Douglas Edward Reeman, writing as Alexander Kent, crafts gripping historical fiction centered on the Royal Navy, primarily during the Napoleonic Wars and World War II. Drawing from his own extensive naval service, Reeman brings a profound authenticity to his narratives of maritime conflict and the lives of sailors. His storytelling is renowned for its vivid depictions of naval warfare and its deep exploration of the human experience at sea. He masterfully captures the spirit and challenges of naval life across different historical eras.
It's Malta 1941. To most people HMS Saracen is just an ugly, obsolete ship with an equally ugly recent history: her last commander is due for court-martial after shelling the troops he was sent to protect. But to Captain Richard Chesnaye she brings back memories.
Memories are short of HMS Royston - they have to be. As mother ship to a battered, war-torn bunch of MTBs she must carry out her vital role whatever the conditions, whatever the risks. Now with only three months' sea-experience behind him, Royce must learn the job the hard way - in the tough school of combat.
Douglas Reeman's 30th naval thriller1941To the residents and defence forces of the Crown Colony of Hong Kong, th war in Europe remains remote. Lieutenant- Commander Esmond Brooke, captain of HMS Serpent and a veteran of the cruel Atlantic, sees all too clearly the folly and incometence of Hong Kong's colonial administration.
As 1794 draws to a close Richard Bolitho, commanding the old seventy-four-gun ship of the line Hyperion, leaves Plymouth to join a squadron blockading the rising power of Revolutionary France. After six months of repairs his ship is ready to fight again, but her company is mostly raw and untrained. Unfortunately, Bolitho finds himself under a commodore who is no match for the French admiral, Lequiller, whose powerful squadron uses guile and ruthless determination to elude him and vanish into the Atlantic. Hyperion, as part of a small British force, gives chase, the desperate voyage taking them from the Bay of Biscay's squall to the heat of the Caribbean - and for each mile sailed and every battle fought Bolitho finds himself being forced into the ever more demanding role of strategist and squadron commander.
It is December 1917, Germany opens the final, bitter round of the war with a new and deadly weapon in the struggle for the seas -- the Vulcan sails from Kiel Harbour. To all appearances she is a harmless merchant vessel. But her peaceful lines conceal a merciless firepower; guns, mines and torpedoes that can be brought into play instantly. The Vulcan is a commerce raider. And under crack commander Felix von Steiger her mission is to bring chaos to the seaways.
A novel from the bestselling master storyteller of the sea. January 1944. On the vast grey waters of the Atlantic the balance of power has shifted. For Rudolf Steiger, ace U-boat commander, there is a new sense of urgency. Dedicated, ruthless, fanatical, he has become a legend in his own time, a symbol of Germany's greatness. But now, as he takes the U-boat flotilla, "Meteor," out into the bitter winter seas, he faces a new and deadly enemy -- his own nagging doubts about the outcome of the war. Steiger knows that his destiny may be to court heroic death rather than suffer ignominious defeat.
an all-guns-blazing tale of naval warfare from Douglas Reeman, the all-time bestselling master storyteller of the sea
The author brings his extensive naval experience from convoy duty in the Atlantic, Arctic, and North Sea to life in his storytelling. With a prolific output exceeding thirty novels, he also captivates readers with over twenty historical novels featuring the character Richard Bolitho, written under the pseudonym Alexander Kent. His works reflect a deep understanding of naval history and adventure, appealing to fans of maritime fiction.
When the roder comes to leave the Baltic to attack and destroy eenmy 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.
Soon they would be fighting amongst remote Adriatic islands, helping the partisans and guerrillas with whom they had little in common, except an overwhelming common hatred of the enemy who had attacked and destroyed their countries.
It is 1784, and His Majesty's frigate "Undine" sets sail from Spithead for India. Europe may be at peace, but in colonial waters the promises of statesmen count for little and the bloody struggle for supremacy goes on. Richard Bolitho undertakes a task that would be better handled by a squadron.
