Product Description

During the Second World War, flotillas of the Royal Navy's Motor Torpedo Boats and other coastal forces fought a deadly war for control of the English Channel and the North Sea. These small, fast boats attacked enemy convoys, escorted freighters, landed secret agents and even raided enemy ports. Unsung heroes, these craft and their tiny crews helped stave off defeat in the dark days of 1940. The same vessels then took the fight to other waters, and by the end of the war, British MTB's had seen service in the Mediterranean, the Baltic and the Far East. This book examines the development and operation of these frail, sleek little warships, and describes the way they were manned and fought.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59452 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-18
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

About the Author
Angus Konstam hails from the Orkney Islands and is the author of over 15 books, many of which are published by Osprey. His other maritime titles include Elite 67: 'Pirates 1660-1730', Elite 69: 'Buccaneers 1620-1700' and Elite 70: 'Elizabethan Sea Dogs 1560-1605'. Formerly the Curator of Weapons in the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London, he also served as the Chief Curator of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. He is now based in London, where he combines a freelance museum consultancy business with a career as a historian and writer. Tony Bryan is a freelance illustrator of many years experience. He initially qualified in Engineering and worked for a number of years in Military Research and Development, and has a keen interest in military hardware - armour, small arms, aircraft and ships. Tony has produced many illustrations for partworks, magazines and books, including a number of titles in the New Vanguard series.

Customer Reviews

Good little starter
Nice project. Gets one started quickly on the subject.
Good illustrations that bring light to a nearly overlooked subject of the war.

Great reference material
I was looking for some reference material on PT boats and MTB's for some model boats that I am making, when I found this series of books.

This is an excellent reference book giving details of the various MTBs that were in service with photos and drawings. These will certainly help when looking to bring the details of my model to near as can be the real item.

Recommend this book to any other modeller looking for material on the MTB or an MTB/Naval enthusiast.

British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939-45
Received as a gift after showing interest in this book. Content is good, but this is as thick as a guide book rather than a book - and will not take you long to get through! A technical reference book rather than one detailing the exploits of the boats and their crews to give a full picture of the effectiveness of this not too often reported sector from the war period. Overall: Disappointed and will continue looking for other suitable books on the subject.