British Motor Gun Boat 1939–45

A detailed study of a versatile and widely-used craft, the Motor Gun Boat, which performed a myriad of duties, including protecting their own and attacking enemy coastal convoys, transporting spies and commandos to hostile shores, raiding ports and attacking larger warships.

Motor Gun Boats were the Spitfires of the Seas of the Royal Navy. Bristling with small-calibre guns and machine guns, they served during the War. This book tells the story of these destructive boats, beginning with their design and development and carrying through to their operational use in the European and Mediterranean theatres of World War-II.Motor Gun Boats were the Spitfires of the Seas of the Royal Navy. Bristling with small-calibre guns and machine guns, they served in a variety of roles during the War. In the early war period they battled against German E-boats in the English Channel, then went on the offensive, searching the enemy shore for targets of opportunity. At other times, they ran support for Motor Torpedo Boats and were used to deliver commandos on various raids. Naval Warfare expert, Angus Konstam, tells the story of these small, but destructive boats, beginning with their design and development and carrying through to their operational use in both the European and Mediterranean theatres of World War-II.