Enjoyable early world war two thriller with the Germans having established a submarine base in an old Cornish tin mine. ( )

When drama critic Walter Craig goes fishing off the coast of Cornwall, he hooks a Nazi submarine. This completely outlandish and silly premise leads to the discovery of a vast secret German submarine base built inside an old Cornish seaside tin mine. Equally outlandish and silly is Walter's solution to the problem. Without spoiling the story, it's enough to say that said solution involves a scheme Walter and his band of fighters come up with that would embarrass James Bond. Hint: in involves gas, explosions, and lots of fighting. All told so tediously that you can't wait for it to be over.

This is a very early Innes novel. The author must have been around 27 years old at the time. Clearly, he hadn't quite figured out things yet. The middle section of the book, where Innes basically gives up on integrating the German conspiracy into a coherent plot, relies greatly upon his experience as a newspaper reporter. So, that is sort of interesting from a biographical angle. The book itself, however, just doesn't work. A piece of wartime propaganda, essentially, and seemingly written during the period of the Phony War in early 1940, Wreckers Must Breathe mostly depicts the Germans as a bunch of Simon Legrees, while maintaining the British will and must "fight fair." It's a childish perspective. Innes would go on to write much greater novels. And choose better titles. The "wreckers" of the title refers to Cornwall's supposed history as a place where its seaside inhabitants made a living off stripping and looting ships wrecked on its rocky coastline. In this case, however, the wreckers are the German submarines. The fact that the title needs that much of an explanation is testimony to its failure. ( )

Wreckers Must Breathe - Hammond Innes ****

For me, Innes is one of the greatest adventure writers of the last century, it’s a shame that he seems to be largely forgotten in the 21st century and must surely be due some sort of resurgence. Wreckers Must Breathe (Trapped in the USA) was published in 1940 when tensions of a possible invasion at the start of the Second World War in 1940 were running high. Innes is a rarity in as much as he can write just as an exciting plot based around the jagged coastline of Britain as when he sets it his novel in far flung exotic locations.

Wreckers Must Breathe is set in the South West of Britain, the author seems to have a soft spot for the Cornish coast and you can tell just how much he respects and loves the landscape and it crops up in a number of his works. The plot follows a journalist called Walter Craig who happens to be holidaying in the area when he makes the startling discovery that the German navy may be spying in the area. Not one to let a potential story pass by he decides to investigate further but soon becomes embroiled in an undercover mission that could lead to the invasion of mainland Britain. We encounter the full force of the German navy and the U Boats that patrolled the waters and Innes really captures the desperation of the times. Ok, the plot may at times seem a little implausible, maybe even a little stiff, but it should be read in the context of the time it was written and to be fair I think it has weathered the last 70+ years well. The action scenes are well described and the twists of the plot are still fairly hard to second guess, the author also splits the book into 3 sections where each is written different to the one before which allows the reader to have additional information not known to main protagonist(s).

This is really a type of ‘boys own’ adventure novel, but unlike many other authors leading men, Walter is no James Bond type figure and is just as fallible as the rest of us, and this is what makes Innes books so compelling. They really make you believe that these types of adventures could happen during our boring daily routine. Definitely not his strongest book, but it is no let down either and well worth a look. ( )

Fontana jacket notes: "U-boats off Cornwall. Twice the submarine seemed to bump the bed of the sea. There was a horrible grating sound against the hull, then the movement of the boat ceased. Our guard motioned us forward with his revolver and we went along the gangway and through the conning tower. I cannot describe my amazement as I came out on the bridge of the U-boat. I had presumed that we had been brought alongside a ship. What in fact I found was something much more sensational..." Walter Craig is a journalist on holiday in Cornwall, and discovers evidence of possible spying activity in the area, and the presence of enemy submarines as the war with Germany is declared. The Germans seem to have made a seaside cave system into a secret port for submarines on the Cornwall coast. When Craig and a local fisherman Logan are captured, they must try to sabotage the German plans to avert a terrible attack. A very good suspense thriller, vintage Hammond Innes. A memorable situation, enjoyable to reread every few years. ( )