On an August Monday in 1940 a series of explosions were heard in the Kent towns of Dover, Folkestone & Deal. Several people were killled, & many houses were destroyed. There had been no warning, & no aircraft in the skies above. This was the start of a new wave of attacks from a silent & unseen enemy.
Despite years of reading books on the war, I cannot remember ever reading much on this subject of coastal guns.
How on both sides of the channel, the British & Germans sited a number of First World War guns, & in some cases guns that even pre-dated that war.
This book provides maps, photos & illustrations of the guns & where they were sited on the English & French coasts. Before going on to explain how they were used, what their targets were, & having to fire across the channel, how accurate they were. This information is provided with various charts, adding great interest & showing remarkable research.
The German guns were superior in size & could fire longer distances. But the ever changing Channel weather meant both sides wouldn't always see the results.
While we often read of the damage on the many towns & cities by the Luftwaffe raids, this book reveals that thousands of German shells were fired across the channel. By the war's end almost half of the houses in Dover had been destroyed or damaged. Whilst the Luftwaffe would of been partly responsible, these incredibly powerful guns would also have left their mark.
Fans of both concrete (I've become one) & those interested in walking the sites, will find the 'now' photos fascinating, showing what remains on both sides of the channel.
This book deserves great praise for highlighting a little known part of the war.
In the author's final words, he mentions how previous history books have largely ignored this duel of the coastal guns.
A really interesting read in which so much has been learnt, & I'm sure I will both read it & refer back to it again.
This book is part of Osprey Publishing's 'DUEL' series, & I must thank them for sending me this copy to review.
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