Chariots of the Sea: Britains Human Torpedoes in WW II

Chariots of the Sea: Britains Human Torpedoes in WW II
(ISBN: 1872955169 / 1-872955-16-9 )
Mitchell, Pamela

Rear Cover 

... An enemy harbour at dead of night ... Two man-like figures with strange snouts are guiding a torpedo-like shape away from their target, a ship to which they have clamped a large warhead, due to explode in a few hours.

Not some fictional spy thriller, as some might be forgiven for thinking. This actually happened! It is what some Royal Navy personnel were trained to do in World War Two.

This book gathers their personal stories - of the hazards of their training, of the preparations for specific operations, of the many twists and turns of fortune they experienced, of inevitable failures as well as occasional successes.

This is not some official record told in dryasdust language. It is a collage warmly and skilfully drawn together by an ex-Wren, and consists mainly of the words of the Charioteers themselves and especially drawn from the memoirs of Sid Woollcott. D.S.M., as well as of those men who helped them carry out their exploits in Norwegian waters, the Mediterranean and the Far East.

Customer Reviews:
***** 2008-09-25
Includes considerable detail.  By: Ned Middleton

It seems a great pity that this book has been let down on two important fronts. Firstly, there is no mention of the author whatsoever. Having gleaned what little information there was, it would appear she was a very good friend of Sid Woollcott DSM - one of the men who took part in, and was decorated for, his service in that branch of the Royal Navy responsible for clandestine underwater operations on chariots which resembled torpedoes.

Secondly, it would also appear that all the information required by both historians and those with an interest in the subject is all here - somewhere, but the manner in which it is published and the quality of the reproduced photographs and other images really is poor to say the least. Apart from most of the photographs being of very poor quality, there really is no point in reproducing historic documents in a format so small they are barely legible.

That said, this is an informative account of a select number of men who took their chariots to sea and attacked enemy shipping. The author takes the reader through various accounts leading up to WW2 by describing those early days and how this particular branch of the Royal Navy came into being. She then carefully, and quite skilfully, takes the reader on a journey through the events of WW2 commencing with the development and building of the equipment to training, the very first chariot attempt at sinking the Tirpitz and operations in the Mediterranean, Norway and the Far East.

With some fascinating insights provided in appendices covering such subjects as Italian equipment, Malta, the loss of P311 and more, this is a useful addition to the library of anyone with an overall interest in the subject.

It would seem that all the relevant information is included. With a far better job of publishing, respect for the photographs and other images and, most important of all, an appreciation of the author, this might easily have been a 5 star product.

NM