The Zeebrugge Raid

The Zeebrugge Raid PDF Author: Philip Warner
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473821010
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
On 23 April 1918 a force drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines launched one of the most daring raids in history. The aim was to block the Zeebrugge Canal, thereby denying U-boat access, although this meant assaulting a powerfully fortified German naval base. The raid has long been recognised for its audacity and ingenuity but, owing to the fact that the official history took overmuch notice of the German version of events, has been considered only a partial success. The error of that view is now exposed, for in this stirring account there is evidence from many sources that the raid achieved much more than is usually credited to it. The raid is presented from a variety of viewpoints, from the airmen who took part in the preliminary bombing to the motor launches which picked up survivors. The crews of the launches and coastal motor boats were frequently 'amateur' sailors but their courage and skill were second to none. Philip Warner has talked with many of the survivors and corresponded with others, some of whom now live in distant parts of the world.

The Zeebrugge Raid

The Zeebrugge Raid PDF Author: Philip Warner
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473821010
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
On 23 April 1918 a force drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines launched one of the most daring raids in history. The aim was to block the Zeebrugge Canal, thereby denying U-boat access, although this meant assaulting a powerfully fortified German naval base. The raid has long been recognised for its audacity and ingenuity but, owing to the fact that the official history took overmuch notice of the German version of events, has been considered only a partial success. The error of that view is now exposed, for in this stirring account there is evidence from many sources that the raid achieved much more than is usually credited to it. The raid is presented from a variety of viewpoints, from the airmen who took part in the preliminary bombing to the motor launches which picked up survivors. The crews of the launches and coastal motor boats were frequently 'amateur' sailors but their courage and skill were second to none. Philip Warner has talked with many of the survivors and corresponded with others, some of whom now live in distant parts of the world.

Zeebrugge

Zeebrugge PDF Author: Christopher Sandford
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1612005055
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
“A gripping new history of the British naval raid in April 1918 on the German-held Belgian port of that name” (Chronicles). The combined-forces invasion of the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on April 23, 1918, remains one of the most dramatic stories of the First World War, and in this book, it’s recounted in vivid detail. A force drawn from Britain’s Royal Navy and Royal Marines set out on ships and submarines to try to block the key strategic port in a bold attempt to stem the catastrophic losses being inflicted on British shipping by German submarines. It meant attacking a heavily fortified German naval base. The tide, calm weather, and the right wind direction for a smoke screen were crucial to the plan. Judged purely on results, it can only be considered a partial strategic success. Casualties were high and the base only partially blocked. Nonetheless, it came to represent the embodiment of the bulldog spirit, the peculiarly British fighting élan—the belief that anything was possible with enough dash and daring. The essential story of the Zeebrugge mission has been told before, but never through the direct, firsthand accounts of its survivors—including that of Lt. Richard Sandford, VC, the acknowledged hero of the day and the author’s great uncle. The fire and bloodshed of the occasion is the book’s centerpiece—but there is also room for the family and private lives of the men who volunteered in the hundreds for what they knew to be, effectively, a suicide mission.

The Zeebrugge and Ostend Raids 1918

The Zeebrugge and Ostend Raids 1918 PDF Author: Deborah Lake
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783460954
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
The unrestricted U-Boat war threatened the very survival of Britain, whose reliance on imported food and war materials was her Achilles Heel. A significant element of the German submarine fleet operated from the occupied Belgian ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend. After careful planning the Royal Navy launched audacious attacks on these two ports on St Georges Day 1918. Five obsolete cruisers and two Mersey ferries supported by a flotilla of smaller vessels penetrated the near impregnable defenses, while Royal Marines and naval storming parties battle ashore in a diversionary attack. At the time of the action the concrete filled block ships were scuttled in the ports approaches.Despite being a costly and bloody affair for the participants, the survivors returned to acclaim. The raids gave a fillip to the national morale, at a time of depressing news from the Front. To underline the success of the affair no less than 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded.

The Zeebrugge Raid 1918

The Zeebrugge Raid 1918 PDF Author: Paul Kendall
Publisher: History Press
ISBN: 9780752453323
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
History.

Blocking of Zeebrugge

Blocking of Zeebrugge PDF Author: V. C. Carpenter
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781843425526
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Book Description
A full and exciting account of the Zeebrugge raid, on St. George s Day, April 23rd, 1918, in which the author won the VC - one of eight won in the raid. The raid, one of the Great War s most daring naval exploits, was designed to close off the German-occupied Belgian port of Zeebrugge, a principal base for the U-boat packs that were preying on British shipping. The brainchild of Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, the raid followed months of meticulous planning, which, together with two abortive early attempts, are detailed in the first part of Carpenter s book. The second part of the book deals with the raid itself and the famous fight for possession of the mole controlling Zeebrugge harbour by troops landed from the cruiser HMS Vindictive. The book details the disappointing results of the smokescreen laid down to campouflage the raid and the successful sinking of the three concrete-filled British blockships, Thetis, Intrepid and Iphignia in the Zeebrugge harbour channel, and makes high claims for both the material and morale results of the raid, which cost 500 British casualties, including around 200 dead. The morale lift to allied spirits of the bold attack, coming at the height of the German Spring offensives in 1918, were probably more important than in achieving its desired results. The book is accompanied by forewords from Admirals Beatty and Sims, and by Marshal Foch, supreme Allied Generalissimo in 1918. It is accompanied by five dramatic drawings of the raid by the artist Charles De Lacey, and by some forty photographs, including before and after reconnaissance aerial shots of the damage done, and eight charts, maps and plans of Zeebrugge port and its environs. Also accompanied by an appendix listing the ships and forces involved in the raid, and by an index.

Windows on the Zeebrugge Raid 1918

Windows on the Zeebrugge Raid 1918 PDF Author: Rachel Shirley
Publisher: Rachel Shirley
ISBN: 1533003319
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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Book Description
The Zeebrugge Raid that occurred on St George’s Day 1918 forms one of the pivotal moments of World War 1, where within a mere hour, hundreds of allied naval marines gave their lives to subjugate the mighty Flanders flotilla that threatened to starve Britain out of the war. Inspired by rare photographs taken by German naval officers on the Mole salvaged from craft fairs and flea markets, read about how and why the raid took place as well as the tragic outcome of that fateful day.

The Zeebrugge Raid 1918

The Zeebrugge Raid 1918 PDF Author: Paul Kendall
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1473876737
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description
Approximately a third of all Allied merchant vessels sunk during the First World War were by German boats and submarines based at Bruge-Zeebrugge on the coast of Belgium. By 1918 it was feared that Britain would be starved into surrender unless the enemy raiders could be stopped. A daring plan was therefore devised to sail directly into the heavily defended port of Zeebrugge and then to sink three obsolete cruisers in the harbour in the hope they would block German vessels from reaching the English Channel. The cruisers were also to be accompanied by two old submarines, which were filled with explosives to blow up the viaduct connecting the mole to the shore, whilst 200 Marines were to be landed to destroy German gun positions at the entrance to the Bruges Canal.On 23 April the most ambitious amphibious raid of the First World War was carried out, told here through a huge collection of personal accounts and official reports on the bitter fighting which saw more than 500 British casualties from the 1,700 men who took part, and saw the awarding of eight Victoria Crosses.

Zeebrugge Raid

Zeebrugge Raid PDF Author: Philip Warner
Publisher: Wordsworth Edition
ISBN: 9781840222500
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description


Phillip Warner - Zeebrugge Raid

Phillip Warner - Zeebrugge Raid PDF Author: Phillip Warner
Publisher: Class Warfare
ISBN: 9781859595398
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
On 23 April 1918 a force drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines launched one of the most daring raids in history. The aim was to block the Zeebrugge Canal, thereby denying U-boats access, although this mean assaulting a powerfully fortified German naval base. The raid has long been recognised for its audacity and ingenuity but, owing to the fact that the official history took too much notice of the German version of events, has long been considered only a partial success. In this stirring account Philip Warner exposes the error of that interpretation by providing evidence from many sources that the raid achieved much more than it is traditionally credited with. The raid is presented from a variety of viewpoints, from the airmen who took part in the preliminary bombing to the motor launches which picked up survivors. The crews of the launches and coastal motor boats were frequently 'amateur' sailors but their courage and skill were second to none. Indeed no less than nine Victoria Crosses were awarded for the action. During his research Philip Warner talked with many of the survivors and corresponded with others. The Zeebrugge Raid is a sobering reminder of this outstanding feat of arms undertaken almost a hundred years ago.

The Zeebrugge Raid, 23 April, 1918

The Zeebrugge Raid, 23 April, 1918 PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 41

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Book Description