His Majesty's Gunboat 658: The Small Boat War in the Mediterranean by Len Reynolds
Powered by four 1500 hp supercharged Packard engines and bristling with guns, MGB (Motor Gun Boat) 658 could reach 30 knots across a calm sea. Flotillas of these craft fought their German and Italian opposite numbers right across the Mediterranean during World War II. British Coastal Forces were involved in all sorts of naval actions, from raids on the enemy coast to escorting convoys in preparation for the Allied landings in North Africa. (It was during one such operation that two U-boats collided and sank while attacking the author's convoy!) A vivid tale of young men at war, first published in 1955, now updated by the author in the light of new information from both British and German records, and illustrated with personal photographs.