Research Catalog

Title

Yangtze showdown : China and the ordeal of HMS Amethyst / Brian Izzard.

Author

Izzard, Brian

Publication

Barnsley : Seaforth Publishing, 2015.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

ix, 240 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps; 24 cm

Summary

"The attack on the British frigate Amethyst on the Yangtze River by Chinese Communists in 1949 made world headlines. There was even more publicity when the ship made a dramatic escape after being trapped for 101 days. Eulogised by the British as an example of outstanding courage and fortitude, the 'Yangtze Incident' was even made into a feature film, which depicted the ship and her crew as innocent victims of Communist aggression. The truth was more complex, and so sensitive that the government intended that the files should be closed until 2030. However, these have now been released and in making use of these documents this book is the first to tell the full story. What emerges is an intriguing tale of intelligence failure, military over-confidence and a hero with feet of clay -- it is by no means as heroic as the well-publicised official version, but every bit as entertaining. While the reputations of diplomatic and naval top brass take a knock, the bravery and ingenuity of those actively involved shines even more brightly." -- Book jacket.

Subject

• Amethyst (Sloop)
• 1900-1999
• China > History > Civil War, 1945-1949
• Great Britain > History, Naval > 20th century
• Great Britain > Foreign relations > China
• China > Foreign relations > Great Britain

Genre/Form

• History
• Naval history

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

ISBN

• 9781848322240
• 1848322240

OCLC

• 904949596
• SCSB-10747474

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library