THE BLOCKADE BUSTERS

by Ralph Barker ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 25, 1977

1940: Neutral Sweden is supplying both Hitler and Britain with much-needed superior steel and ball-bearings--but Germany has occupied Norway and Denmark, and set up a blockade on the vital Skagerrak run from Oslo to the North Sea. George Binney, an aging British businessman with a lust for seafaring, has deep contacts in Sweden. He suggests to the Admiralty that Britain hire some Norwegian freighters hiding from the Nazis and holed up in Oslo to run the blockade. Binney believes that the danger is a propaganda myth anyway, that the Skagerrak is too deep and laden with currents to mine, and that the only real enemy is the German air force. With a bolus of luck, his big run is successful. Then a second run is called for--and six out of eight ships are lost. A third run, this time with armed ships, explodes with heavy action, but the ships escape in a cloud bank and the goods are delivered. Somehow, Binney emerges as a highly charmed, devilishly likable idea man, despite the flat coats of WW II-gray British expository prose in which his deeds are drawn.

Pub Date: April 25, 1977

ISBN: 1844152820

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1977

Categories: NONFICTION