MGBs played a key role. Daily life is vividly described. They operated in the Levant and on combined operations in the Aegean with the Greek Sacred Regiment of Commandos. The culmination of their efforts was when his boat, ML838, took the surrender of the Island of Kos in 1945.

An atmospheric popular account.

A good general account, which gives a view of American as well as British raiding operations. US title: Commando Hit and Run Combat in World War II.

Lucidly told.

Another miniature but comprehensive account from this excellent series.

The official account, which is the basic published source of information on the British side.

A retelling of the story of the Channel Dash to mark the fortieth anniversary of the affair.

An illustrated impression of the raid, based on a CBC-TV program and concerned with the Canadian background and feelings about their participation. There is a set of photographs of Berkeley's sinking.

A mixture of history and reminiscence from Brigadier Whitaker, who landed with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. The authors conclude both that Churchill and Alanbrooke pressed ahead with the attack, although fully aware that security was compromised, but that it was a necessary part of a strategy which produced lessons that saved lives at D-Day.

A controversial view of the military politics surrounding the raid.

An early attempt to account for this costly operation. US title: At Whatever Cost.

Attempts to retrieve the reputation of the Canadian general, Roberts, in a full account of the blunders and the courage. Canadian title: The Shame and the Glory: Dieppe.

An American war correspondent’s view of the raid, which he witnessed from Calpe.

A war correspondent’s view of the Dieppe Raid. Later published as Dawn Landing. Canadian title: Glorious Chapter.

A general autobiography of a well-known writer and broadcaster, who served in the Army. He was on Garth at Dieppe.

A very readable account, which focuses on the attack and the experiences of the survivors.

A French account of the raid and its background.

An unusual account which looks at everything from airships to flying boats and how they defended the coast and coastal traffic.

An American view of the summer of 1940. Focuses on German strategy and has a full view of the planning for Operation Sea Lion.

A technical guide to the invasion craft and to the operational plan and the units to be involved. Very thorough.

Although a speculative account of how an invasion might have happened, Macksey is a respected military historian and his views are based on known plans and possibilities. Contains a succinct account of the state of the navy in July 1940. Reprinted by Greenhill in 1989.

First published in Germany in 1987 this is a young historian's refreshing account of the summer of 1940. Explores British defensive plans as much as German preparations to invade.

A re-appraisal of German plans and British preparedness which reassesses the relative importance of sea power and air power.

A full examination of the projected German invasion in 1940 and the reasons for its cancellation. He claims that the Navy, more than any other factor, frustrated German plans.

An account which attempts to synthesise German and British approaches and responses to the tense summer of 1940.

An excellent study of the proposed invasion, with a good account of British strategy and reasons for naval dispositions. US and paperback title: Operation Sea Lion.

Admiral Ansell's book is a detailed study of the projected invasion of England in 1940 (Operation Sealion), based largely on original German records.

Examines the background to the fall of France and its consequences, most particularly the way the French Navy was dealt with.

A dramatised account of the war in the Channel from Dunkirk to the Dieppe Raid.

A personal view of the war of the inshore fishermen and their vessels in the early part of the war. Reprinted by White Lion in 1977.

A firsthand account of the life of the inshore fishermen of the Yorkshire coast in the 1930s and early 1940s. The war features prominently.

A brief but interesting work with some information on Coastal Command and raids on various ports and bases.

Another excellent book by this prolific naval historian. The Channel was an active battleground throughout the war although action there is rarely described as a whole. A second edition using only the sub-title as its title was published by Pen & Sword in 2007.

A carefully documented account of German plans.

A mixture of history and individual tales of the men and ships who took part in the East Coast convoys of coasters and colliers. Although close to home it was to prove as hair-raising as any other convoy route.

The takeover and defence of Iceland and the Faeroe, Orkney, and Shetland Islands.

An excellent military historian gives a good if routine account of all the major episodes in the Channel from Dunkirk to D-Day.

An intelligent and well researched account of the coastal convoys which were the backbone of the war effort.

Arranged geographically rather than chronologically, this has some information on merchant shipping losses of WWII.

Gipsy was lost to a mine in November 1939. This short but rigorous work uncovers the errors which led to the disaster

Quite excellent amateur history, which makes good use of primary sources in detailed coverage of a neglected corner of the war. The seas from the Humber to North Kent saw unending action throughout the war and everything is covered in a smooth but analytical narrative.

An excellent memoir of the war of a young officer on a hazardous convoy run.

A wreck divers’ alphabetical guide to ships. Disappointingly brief and uninformative notes on each ship’s fate.

The official history views the subject of home defence from an inter service aspect, although the aerial battle clearly predominates. The Navy's role is well covered. Reprinted by the Imperial War Museum in 1996 with source notes.

WWII is covered in a 20-page potted account of the main events in the waters of the Command.

Written by a participant, this records the work of the flotilla which landed and recovered secret agents and worked with the French Resistance.

A history of naval matters in coastal waters with a little on WWII. Enlivened by such footnotes as one which defines Bolshevism as "a state of mental decay known today as Communism."

An account of the author's wartime voyages as a radio officer on the East Coast collier Hampden Z. Coney.

Covers all the amphibious operations in Northern Europe before the Normandy Invasion.

A French admiral's account of the Vaagso, Bruneval, St. Nazaire, and Dieppe Raids, which draws some historical parallels.

Basic source material and fullest on his period as Director

A review of several combined operations, with the last quarter of the book devoted to WWII. Admiral Keyes was the first Director of the Combined Operations Directorate and responsible for the early wartime raids which are described. A second edition was published in the same year with maps and an additional note on operations in Sicily.

Tales of an adventurer. After fighting for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War, he joined British irregular forces for WWII and served in the UK, Albania, Poland, and the Far East. There is a full account of some of the early small-scale raids on the French Coast.

Describes a small 1942 raid on a signal station in Brittany.

An accurate and truthful account within the limits of wartime security. It describes all of the best-known operations and gives some account of the formation and training of the Commandos.

How two members of the Army Dental Corps determined to see action and made a private raid on France in 1942. A full account of a madcap scheme. Reprinted in paperback in 1982 as Against All Odds.

A general but very interesting account and a standard work.

The war memoirs of an officer who spent his war in Combined Operations and in midget submarines.

A description of the Christmas 1941 raid. Apart from the lessons learned about combined operations, the book claims that this was the start of Hitler’s Norwegian fixation, which affected German strategy.

A re-examination of a number of amphibious operations drawn from the last 400 years, concerned with questions of command and the relationships of the various forces involved. The major assaults in Western Europe, from Narvik to Normandy, are considered.

The naval component of the Commando raid to gather intelligence on German radar capability.

A Reserve Marine Corps Colonel makes a comparative study of policy and decision making in the inter-war years.

Describes the setting up of Special Forces then their training and gives accounts of some of the less well known operations. Almost half of the book consists of appendices, mostly reprinting contemporary operational reports and plans.

A derivative work based on secondary sources, but with an outstanding selection of photographs.

A series of 51 essays reprinted from various journals and ranging from Marathon to the Falklands. It has relevant material on Sealion, the German invasion of Norway, Dieppe, and D-Day.

Keyes returned to the Navy in 1940 and after liaison work in Belgium created the new Combined Operations Directorate. He was relieved of this command in 1941 as a result of political disagreements and resumed his seat in Parliament. He later received a peerage before his death in 1945. A rather uncritical account of a major figure.

An autobiography with 250 pages on WWII. Scott was a RNVR officer who served on Broke during the Fall of France and then in the Atlantic (including the Comorin rescue). Early in 1942 he moved to Coastal Forces in Steam Gun Boat 9. He took part in the Dieppe Raid, then in 1944 moved to the staff as an organiser of Coastal Forces operations. In 1945 he moved to the then building Cardigan Bay. He wrote the official history of Coastal Forces. The rest of the book charts his subsequent fame.

The author was a distinguished participant in this bitterly fought campaign. This is a full, authorised and semi-official account of the work of Coastal Forces. Reprinted by White Lion in 1974.

A collection of anecdotes, articles and stories from the newsletter of the Coastal Forces Veterans Association. Covers all theaters, but dominated by home waters.

The autobiography of an actor. Two chapters cover his war in MTBs.

A study of the ships, the crews, and the actions. A well-researched and readable account. A second edition was published by Haynes in 2008.

Hobday served on the Armed Boarding Vessel Maron and in Contraband Control until 1941 when he moved to Coastal Forces. He gives a good account of small boat warfare in the North Sea, Channel and Mediterranean where he commanded MGB 643 in 1943-44. He was briefly Directing Officer of Stayner in home waters in 1944 before taking command of MTB 725.

This is the story of a group of unsung and largely unrecorded heroes. Good and extensive coverage, mainly on WWII.

The memoirs of the commander of the 21st MTB Flotilla. His previous war service in Somali at Norway, the command of a schuyt at Dunkirk and with Cotswold on the East Coast is also briefly described. Reprinted by Seaforth in 2008.

Describes the development of these craft, crew training, and the gradual evolution of tactics. It is concerned principally with operations off the east and south coasts of England.

A personal account of the role of light coastal forces in the lead up to the invasion.

Just under half of this autobiography concerns the author's wartime service in Coastal Forces.

A freely dramatised history of Coastal Forces, concentrating heavily on WWII.