Surface with Daring

by Douglas Reeman, David Rintoul (Reader)

It takes a special sort of courage to serve in midget submarines, and Lieutenant David Seaton, commanding officer of XE16 , needs no reminding of the perils involved. The little X-craft with their four-man crews have been used against heavy enemy surface units and important harbour installations. But in 1944, with the Allies poised for an invasion through France, a new and more hazardous role is given to Seaton's flotilla.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Military Fiction, War, World War II, Thriller, Historical

MP3 CD

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

AKA 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

Reviews

[Peter]

Hiding, lying in wait on the sea bed, is XE16, fifty-four feet long with no defensive armament but one of the most important ships in the Royal Navy. Her four man crew, fresh from raids in Norway where they were used to distract the Nazis from the D-Day invasion, know that the outcome of the war could depend on them and their fellow midget submariners.

The action begins when the Germans hide their new rocket on a ship in a Norwegian fjord. Lt. David Seaton and his crew sinks the ship only to later return to that very ship, to recover a secret device from it and pick up a defecting scientist. Seaton and his crew return to base bruised and bloodied but undaunted only to be given an even more dangerous mission: to blow up an underwater U-boat pen and rocket-launching site on the Normandy coast.

In many respects this is a fairly predictable piece of story telling set beneath the North Sea. There is the almost obligatory love interest, there is boredom, discomfort, jealousy and bickering on board set alongside acts of selfless daring. However, it is also a solid piece of writing providing a certain escapism that will no doubt charm fans; whilst it may spark a desire in casual readers to look more closer at the true facts behind the story.

[Betsy]

3.5 stars Had it not been for all the 'romance', I would have given this book a solid 4, but come now, I read Reeman for WWII action not for romance . Only Jenkyn had the great good sense to not make it physical until he was sure there was a future.

[Leigh]

Actually this was one of my favourite Douglas Reeman WW2 novels! It was different than some of his others and just a great read!

[Alan]

World War II fiction. This is a story about midget submarines with a crew of only 4 running missions to destroy German ships in harbor. The minisubs are towed to a position close to the target and then have to go in, plant their explosives and get out. It is dangerous and has a high failure rate. This book follows the crew of the unnamed XE16 commanded by Lieutenant David Seaton. His 1st Lieutenant is Geoffry Drake, who it is revealed is having an affair with the wife of the new diver, Dick Niven, who is responsible for any work to be done underwater outside of the sub. The fourth member of the crew is Petty Officer Alec Jenkyn, who is responsible for anything mechanical within the sub and also helm. His father and brother were just killed in London by a bomb and his mother is not coping well.
As well as a tale of the military missions, it is also a tale of the interactions between men in a confined and very dangerous environment.

[Ron Baumer]

This book was completed as an audio book.

I am a great fan of Douglas Reeman's WW2 novels and as such I enjoyed this tale as well. His story is full of action and this one looks at the war from the perspective of midget submarines. The book was an enjoyable read.

The narration of this book was performed by David Rintuul (who does all of the Reeman novels) and he never disappoints. I really enjoy listening to his narration.

[Steve822]

Good read, a page turner and the detail is excellent. It just felt let down by the plot, a bit unbelievable that all this happened to one crew and the last mission stretched credibility. I've read other Reeman books and they seem to be solid based in reality (apart from the obligatory love story) novels. I just finished this thinking it was in the same vein as a James Bond book.

[Robert M. Roth MD]

A good book.

This book starts off slowly and the characters remain distant and 2 dimensional. After the first few chapters, the plot develops into an interesting series of escapades. The characters become more interesting and decidedly likable. The ending is a page turner. Certainly, if you are a fan of British naval war stories, this is for you.

[Monroe Bryant]

A Super Submarine Story

Wow, action packed from page 1. Never knew about these mini-subs. Apparently did a lot of damage during the war. Excellent story line, super character descriptions and emotional displays. Highly recommend.

[Don]

IT was ok ,but unfortunately no more than that. At times it felt quite hard to follow without really concentrating and that's not what I personally tend to look for in a fiction adventure story - it read more like a "Jack Higgins" book rather than a typical "Douglas Reeman".

[Mike Pollack]

A good beach read… some areas, especially at the start were a bit confusing with the transitions from one character to another- could have benefited from some minor editing but overall an enjoyable and quick read while at the beach!

[M Cambera]

Read this decades ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Recently repurchased and it is still as good today.
The Americans call them the Greatest Generation and while this is fiction. It has more than a little basis in truth.

[Anthony King]

Surface indeed!

Why 5 stars? Simply because it is deserved! As a Douglas Reeman fan, I found this book to be as good as any he has written, possibly even better than some.

[Bent Andreassen]

Read in Norwegian. 3 pluss

[Jerry]

O K bubble gummer for military vets.

[Paul Bennett]

I read a lot of Douglas Reeman’s books as a youngster as my Dad liked them. Haven’t read one for 30 years but thoroughly enjoyed this. A good yarn, well paced with a solid ending.

[Ram]

A World War II fiction thriller by Douglas Reeman in “Surface with Daring”.

More at
https://vramonline.wordpress.com/2024...

[Ari]

A "normal" Douglas Reeman WWII novel. Easy to read and interesting enough to finish. Not for most women I'd suppose :-)

Perhaps Mr. Reeman is not at his best when describing romantic affairs but perhaps that kind of "gentle, human touch" is needed in the mids of blood, sweat and tears, suffocating oil and burning flames.

At least I have to google RX submarines after this book.

Vastaisku
Gummerus 1977

[Fredrick Danysh]

With a four man crew, the 54 foot submarine EX16 is positioned off the coast of Norway. The captain must hold a bickering crew together as they prepare to attack a secret Nazi rocket site.

[Jamie Campbell]

This is Reeman at his best - with the small world of small ships (boats). The action is more believable too, in the sense that it all could have happened as simply another small ship (boat) action.