Sign-In
Cart
Doomed Destroyer
Paperback
General European HistoryNaval HistoryWorld War II
ISBN13: 9781912262069
Publisher: Clink Street Pub
Published: Apr 10 2018
Pages: 560
Weight: 1.79
Height: 1.25 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
On March 1st 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered Operation Weserubung: the invasion of Norway.
Having swept across Europe, the Nazi assault on Scandinavia was designed to secure the valuable iron ore being delivered by rail from Sweden to the Norwegian port of Narvik. To complete the task, Hitler sent ten large destroyers, with 220 Alpine Troops on each. Five smaller British H Class destroyers were sent up the fjord in retaliation, with little knowledge of what to expect.
On April 10th, the first British battle of Narvik began in earnest.
Royal Naval Captain Bernard Warburton-Lee led his flotilla at midnight into the fjord; undetected, under darkness and in driving snow storms. The harbour erupted into a torpedo attack; back into the fjord, the destroyers Hardy, Hunter, Hotspur, Havock and Hostile were confronted by five German destroyers. A ferocious sea battle ensued and Hardy and Hunter were lost.
In his first account of The Battle of Narvick, Attack at Dawn, Ron Cope focussed on the experience and the survival of the crew of HMS Hardy. After nine long years of research, he now reveals for the first time the untold story of HMS Hunter and her crew. Just forty-eight of the 159 servicemen on board survived in the cold waters of the fjord; picked up by German destroyers, they were eventually forced to march in freezing conditions over the mountains into internment in Sweden.
Before the handover to the Swedish authorities, a German Army officer made the British servicemen sign a form:
On my being sent into Sweden I will not take up arms against Germany... Should I do so, and in the event of again being taken prisoner I shall be subject to such conditions as are provided under the Death Penalty Act.
Doomed Destroyer follows the astounding stories of the Hunter sailors, who would spend the next five years plotting and attempting to escape their captivity. Cope provides an extensive account of the viciously fought events at sea and in the fjords, examining the Norwegian price paid at Narvik and the early impact of war on the local community's simple way of life. A remarkable account delivered with care and respect for those lost and left behind, Doomed Destroyer shines a light on this important but previously little known event in British history.
Without dedicated men like Ron Cope, the testimony and the stories of the men who were there - whether they were lost, wounded, or survived - what became of them, their families, might otherwise be lost to future generations. Percy C. Danby, Lieutenant (E), C.D. RCN Retired. Ottawa. March 2017, survivor on HMS Hotspur.
Also in
Naval History
Hostage on the Yangtze: Britain, China, and the Amethyst Crisis of 1949
Murfett, Malcolm H.
Hardcover
The Last Flight: The Untold Story of the Search for JFK Jr. and the Race Against the Atlantic
Webster, W. Russell
Webster, Theresa M.
Hardcover
It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy
Abrashoff, D. Michael
Hardcover
The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue
Tougias, Michael J.
Sherman, Casey
Paperback
Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man
Vladic, Sara
Vincent, Lynn
Paperback
The Last Stand of Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
Hornfischer, Estate Of James D.
Hardcover
Letters to Myself: A Collection of Life Lessons Shared with My Younger Self
Cordle, John P.
Paperback
Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
Sontag, Sherry
Drew, Christopher
Paperback
Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, a Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion
Harmon, Mark
Carroll, Leon
Paperback
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
Hornfischer, James D.
Paperback
In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Paperback
Fighting Fifteen: The Navy's Top Ace and the Deadliest Hellcat Squadron of the Pacific War
Moore, Stephen L.
Hardcover
Wielding the Trident: Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and America's Victory in the Pacific
Blackley, Andrew K.
Hardcover
Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes: Legends And Lore, Pirates And More!
Varhola, Michael
Paperback
Gamble in the Coral Sea: Japan's Offensive, the Carrier Battle, and the Road to Midway
Piegzik, Michal A.
Hardcover
Thunder Below!: The USS *Barb* Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II
Fluckey, Eugene B.
Paperback
Phantom Fleet: The Hunt for Nazi Submarine U-505 and World War II's Most Daring Heist
Rose, Alexander
Hardcover
Annapolis Goes to War: The Naval Academy Class of 1940 and Its Trial by Fire in World War II
Symonds, Craig L.
Hardcover
Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, a Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion
Harmon, Mark
Carroll, Leon
Hardcover
Sailing the Graveyard Sea: The Deathly Voyage of the Somers, the U.S. Navy's Only Mutiny, and the Trial That Gripped the Nation
Snow, Richard
Paperback
So Others May Live: Coast Guard's Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death
Laguardia-Kotite, Martha
Ridge, Tom
Paperback
Ambush at Vella Gulf: The Destroyer Battle That Changed the Course of World War II in the Pacific
Knight, Rex A.
Hardcover
Mahan on Naval Strategy: Selections from the Writings of Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan
Mahan, Alfred Thayer
Paperback
Holocaust on the High Seas: An Eyewitness Account of Israel's 1967 Attack on the USS Liberty
Tourney, Phillip F.
Paperback
Erasing the Liberty: The Battle to Keep Alive the Memory of Israel's Massacre on the USS Liberty
Tourney, Phillip F.
Gahary, David R.
Paperback
Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It
Freeman, Gregory A.
Paperback
The Death of the USS Thresher: The Story Behind History's Deadliest Submarine Disaster
Polmar, Norman
Paperback
Samurai!: The Autobiography of Japan's World War II Flying Ace
Saito, Fred
Sakai, Saburo
Caidin, Martin
Paperback
Clash of the Carriers: The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II
Tillman, Barrett
Paperback
Operation Catapult: Winston Churchill and the British Attack on the French Navy at Mers-El-Kébir
Whiteside, Bill
Hardcover
Japanese Destroyer Captain: Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway--The Great Naval Battles as Seen Through Japanese Eyes
Hara, Tameichi
Paperback
Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941
Evans, David C.
Peattie, David
Paperback
Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr.
Stillwell, Paul L., Usnr (Ret ).
Hardcover
A Hoot in Hell's Island: The Heroic Story of World War II Dive Bomber Lt. Cmdr. Robert D. "Hoot" Gibson
Gibson, Robert D.
Warner, Kirk
Hardcover
Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy
Hale, John R.
Paperback
Patriot Pirates: The Privateer War for Freedom and Fortune in the American Revolution
Patton, Robert H.
Paperback
The Sailing of the Intrepid: The Incredible Wartime Voyage of the Navy's Iconic Aircraft Carrier
Williams, Montel
Hardcover
Escape from the Deep: The Epic Story of a Legendary Submarine and Her Courageous Crew
Kershaw, Alex
Paperback
Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine
Kropf, Schuyler
Hicks, Brian
Paperback
The Sailing of the Intrepid: The Incredible Wartime Voyage of the Navy's Iconic Aircraft Carrier (Large Print Edition)
Fisher, David
Williams, Montel
Hardcover
Mastering the Art of Command: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific
Hone, Trent
Paperback
A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II
Parkin, Simon
Paperback
Brain Games - U.S. Navy Word Search - Large Print
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
All Hands on Deck: A Modern-Day High Seas Adventure to the Far Side of the World
Sofrin, Will
Paperback
Imperial Japanese Navy 1932-1945 Warships and Colours: With Japanese Army Vessels and Three Special Bonus Pages
Wright, Malcolm
Paperback
The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at the Annapolis Warship Factory
Gendell, David
Hardcover
Kaga and Akagi: Aircraft Carriers in the Imperial Japanese Navy
Lengerer, Hans
Ahlberg, Lars
Hardcover
The Devil's Own Purgatory: The United States Mississippi River Squadron in the Civil War
Gudmestad, Robert H.
Hardcover
Give Me a Fast Ship: The Heroic Actions of Ernest Evans and the Crew of USS Johnston
Cutler, Thomas J.
Hardcover
Guardians of the North: Canadian Warships and Maritime Aircraft, 1910-2025
Gagnon, Karl
Gimblett, Richard H.
Hardcover
Through the Yellow Visor: The Life and (Mis)Adventures of a US Navy Fighter Pilot
Aiello, E. Vincent Jell-O
Paperback
The Last Shot: The Incredible Story of the C.S.S. Shenandoah and the True Conclusion of the American Civil War
Schooler, Lynn
Paperback
This Great Contest Afloat: The Civil War on the Seas, Coastline, Rivers, and Oceans
Chatelain, Neil P.
Paperback
Life and Death at Cape Disappointment: Becoming a Surfman on the Columbia River Bar
D'Amelio, Christopher J.
Paperback
The Ice Diaries: The True Story of One of Mankind's Greatest Adventures
Anderson, William R.
Paperback
War Beneath the Waves: A True Story of Courage and Leadership Aboard a World War II Submarine
Keith, Don
Paperback
Iron Dawn: The Monitor, the Merrimack, and the Civil War Sea Battle That Changed History
Snow, Richard
Paperback
Battle of the Atlantic (2): From Operation Drumbeat to the Defeat of the Wolfpacks, 1942-43
Stille, Mark
Paperback
Devil's Fire, Southern Cross: The Conclusion of the Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign, October 1943-February 1944
Cox, Jeffrey
Hardcover
Iron Coffins: A Personal Account of the German U-Boat Battles of World War II
Werner, Herbert A.
Paperback
Italian Adriatic Fleet 1915-18: The Fierce Naval War with Austria-Hungary
Cernuschi, Enrico
Paperback
Perilous Fight: America's Intrepid War with Britain on the High Seas, 1812-1815
Budiansky, Stephen
Paperback
Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of Theworld
Crowley, Roger
Paperback
A Rage to Conquer: Twelve Battles That Changed the Course of Western History
Walsh, Michael
Hardcover
The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945
Hornfischer, James D.
Paperback
No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One
Lambert, Andrew
Hardcover
Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence
Daughan, George C.
Paperback
Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue
Clavin, Tom
Drury, Bob
Paperback
Arresting Ecologies: Global Literature Across Air, Land, and Sea, 1926-2014
Rizzuto, Nicole M.
Hardcover
Blunting the Spear: The Pacific Carrier War from Pearl Harbor to the Doolittle Raid
Stern, Robert C.
Hardcover
Benedict Arnold's Navy: The Ragtag Fleet That Lost the Battle of Lake Champlain But Won the American Revolution
Nelson, James L.
Hardcover
All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor's Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor
Stratton, Donald
Gire, Ken
Paperback
Sentinels by the Sea: Coastal Fortifications of Colonial New England and Nova Scotia
Laramie, Michael G.
Hardcover
A Visual History & Reference for Submarine Insignia of the World
Lukas, Lee
Walker, Christopher
Hardcover
Forgotten Island: The WWII Story of One Sailor's Survival on Japanese-Occupied Guam
Domagalski, John J.
Paperback