Destroyer: An Anthology of First-Hand Accounts by Those Who Served on the B- and C-Class Destroyers in the Second World War

Foreword by Len Deighton. This spirited oral history covers some of the most significant sea battles and naval operations of World War II through the eyes of British and American B- and C-Class destroyer veterans. Their recollections of the evacuations of Dunkirk and Boulogne; clashes with the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prince Eugen; and the D-Day counter-attack are coupled with thoughts on the strain of convoy escort duty and dreary monotony of life aboard a bouncing "tin can." Arranged in chronological order, the author seamlessly weaves the firsthand accounts together with book excerpts, news articles, and speeches to create a solid record of the destroyer force in action. As Len Deighton writes in the foreword, "No one will read this book without being deeply moved and inspired."