The Harwich Striking Force

The Harwich Striking Force written by Steve R Dunn and published by

Seaforth Publishing - £25 - Hardback - Pages 336

The Harwich Force has made its name and will not be forgotten during the future annals of history’; so said Rear Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt on Armistice Day 1918. But that fame has not endured. Yet for the whole duration of the First World War, the Harwich Striking Force was the front line of the Royal Navy, a force of cruisers and destroyers defending the seas for the Allies.

Under a charismatic and aggressive leader, Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt, U-boats, German cruisers, destroyers and light craft all met their ends at the hands of the Force, as did enemy seaplanes and Zeppelin airships. The Harwich ships were at sea almost daily throughout the war, haunting the German coast and the Friesian Islands, pioneering aerial attack from the sea, developing naval carrier aviation and combined air/sea operations, and hunting for enemy submarines and minelayers in the North Sea. The Harwich Force also took part in major naval battles alongside the Grand Fleet’s battlecruisers, and protected merchant ships operating in the dangerous waters around Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Britain.

The author also assesses the role played by the other Royal Navy formations at Harwich: submarines, auxiliary minesweeping and patrol vessels, the Felixstowe seaplane base and the town itself. And when the war was finally won, the Force gained further fame when the German U-boat fleet was surrendered there.

Lavishly illustrated, this book is an enthralling account of the men of the Harwich Force, of their grit and brave sacrifice and the key part that they played in the final Allied victory against Germany.

I enjoy it when a Steve R Dunn book arrives for review, your guaranteed a very good and comprehensive read. It’s probably reading Dunn's books that have encouraged my reading of everything naval or maritime in recent years. The Harwich Striking Force goes through the highs and lows encountered by the striking force and what a fantastic job they did throughout WWI, facing German U-Boats, cruisers, destroyers and even light aircraft, seaplanes and zeppelins. The Harwich Force was fundamentally holding their own led for the most part by their tenacious leader in Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt. The ability of Tyrwhitt to organise and plan manoeuvres would hold off and help secure the North sea area, providing a vital win for the allied cause. 

The book, in my opinion, is very well written and a lot of research has gone into this book, there are a good number of photographs throughout the book with maps and diagrams too. I always enjoy the notes and tables at the back of a book and this book doesn’t disappoint with excellent appendices, notes and a bibliography. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I guessed I would, it really is a good read and kept me hooked for a good few days. Most definitely recommended.