Chapman, Tony, - WAR OF THE MOTOR GUN BOATS - One Man's Personal War at Sea with the Coastal Forces, 1943-1945.

Practorian / Pen and Sword, Barnsley, 2013, 1st edn., xii, 163pp, 16pp half tone photo ills., navy blue cloth lettered in gilt at spine, coloured pictorial montage dustwrapper, the author's experiences in RN Coastal Forces 1943-1945, in the English Channel, North Sea, Mediterranean and Aegean Sea. After training his first operational posting in September 1943 was to RML522, a 'B' class Fairmile Rescue Launch based at HMS Attack, Portland. After nightly patrol between Portland Bill and The Needles by mid-October he was considered sufficiently proficient to be transferred to a more active command. He was drafted to MGB 607, a 'D' class Fairmile gunboat, part of the 17th MGB Flotilla, based at HMS Midge, Great Yarmouth. On his first patrol he experienced the raid by 32 E-boats on convoy FN1160, on 25th October 1943. The author was a telegraphist with a limited view of the action but he includes the detailed account written by MBG 607's navigating officer, Sub. Lt. Arkell. The encounter resulted in half the crew of MGB 607 being killed or wounded but they destryed two E-boats. In attempting to destroy a third they rammed an E-boat, ripping away their entire mess-deck with all their personal posessions. They were found by their sister MGB 603 and towed backwards to HMS MIdge, After 14 days survivors leave he returned to HMS Midge and to MTB 605, identical to MGB 607 apart from a couple of torpedo tubes either side of the bridge, In early 1944 he passed the Telegraphists examination and qualified as a senior telegraphist. He was drafted to the Mediterranean and at Cairo he became a member of the crew of a new boat being assembled there, ML 838, a ‘B’ Class Fairmile of the 43rd ML Flotilla. Once ready for sea ML 838’s task was escorting merchant vessels between Alexandria, Tobruk and Benghazi through JUne and July 1944. In August new orders moved ML 838 to patrol the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea which remained their task for the rest of the war, transporting Greek commandos, making reconnaisance landings, etc. upper board a little bumped, dustwrapper: lightly rubbed at tips, very good in a very good dustwrapper,

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