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Built of plywood and measuring 115 feet long, powered by four supercharged petrol engines and armed to the teeth with heavy weapons, the ‘D’ Class Motor Gun Boats (Mgbs) and Motor Torpedo Boats (Mtbs) were better known as Dog Boats and played havoc with enemy shipping in home and foreign waters. During three years of war, they engaged the enemy on more than 350 occasions, sinking and damaging many ships. Dog Boats at War is the authoritative account of operations by the Royal Navy’s ‘D’ Class Mgbs and Mtbs in the Second World War in Home, Mediterranean and Norwegian waters. As well as drawing on official records – both British and German – the author has contacted several hundred Dog Boat veterans whose eyewitness accounts add drama to the unfolding story.

Reviews

A very interesting reference book on the Fairmile ‘D’ Class of WWII craft, that also adds to the 2 Special books of these craft, which whilst not as fast as the German Schnell or Fast Boats, more commonly known by the name as E-Boat, or Enemy Boat. Not covered in this book, other than a short mention, is that the Fairmile ‘D’s were also used by the RAF Air Sea Rescue organisation as Long Range Rescue Craft, with their crews being Airmen that were trained to crew these vessels, and they continue to crew these powerful vessels for several years after the end of WWII, though until the RAF Marine Branch was finally Closed Down in 1986, ending the problem of many service personnel of understanding that the RAF did have fully trained Sailors, sometimes manning ex-RN vessels such as the ocean going HMAFV Bridgeport and Bridlington, both Bangor Class Minesweepers. followed by Ham Class Minesweepers, which were then replaced by the special RAF Designed Seal Class Long Range Recovery and Support Craft of 120ft, Paxman V16 Diesels, Steel Hulls, with HMAFV Seal crossing the Atlantic to go to the Bahamas, where she worked with the Americans on the new Mk44 Aircraft Dropped Torpedo. How do I know about such things, well I was a crewman on Seal, and later Seagull, over several years. Unfortunately, there are several errors in the chapters on British waters, as the author, and a former Sailor at that, keeps saying that certain boats were either going out from their base in Yarmouth to take part in operations in the North Sea. Why did boats based in “Yarmouth”, which is a small harbour on the West Coast of the Isle of Wight, not sail from Great Yarmouth, which is on the East Coast, so a lot nearer to where lots of actions, mentioned in the book took place? If in future years someone tries to trace where one of their ancestors operated from, and they know their geography, they could think that they were on the IOW, and sailed up the English Channel to operate in the North Sea. This simple mistake, by someone who fought in WWII should have been spotted by them, or by the Imperial War Museum, seeing as they contributed.

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Mr Reynolds writes with conviction on a subject he knows very well. This is a well written and very readable book covering the whole history of Gun Boats. Well worth reading however I would suggest buying a copy of Mr Reynolds book ” MGB 658” . This book is the history of one gun boat, in which Mr Reynolds served for over 3 years in WW2. Joining MGB 658 whilst it was still being built he served thorough it’s whole operational life starting as a young midshipman and ending as skipper and becoming a full Lieutenant at the age of 21, three years below the official minimum age in the navy. At truly excellent book.