If you are a lover of WWII history, this book should be part of your collection. It has the specific detail of a diary but reads like a novel. I have a new vocabulary and appreciation for the international nature of the convoys from this time; not just the United States and Great Britain.

Convoy Escort Commander by Peter Gretton provides a detailed account of the heroic/tragic defense of the free world. This is a reprint of a title from 1963. This brings to mind the long past published post-World War II war memoirs. The first time I read a World War Two memoir was titled "Fighter Pilot" by Col. William Dunn. Future Vice Admiral Gretton served from the icy North Atlantic in the failed invasion of Narvik Norway to the heroic support provided to Malta and her beleaguered people.

This book held my attention from the introduction onward as I have read previous accounts of the Battle of the Atlantic both fiction and non-fiction. This autobiographical account of the wartime career of an escort Commander was riveting, pulled no punches when describing the sometimes arduous conditions of the Battle for the Escort crews, and the bravery of men who had signed up as ‘hostilities only’ without any seagoing experience. The graphic descriptions of the combat and emergency conditions were spellbinding, and you could really get a feeling of the actions themselves followed by the brief periods of respite, that allowed the crews to recover. The infrequent leave periods produced interesting results for the Commander from foreshortened leave on sudden promotion to getting married and getting recalled to following day to sea duty.
A thrilling book that highlighted that the naval warfare conflicts of WWll should not be forgotten and the lessons learnt from that time are as relevant today and they would be ignored at our peril.

A great novel about the war at sea against the German U-boats. The authors first hand accounts are riveting and fascinating. A great read for the history fan!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A very enjoyable book following the life of an Convoy Escort Commander in the Western Atlantic during World War Two. The author covers all operations from 1940 to 1945 and provides a good insight into what it was like on the ships fighting against German U-Boats.
A little knowledge of naval terms would help the reader as its assumed you already know some of the naval terms.
A good read, recommend to all.

The Battle of the Atlantic was a grim affair during WWII with thousands of ships sunk and many thousands of lives lost. Peter Gretton’s memoir as a convoy escort commander is enlightening with details from the disastrous beginning of the war through the improvements that enabled most convoys to reach Great Britain with few losses. He touches on the lack of boldness in the British High Command early in the war. Operating in the frigid North Atlantic created hazards with frequent weather damage. Technical devices became increasingly complex. Lots of preparation before meeting the convoys seemed more tiring than the passage. The Germans had some effective weapons, but scientifically, they were far outpaced by the Allies. Well worth reading.