THERE WAS NO ‘PHONEY war’ at sea at the start of WWII. The hostilities
commenced literally within the hour of war being declared. This book
describes those early events at sea as they are remembered through the
accounts of those that were actually there.
The accounts of the men who went to war is challenging material.
Inevitably written sometime after the events, hours, days or years, room is
made for the individual or his superiors to add, interpret or omit events.
Many of the documents contain corrections or comments that could have
been made by the author, his superiors, staff members or readers, not
always obviously distinguishable from the first-hand accounts.
Most individuals saw little beyond their own decks and had limited
knowledge of what was actually happening. Quite often, accounts from
different persons present at the same event describe quite different
experiences, giving contradictory information, resulting in more questions
than answers. The confusion of combat and lost sense of time often resulted
in accounts from otherwise level-headed individuals that, when compared
to others also at the scene, gives an interesting insight into the nature of war
itself. There are also direct errors in some of the reports, typically in names
of persons, places or ships, but also in relative position and results of their
own fire. In a few cases, there are also what appear to be deliberate over-
statements or manipulations, probably intended to increase the apparent
importance of the effort of the author or his comrades.
