The Iron Pirate, by Douglas Reeman

Nekkidblogger — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:36:08 +0000

The Iron Pirate is a chilling World War II thriller. It is a book about Prinz Luitpoldt, a Hipper class 8-inch cruiser, one of the strongest German cruisers. The action takes place in 1944. The book is written mostly from a German point of view. The hero of the book is the captain of the German cruiser, Kapitan zur See Dieter Hechler. As Douglas Reeman writes: “In war it is inevitable that only one side can triumph, but honour and self-sacrifice are not the sole attributes of the victors”. The Iron Pirate is a respectful thriller which shows exactly this.

The German heavy cruiser Prinz Luitpold had always been lucky in battle. To the beleaguered army on the Baltic coast she was their one remaining symbol of hope. But now it is the summer of 1944, and on every front the war is going badly for Germany.

When the order comes to leave the Baltic to attack and destroy enemy shipping in the Atlantic, Kapitan zur See Dieter Hechler knows that once out in the vast killing ground it will only be a matter of time before the hunter becomes the hunted.

Douglas Reeman’s expertise shows through every page. His description of life in Nazi Germany after four years of total war is also very convincing. To me this was an exciting, enlightening, and good book .Very entertaining, well written and easy to read as well.

Links to books by Douglas Reeman at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN

Send a Gunboat, by Douglas Reeman

Nekkidblogger — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:37:08 +0000

There are many heroes in this delightful old story by Douglas Reeman. HMS Wagtail, one of the heroes, is a river gunboat. She has been designed to run in extremely shallow waters. Now, after World War II, this little ship is seemingly at the end of her useful life. She lies in a Hong Kong dockyard awaiting her last summons to the breakers’ yard.

Commander Justin Rolfe, another hero in this book, is also seemingly at the end of his useful naval life. He is an embittered man, brooding and angry from a court-martial verdict and after having been betrayed by his wife. When the offshore island of Santu is threatened with invasion from the Chinese mainland, Commander Rolfe, old Wagtail, and her crew, is assigned the mission of bringing out the British citizens on the island. It is a difficult job, but also a job that offers the chance of a reprieve and a restoration of self respect.

I loved this book! It took a little while before I really got into it, but after a hundred pages or so I had a hard time putting it away. Send a Gunboat tells a very good story about how danger and action draws together, changes, and unites the men involved in it by the skillful and very knowledgeable Reeman!

Links to books by Douglas Reeman at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN

NekkidBlogger Bookblog » Douglas Reeman

The Iron Pirate, by Douglas Reeman

Send a Gunboat, by Douglas Reeman