Eagle at Taranto

by Alan Evans

The story of one of the most daring raids of the Second World War.The Italian fleet, harboured at Taranto, were proving to be a thorn in the side of the Allied war effort, preventing the spread of operations from Malta to Egypt.

But the sheltering battleships and cruisers were more heavily defended than anything previously attacked by the slow, lumbering, carrier-based torpedo planes.

Enter Mark Ward, an ace pilot in the RAF. Armed only with his wits and his trusty Swordfish biplane, he and his comrades must strike a devastating blow to the Italian fleet, or risk losing the war…

A pulse-pounding thriller based on real events, perfect for fans of Alexander Kent, Douglas Reeman and Alistair MacLean.

Genres: Military Fiction

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Alan Evans was born in 1930 in Sunderland. He is an enthralling writer of First and Second World War adventure thrillers, mainly based on naval battles. Carefully researched, and with his own experience of active service, he skilfully evokes the tension and terror of war. Many of the figures and events are based on real-life models. His best-known character is Commander David Cochrane Smith, a maverick First World War sea captain. The protagonist of six of Evans' novels, he has to battle against the highly sceptical Admiralty as well as seemingly impossible odds in order to triumph. Evans' style is pacey and gripping, and in addition to his popular books for adults, he counts three adventure novels for children amongst his credits.

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the type of war novel that fully captures the fear, horror, excitement, the palpable sense of people (be they combatants or civilians) living life to the full, and derring-do that characterizes bold and risky operations against the enemy.

One of the main characters of "Eagle at Taranto" is Mark Ward, a sub-lieutenant in Britain's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in his early 20s serving aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle in the Mediterranean. Prior to the war, he had been a student in the Royal Academy of Music who had abandoned his studies after an agent for a music publishing company in London offered him a contract after hearing some of Ward's popular ditties, which he played on the side in pubs for small change. Indeed, Ward's music was so well received by the general public that he managed to make a tidy sum. Some of which he used to learn to fly, another of his passions.

The novel follows Ward (and to some extent, the crew and support staff of his Swordfish torpedo-bomber, a biplane that, despite its frail appearance, served as the Royal Navy's tip in its spear aimed at challenging the threat posed by Italy's more numerous warships now that she had entered the war on Germany's side) from July to November 1940. The reader sees how an untried pilot and crew learn their deadly trade through a variety of perilous situations.

There are also a couple of American war correspondents who play prominent roles in the novel. One of them --- Katy Sanford, a rookie but a fast learner and a top photographer --- meets Ward by chance in a bar in Alexandria (Egypt) while he's on short leave, and a romance blossoms, fitfully, between them. Yet nothing is assured here. There are some harrowing situations that put both Ward and the correspondents at risk. And "Eagle at Taranto" has a climax (based on a true historical event that proved to be one of the turning points of the Second World War) that had me anxious, worried, and breathless.

Alan Evans knows his stuff. And in "Eagle at Taranto" he has crafted a thrilling, evenly paced novel that will keep the reader spellbound and anxious to know, when all is said and done, how the protagonists will fare.

[Chris Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Point of order!! (Good Reads synopsis) The lead character was in the Fleet Air Arm not the bloody RAF! Having served (in a dark blue uniform with gold wings on my left sleeve) in two of the Naval Air Squadrons at Taranto, I thought the 'faction' treatment read very well and gave much insight in to what it was like operating these aircraft from ships that weren't initially intended to be aircraft carriers. Having flown in the Observer's seat in the RN Historic Flight Swordfish for an hour of pilot circuit training at Yeovilton, I am in awe at how these young aviators managed to achieve so much (pin point accuracy, timing and finding their way back to a ship that had moved a considerable distance since they took off, in the dark), with nothing more than a compass, airspeed indicator and a rudimentary ground speed and drift calculator. It was also cold (despite being a summer's day), very noisy even with a modern helmet and difficult to communicate with the pilot through the Gosport tube. And we thought we had it tough in our Sea Kings...................!

[Gareth Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

The action sequences are quite well done, but the plot cracks and creaks as Evans tries to get all of his characters to be able to witness famous raid. The characters are not well drawn and the novel is rather inconclusive. It's like my attempt at airfix model. There is some resemblance to what it is supposed to be, but it's a bit of a sticky, poorly aligned mess. Good history, poor novel.

[Nick Brough · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book celebrates the exploits of the Fleet Air Arm Swordfish torpedo bombers operating from HMS Eagle in the Mediterranean in Summer/Autumn 1940 up to the attack of Taranto harbour in November 1940 (Operation Judgment that demonstrated "Carrier Strike" really meant something).

The description of the various attacks made by Swordfish that summer autumn leading up to the Taranto operation and well described - or at least seems so to me) and are well written and researched. The weakness in all these books are the in Harbour sections. which always seem to include improbably love affairs and to be a lot more sedate that I suspect they really were (even for the officers).

Its a good book and well worth reading if you're interested.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pay Attention

Unwillingness to adjust to new weapons by established leadership almost cost the civilized world a Nazi victory. We had population and production on our side,due to massive European immigration. Idiots now bar foreign talent and continue to build obsolete war tools, like aircraft carriers which were and still are indefensible in a real conflict. Taranto, precedent to Pearl Harbor.

[Brian Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb tale of bravery, with vivid scenes of the heroic actions of those who flew the 'stringbags'

I really enjoyed the book. Tales of the war at sea have always fascinated me and this book had the added story of the men who flew in the swordfish, the Royal Navy's only real torpedo bomber at the time. It actually had me holding my breath from time to time as I waited to see if they all returned from their missions. A great read, 5 stars from me.

[Anthony King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eagle's claw.

5 stars because the story is worth them!
Having already read of the attack on Taranto albeit in dry and dusty form, it is good to read in novel form. As ever John Harris writes an excellent story, in whatever name he chooses to use!!

[Gerald E Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good review of Taranto

I enjoyed the story telling, and gleaning facts from this book otherwise unknown by me. My father worked on and occasionally flew with these aircraft whilst aboard HMS Glorious, many astonishing tales.

[James Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful war story

I read a lot of WWII books and novels. This is one of the best. I was sorry when it was over. It had everything, reAl history, adventure, and romance. I heartedly recommend it.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, well told

Fictional characters against dramatic real world events. I liked all chapters. Maybe the fabric of who could all be where at a dramatic event was stretched a bit, but never exactly broken

[Dianne P. Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all

Historical novels end in rapturous music and fireworks. In fact, most end in everyday dullness, which i think is just fine. We humans are not made for constant barrages of adrenaline...which is probably the base for PTSD.

[Jan Schmid · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very clumsily written book. I kept reading it because I was interested in the history behind it. At least the author could have stuck to the military aspects, being an absolute cookie cutting disaster at trying to write romance.

[Marcia Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story with a Surprise

A good balance between thrilling war story and portrayal of the main characters. Very good descriptive writing. I'll remsmber the way a flight deck looks at sunrise for a very long time .

[Mike Whitehouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fleet Air Arm action.

Brilliant story about the air attacks on the Italian battleships and a love story as well, gripping action throughout as the planes fight their way through.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[G. Mark Kelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Evans Masterpiece!

I felt as if I was airborne in a Swordfish during the attack on Taranto because of Evan’s uncanny ability to put the reader within the action.

[Uncle Dave Avis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable. Exciting action. I highly recommend this one !

[Ray Melville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good war thriller. Interwoven story of an army officer, an RN pilot and an American war photographer and her older, experienced war correspondent and their adventures in Egypt Greece and Italy in 1941.

[Ernest Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

I got this book because my father was RN and served on Illustrious on the Taranto raid and the whole war

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title refers to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm attack on the heavily defended Italian Navy base at Taranto, Italy in 1940. The attack was carried out by pilots flying torpedo laden Swordfish biplanes. These were planes that would look more at home in a World War One action than 1940, however, they were dependable if slow. Pilots called them "stringbags," a moniker not far from the truth. The mission was seemingly impossible as well. Fly off an aircraft carrier two hundred miles away, then maneuver through hundreds of flak and artillery guns, jig between the steel cables of barrage balloons, dive down to sea level, find a target and drop a torpedo at the target. Finally, the pilots had to try to fly out of the harbor without getting shot down, then navigate their way back to the carrier.

The attack was moderately successful, two of the six Italian battleships at anchor were severely damaged as well as other vessels. The intent was to keep the Italian Navy bottled up in port and give the Royal Navy the ability to escort convoys resupplying British troops in North Africa without facing Italian naval intervention. The success of the attack caught the attention of other nations, none more so than the Imperial Japanese Navy which fourteen months after Taranto, conducted an even more devastating attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

As for the book, it's an admirably compact novel (225 pages) that via fictional characters tells the story of the raid through the eyes of one pilot. It also has a romance element that is nicely rendered through strong character development. Most striking is the author's deep knowledge of naval life and naval operations. It's a nice adventure story of an incredible mission seventy-seven years ago.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The action parts are good, but the romance parts were too unbelievable to be realistic. I found Katy to be irritating, but some of the other characters such as Tim and Bert were quite likable. ETHEL was the best "female" involved. The author should concentate on the action. He writes that part quite well.

[William]

Another Alan Evans masterpiece

Evans never disappoints. Center of the story is one of the most dangerous air raids on the Italian naval base Taranto; home port of the Italian fleet of battleships and cruisers. Highly recommend.