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The Modern Naval Fiction Library
Winged Escort
July 1943.
As the grim years of the Second World war go by, the destruction of Allied shipping mounts. Out of the terrible loss of men and ships, the escort carrier is born.
At twenty-six, fighter pilot Tim Rowan, RNVR, is already a veteran of many campaigns. Now he joins the escort carrier, Growler, a posting which takes him first to the bitter waters of the Arctic and all the misery of convoy duty to Murmansk, and then south to the Indian Ocean and the strange new terror of the Japanese Kamikaze.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
34 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Reeman
138 books178 followersAKA Alexander Kent.
Douglas Edward Reeman was a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars.
Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married author Kimberley Jordan Reeman in 1985.
Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day : A Personal Reminiscence (1984).
Series:
* Blackwood Family
Douglas Edward Reeman was a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars.
Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married author Kimberley Jordan Reeman in 1985.
Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day : A Personal Reminiscence (1984).
Series:
* Blackwood Family
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 8, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Reeman's ability to get into the head of Tim Rowan, the Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot, was amazing. I felt that he had gotten completely into Rowan's mind and gave the reader a full appreciation of the perils a naval aviator faces on the high seas in wartime. The secondary characters (e.g. Tim's closest friend, the arrogant admiral, and some members of the carrier's crew) stood up well on their own and rounded out the story very nicely.
February 21, 2021
I like chunky novels that follow the fortunes of a cast of characters (the ur-example for me being The Cruel Sea. I wasn't familiar with Reeman as I read more aviation books than ship ones, but this is set on an aircraft carrier with the hero in a Seafire and plenty of Swordfish too. I was a bit surprised when romance entered the plot halfway through, but it wasn't unwelcome. Have fun figuring out whose death you'll be saddest about.
August 22, 2022
One of the good ones by Reeman, marred by the gratuitous romance subplot and a lackluster finish.
Spoilers ahead:
This one is all about Seafire service aboard an escort carrier. The book starts off with a convoy up to Russia where the Allies are giving the Soviets a whole lot of free supplies to help them with the war effort. The action is all very well written and I could hardly put the book down.
Unfortunately the last part of the book becomes part drama where the protagonist (Rowan) is sent down to the Pacific theater where his ship helps with convoy duties but finally gets to take part in some action. I guess it isn't too bad in that we get shown all different parts of the war. Not everything was guns blazing against the enemy.
But I came to read an action book and I wasn't really interested in Rowan's arrogant rear-admiral and love-antagonist sub-plot. Some authors do a good job or wrapping a good personal story with action (like some of the early Wilbur Smith books) but Reeman doesn't really do a good job and the side story becomes an annoyance that I have to read through.
Still, he does a good job of the action part. You get a good feel of being on a small some what inadequate escort carrier, being part of a convoy attacked by U-boats, surface ships and planes. There's a lot of uncertainly in the days before radar or other technology. Of being shot down in the vastness of the ocean, of dogfights, of strafing warships, of the difference between war against Germans and Japanese, etc. Regarding the last part, not a lot of effort seemed to be put into it, with the story more about the admiral than anything else.
Spoilers ahead:
This one is all about Seafire service aboard an escort carrier. The book starts off with a convoy up to Russia where the Allies are giving the Soviets a whole lot of free supplies to help them with the war effort. The action is all very well written and I could hardly put the book down.
Unfortunately the last part of the book becomes part drama where the protagonist (Rowan) is sent down to the Pacific theater where his ship helps with convoy duties but finally gets to take part in some action. I guess it isn't too bad in that we get shown all different parts of the war. Not everything was guns blazing against the enemy.
But I came to read an action book and I wasn't really interested in Rowan's arrogant rear-admiral and love-antagonist sub-plot. Some authors do a good job or wrapping a good personal story with action (like some of the early Wilbur Smith books) but Reeman doesn't really do a good job and the side story becomes an annoyance that I have to read through.
Still, he does a good job of the action part. You get a good feel of being on a small some what inadequate escort carrier, being part of a convoy attacked by U-boats, surface ships and planes. There's a lot of uncertainly in the days before radar or other technology. Of being shot down in the vastness of the ocean, of dogfights, of strafing warships, of the difference between war against Germans and Japanese, etc. Regarding the last part, not a lot of effort seemed to be put into it, with the story more about the admiral than anything else.
October 2, 2018
A BIG WOW! For this Douglas Reeman story. I always enjoy most of his War stories, but this one was exceptional. I think it is because I always feel compelled by aircraft carriers and have a particular interest in HMS Ark Royal and her Fairy Swordfish (Stringbags) during World War II. Therefore, I was seduced by the front cover. I know this is wrong but the story is even more exciting than the lavish and dramatic front cover.
In this tale, we go aboard an American made aircraft carrier, called HMS Growler, as she prepares for her mission to protect a convoy on route to Murmansk in the Soviet Union. We are introduced to various characters. The main man for the reader is twenty-six years old RNR pilot Tim Rowan.
HMS Growler uses the famed Fairy Swordfish and Seafires. Seafires are Fleet air arm marine version spitfires. The action throughout the story is splendid and very gripping indeed. There are submarine attacks, attacks in the Norwegian Fjords, head to head cruiser and destroyer action. And this is just in the first half of the story on the Barent sea run. We then go to the Pacific where HMS Growler is with another battle group facing Japanese Kamikaze attacks.
If you love seafaring stories, this one is an absolute must. One of the most dynamic war stories I've ever read. Heroes, Villains, wet behind the ears boys coming of age and some not getting the chance. Plus a backdrop of winning the lady of his dreams. GREAT STUFF!
In this tale, we go aboard an American made aircraft carrier, called HMS Growler, as she prepares for her mission to protect a convoy on route to Murmansk in the Soviet Union. We are introduced to various characters. The main man for the reader is twenty-six years old RNR pilot Tim Rowan.
HMS Growler uses the famed Fairy Swordfish and Seafires. Seafires are Fleet air arm marine version spitfires. The action throughout the story is splendid and very gripping indeed. There are submarine attacks, attacks in the Norwegian Fjords, head to head cruiser and destroyer action. And this is just in the first half of the story on the Barent sea run. We then go to the Pacific where HMS Growler is with another battle group facing Japanese Kamikaze attacks.
If you love seafaring stories, this one is an absolute must. One of the most dynamic war stories I've ever read. Heroes, Villains, wet behind the ears boys coming of age and some not getting the chance. Plus a backdrop of winning the lady of his dreams. GREAT STUFF!
July 31, 2014
It always seem strange to me that whilst I really enjoy Reeman's books when he uses the pen name Alexander Kent I rarely enjoy the books written in his own name as much. Mainly it is because the Alexander Kent books are part of a series so we have a chance to get to grow with the characters whereas Reeman's own books are one offs and therefore the characters are more sketchy.
That said this for me was one of his better ones. In many respects this is two stories in one, the first set around an Arctic convoy whereas the second involves action out in the Pacific. Both are well told showing the desperate, brutal conditions that the participants of each had to endure in each theatre and for me the action generally felt very authentic giving details of some of the less glamorous elements of these conflicts. It also shows the somewhat random elements that decides who lives and dies in warfare. Thankfully,for me at least,the love interest does not appear until quite late in the book.
On the whole an enjoyable and fast paced read.
That said this for me was one of his better ones. In many respects this is two stories in one, the first set around an Arctic convoy whereas the second involves action out in the Pacific. Both are well told showing the desperate, brutal conditions that the participants of each had to endure in each theatre and for me the action generally felt very authentic giving details of some of the less glamorous elements of these conflicts. It also shows the somewhat random elements that decides who lives and dies in warfare. Thankfully,for me at least,the love interest does not appear until quite late in the book.
On the whole an enjoyable and fast paced read.
May 10, 2014
Douglas Reeman drinking game: 1) first mention of "there's a bit of a flap on" -- 21% into this book
Another classic Reeman; a bit less savage then some. Like HMS Saracen, the story's has two parts, but unlike that book, both are in War 2. The weakness of Winged Escort is that the first climax is better than the second, and the love interest doesn't enter until the second Act. Still, it's Reeman--the only thing better is Reeman writing as Dudley Pope.
Another classic Reeman; a bit less savage then some. Like HMS Saracen, the story's has two parts, but unlike that book, both are in War 2. The weakness of Winged Escort is that the first climax is better than the second, and the love interest doesn't enter until the second Act. Still, it's Reeman--the only thing better is Reeman writing as Dudley Pope.
July 6, 2024
Six-word Review: Lots of action and interesting characters.
This was actually two books in one. The first was the story about escorting a crucial convoy to Murmansk. The trip is rife with danger as the Germans know of the convoy and have resources in Norway to attack it.
The Escort carriers, Growler and Hustler, were built in the U.S. for the specific purpose of guarding convoys, They are small converted cargo ships with short runways. They carry two types of planes Seafires, converted Spitfires, and Swordfish, a slow biplane designed to attack submarines with torpedos and depth charges.
The trip from Iceland to Murmansk is well described and complicated because of the arrogant Admiral in charge, Chadwick, who thinks they need to be more offensive and not so wedded to just defense of the convoy. His decisions put the convoy and its escorts in dire straits but the guardians are able to recover and protect the convoy with the loss of only two ships.
The book's main protagonist, Tim Rowan, is injured on the trip and sent to recover at Chadwick's huge residence, which the Admiral offers as a rehabilitation venue. The hostess, Chadwick's wife Honor, and Rowan eventually start an affair when the Admiral goes to London, ostensibly for work but also to spend time with his mistress.
The second book starts there when the Escort Carrier is sent to the Pacific and is based in Australia. After much downtime, the task force is asked to attack an oil dump on the Isle of Sumatra, a task for which they are not at all suited but which Admiral Chadwick is determined to pursue to enhance his fading reputation. The ensuing action is a disaster that Rowan survives but Chadwick does not.
The book ends on a bit of an up note as Rowan reconnects with Honor and looks forward to a new life.
A note on a theme in all three of Reeman's books I have read. The protagonist always ends up with the woman of his dreams, his commander's sister, his superior's assistant, and in this book his Admiral's wife. I would not be surprised if the next Reeman book I read has a similar theme.
The books' romances do not detract from the main plot but are not necessary either. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed all three of the Reeman WW II books and look forward to the next one.
This was actually two books in one. The first was the story about escorting a crucial convoy to Murmansk. The trip is rife with danger as the Germans know of the convoy and have resources in Norway to attack it.
The Escort carriers, Growler and Hustler, were built in the U.S. for the specific purpose of guarding convoys, They are small converted cargo ships with short runways. They carry two types of planes Seafires, converted Spitfires, and Swordfish, a slow biplane designed to attack submarines with torpedos and depth charges.
The trip from Iceland to Murmansk is well described and complicated because of the arrogant Admiral in charge, Chadwick, who thinks they need to be more offensive and not so wedded to just defense of the convoy. His decisions put the convoy and its escorts in dire straits but the guardians are able to recover and protect the convoy with the loss of only two ships.
The book's main protagonist, Tim Rowan, is injured on the trip and sent to recover at Chadwick's huge residence, which the Admiral offers as a rehabilitation venue. The hostess, Chadwick's wife Honor, and Rowan eventually start an affair when the Admiral goes to London, ostensibly for work but also to spend time with his mistress.
The second book starts there when the Escort Carrier is sent to the Pacific and is based in Australia. After much downtime, the task force is asked to attack an oil dump on the Isle of Sumatra, a task for which they are not at all suited but which Admiral Chadwick is determined to pursue to enhance his fading reputation. The ensuing action is a disaster that Rowan survives but Chadwick does not.
The book ends on a bit of an up note as Rowan reconnects with Honor and looks forward to a new life.
A note on a theme in all three of Reeman's books I have read. The protagonist always ends up with the woman of his dreams, his commander's sister, his superior's assistant, and in this book his Admiral's wife. I would not be surprised if the next Reeman book I read has a similar theme.
The books' romances do not detract from the main plot but are not necessary either. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed all three of the Reeman WW II books and look forward to the next one.
September 25, 2018
This is the sort of war story that you've probably read or seen a dozen times already. The hero is distinguished largely by his generic competence and lack of defining traits; in this case he's a Seafire pilot assigned to a Royal Navy escort carrier in the North Atlantic. There's also the inevitable incompetent admiral, a staple character of Hornblower and Sharpe novels. The cast of supporting characters, most of them doomed, are more interesting than the ostensible hero.
Together they tangle with German u-boats and battleships while defending Allied convoys. The suspense and excitement of the action scenes is compromised by the focus on our generic hero, who is fated to survive every encounter; meanwhile, the minor characters never get a chance to develop properly before they meet their tragic ends. Dialogue is strictly stiff-upper-lip, and the author's valiant stabs at psychological depth are little more than cliches. Along the way there's a vague romance just to prove the hero's heterosexuality.
Douglas Reeman served in the navy, so he gets the details right. That doesn't make him a good writer, though he was certainly a successful and popular one. He found a formula and stuck with it, for better or worse.
Together they tangle with German u-boats and battleships while defending Allied convoys. The suspense and excitement of the action scenes is compromised by the focus on our generic hero, who is fated to survive every encounter; meanwhile, the minor characters never get a chance to develop properly before they meet their tragic ends. Dialogue is strictly stiff-upper-lip, and the author's valiant stabs at psychological depth are little more than cliches. Along the way there's a vague romance just to prove the hero's heterosexuality.
Douglas Reeman served in the navy, so he gets the details right. That doesn't make him a good writer, though he was certainly a successful and popular one. He found a formula and stuck with it, for better or worse.
September 6, 2023
My Dad and I loved Douglas Reeman's WWII naval adventures, but somehow, I'd missed reading this one. However, despite its age, Winged Escort, like most of the author's books, does not disappoint. The story of pilots aboard a British carrier on escort duty with the Russian convoys brings all the drama of combat in the air and on the sea to life. The planes are old, the carriers are converted for the purpose of providing mobile landing fields for the planes, and convoy duty is, for some of those who carry it out, more tedium than excitement. However, it can still be deadly, and gradually the companions of chief protagonist Tim Rowan, are whittled down in numbers, and their replacements too young, too green, and often over-eager. That makes them a danger to themselves as well as to fellow pilots. However, Tim's biggest dilemma is not even on the seas or in the air, but in his domestic entanglements. Yes, there is a love story that adds a little spice to this tale that eventually ranges from the North Sea to the Pacific theatre of war.
December 11, 2021
I really enjoyed this story from Douglas Reeman. It had many of his story telling hallmarks - damaged hero finds love etc - with a bit of a twist: although set at sea, it was about pilots instead of seamen.
June 4, 2017
If you like good, solid war action stories then this is for you. Several good characters, a good [but not overly complex] story line and plenty of well written action battle scenes. Classic Reeman.
March 21, 2021
Great. A really satisfying read for anyone who is interested in the role of aircraft carriers, flight decks and the pilots that flew from them in WW2. Good story, romance and emotional input.
May 21, 2023
Different subject to my usual and well read audio book.
April 15, 2025
another Great Read
Always loved Douglas Reeman books and this one is no exception! Highly recommend as with all his books. Great read
Always loved Douglas Reeman books and this one is no exception! Highly recommend as with all his books. Great read
December 28, 2014
A typical Reeman novel: provides a good insight into sea warfare built around a struggling main character with a good description of tactics, stresses etc. of his current naval topic, which in this case is the role of the small escort carriers. A good read for those interested in naval warfare, with just enough romance to round it out.
August 12, 2012
Didn' really enjoyed it. I last read a Reeman twenty odd years ago and had fond memories. Alas, it didn't quite live up to my recollections
January 6, 2016
Interesting enough read , following life on the convoys of ww2
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews