Killing Ground

by Douglas Reeman

Book Overview

The Western Ocean 1942. From the bridge of HMS Gladiator, Lieutenant-Commander David Howard's orders were chillingly clear. There could be no mercy. A relentless, savage war against an ever-present... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0330316362
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Pan Books Ltd
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent account of war at sea and home in UK

This book deals with the perils of war and the sea. It also explores the perils of war and at home. We are introduced to the book at the hieght of the Battle of the Atlantic. It is the time or unparalled danger for ships and country as a whole. To loose the Battle of the Atlantic is to loose the war for the UK. We are shown stop gap measures - RAF Hurricanes on adapted merchant ships for one way flights against air attackers. If the pilot was lucky he was picked up but if he was in the sea any length of time after he parachuted out or ditched his plane he became another statistic. We have the unending picture of the rescue of survivors from sinking merchant ships. It doesn't matter where the ship is, there are always the casualties.Reeman's charecters all ring true, from the seaman anxious to become and officer and loosing his life in the process, to the bearded reserve first lieutenant who knows the merchant ships intimately from his prewar experiences. There is the hard headed sub-lieutenant anxious to better himself regardless of the cost to others. There are the sailors in the crew, who are the harshest judges of the leadership the have. The captain is the man who holds the ship together; regardless of the cost to him.The book ends with the start of the final push onto mainland Europe at Normandy. You leave with the knowledge that Normandy wasn't the end of the war, merely the beginning of the end in Europe.This is an excellent study in leadership by Mr. Reeman. I recommend it to all with an interest in Naval matters and the Second World War in the Atlantic.