Research Catalog

The real X-men : the heroic story of the underwater war, 1942-1945 / Robert Lyman.

Title
The real X-men : the heroic story of the underwater war, 1942-1945 / Robert Lyman.
Author
Lyman, Robert.
Publication
London : Quercus, 2015.

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TextUse in library D784.G7 L96 2015Off-site

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Details

Description
xv, 314 p., [8] p. of plates : ill., maps; 24 cm.
Summary
The thrilling and true story of the development and operational deployment of human torpedoes?Chariots?and "X-craft" midget submarines in British naval service during WWII, and of the extraordinary men who crewed these dangerous vessels. The commando frogmen who rode the Chariots and operated as divers from the X-craft were the forerunners of today's Special Boat Service, the SBS. Their aim was to attach an explosive charge underneath an enemy ship to destroy the vessel. Their hope was to return to their submarine unscathed. X-Men tells the story of the sacrifice and heroism of the individual men, many of them little more than teenagers, who volunteered for this dangerous duty and who crewed both the Chariots and the X-craft without knowing the full extent of the risks entailed, nor indeed the very small chances they had of coming back alive.
Subject
  • Great Britain. Submarine Service > History
  • World War, 1939-1945 > Commando operations > Great Britain
  • World War, 1939-1945 > Naval operations, British
  • World War, 1939-1945 > Submarine
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Processing Action (note)
  • committed to retain
Contents
Preface -- 1. Sea swine -- 2. Cavities in the lion's mouth -- 3. Chariots -- 4. Oxygen Pete -- 5. Trial and error -- 6. Shetland bus -- 7. Arthur versus Tirpitz -- 8. Better luck next time! -- 9. Devastator -- 10. Chariots in the Mediterranean -- 11. HMS Varbel -- 12. The 1,200 mile tow -- 13. Kåfjord -- 14. New ideas -- 15. Chariot adventures -- 16. 'For Padfoot, unwell in Scarborough' -- 17. Bergen -- 18. Phuket -- 19. Cables -- 20. Takao and Myōkō -- Epilogue.
ISBN
  • 1784291129
  • 9781784291129
  • 9781784299934
  • 1784299936
Owning Institutions
Harvard Library