Peter Gretton (1912–1992)

The Atlantic convoy HX-231 consisted of 61 merchant ships & 6 escorts. This first-hand account by the Commander of the escort ships, describes and analyses the battle between a German 'wolf-pack' of 20 U-boats and the convoys' escorts, a battle in which the U-boat successes were unexpectedly small. Gretton reveals how the convoy was handled, how the technical devices were used, and how the surface escorts, and later in the passage, the Coastal Command aircraft operated B-24s.

This book, for the first time since all the official British and German records became available, describes and analyses a vital 1943 Atlantic convoy battle, between six escort ships (of which the author was Commander) and the German wolf pack of twenty U-boats.

SEE ALSO: Captain Gilbert Roberts, R.N. and the Anti U-boat School by Williams, Mark

The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat… (más)

In WWI WSC was the first Lord of the Admiralty until late 1915 and in WWII from September 1939 until April 1940. this book deals mostly with the period 1912 to 1915. Peter Gretton deals with the manpower reforms and Churchill's work in continuing the Fisher reforms associated with the concentration of the fleet in Home waters. only in the last fifth of the book do we turn to Churchill's relationship with his navy in 1940 to 45.
Peter Gretton was chiefly an escort group commander, and views WSC from the battle of the Atlantic perspective. Twice read.… (más)