The White Guns
by Douglas Reeman
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It's Spring 1945 and the war has ended in Europe, but the hate and devastation linger on. Lieutenant Vere Marriott of the Royal Navy, and the men of Motor Gunboat 801 are moored in Kiel harbor, witness to the disintegration of the mighty German navy. Where once they fought just to stay alive, Marriott and his men must now learn how to accept peace.Tags
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Douglas Reeman is one of the preeminent WWII naval story tellers, and under the name of Alexander Kent, of "Fighting Sale" stories in the Hornblower tradition. In 'The White Guns', he leaves the sea for a story of Naval personnel taking control of the great harbour and naval base at Kiel immediately following the German surrender.
While Ostensibly a novel, 'The White Guns' is essentially an interconnected series of short stories covering a period of about 12 months. Concise character development, precise plotting and structure are not Reeman's strengths, but are a requirement for the type of book he has undertaken here. The result is a disjointed melange of competing plots, all of which are ultimately disappointing.
Only recommended for show more the serial "complete-ists" amongst us show less
While Ostensibly a novel, 'The White Guns' is essentially an interconnected series of short stories covering a period of about 12 months. Concise character development, precise plotting and structure are not Reeman's strengths, but are a requirement for the type of book he has undertaken here. The result is a disjointed melange of competing plots, all of which are ultimately disappointing.
Only recommended for show more the serial "complete-ists" amongst us show less
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Author Information
125+ Works 14,243 Members
Douglas Reeman was born in 1924 in Thames Ditton, Surrey, England. At the the beginning of World War II, he joined the Royal Navy age of 16. His naval experiences have been major influences on his works. Reeman is regarded as the master of sea stories. In 1958, his first novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published. Under the pseudonym, Alexander show more Kent, he wrote over 20 novels including the best-selling Richard Bolitho novels. Under his real name, he has written over 30 novels including the Royal Marines Saga. His works as Kent and Reeman are published in 14 languages around the world. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The White Guns
- Original publication date
- 1989
- Epigraph
- With this signature the German people
and the German armed forces are,
for better or worse,
delivered into the victor's hands.
Colonel-General Gustav Jodl
after signing the German surrender
to the Allies... (show all), May 1945. - Dedication
- For Kim,
the girl on the beach,
with my love - First words
- The confined waters of the Baltic Sea have moods and hazards as varied as the countries which enclose it, from Finland in the north to the gentler shores of Denmark and the turbulent currents of the Kattegat which divides it ... (show all)from Sweden.
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Statistics
- Members
- 94
- Popularity
- 341,916
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.42)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, Finnish, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 25
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 4
