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The Wolves in Winter
Summer 1941 - Hitler launches his surprise assault on the Soviet Union. As German Panzers drive deep into the heart of Russia, the Red Army is desperate for help that can only be delivered through convoys of Allied merchant ships sent through the bitter Arctic. But appalling weather and deadly cold are not the only dangers awaiting the crew of the little escort ship HMS Protea. They must run the gauntlet of attacks by German aircraft and surface raiders, as well as the wolfpacks of U-boats waiting for them amid the ice.
Following on from Sea of Wolves, the Wolves in Winter plots the lives of those caught up on both sides. Jürgen Bortfeldt, the music-loving commander of U-133, struggling to control the tensions amongst his divided officers. Jan Pedersen, a member of the Norwegian resistance, fighting the enemy occupying his country in whatever way he can. And Vera Baldwin, the skilled codebreaker at Britain’s Bletchley Park and the unseen hand guiding the Protea and her convoys through the dangers crowding around them.
Triumph and tragedy await them all in a battle fought across the roof of the world.
Following on from Sea of Wolves, the Wolves in Winter plots the lives of those caught up on both sides. Jürgen Bortfeldt, the music-loving commander of U-133, struggling to control the tensions amongst his divided officers. Jan Pedersen, a member of the Norwegian resistance, fighting the enemy occupying his country in whatever way he can. And Vera Baldwin, the skilled codebreaker at Britain’s Bletchley Park and the unseen hand guiding the Protea and her convoys through the dangers crowding around them.
Triumph and tragedy await them all in a battle fought across the roof of the world.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 22, 2022
101 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Allan
18 books406 followersI am from the UK where I live with my wife and daughters. My writing combines my passion for ships and the sea, with intelligent writing and pacey plots.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 27, 2022
A rare treat, following in the Naval historical footsteps of CS Forester, Andrew Wareham, and others.
In the age of self-publishing; “authors” who can actually write, do their historical homework, and can fold drama, and a solid plot, into an historical framework are….few and far between.
As an amateur— very —military historian, the essence of the events, people, values, and overall period feel of the Royal Navy, the Kriegsmarine, and the painful genius of Bletchley Park; are very well represented.
An excellent read, and well worth the investment of your time.
In the age of self-publishing; “authors” who can actually write, do their historical homework, and can fold drama, and a solid plot, into an historical framework are….few and far between.
As an amateur— very —military historian, the essence of the events, people, values, and overall period feel of the Royal Navy, the Kriegsmarine, and the painful genius of Bletchley Park; are very well represented.
An excellent read, and well worth the investment of your time.
December 9, 2023
I first discovered author PHILIP ALLAN in June of 2021 through his Alexander Clay nautical series about the British Royal Navy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. After nine (or so) books set in that time, Mr. Allan branched out to write about the Royal Navy in World War II. THE WOLVES IN WINTER is his second in that series. As in his previous works, Mr. Allan tells a wonderful story that has real history incorporated in the tale. This story takes place in mid-1941 to early 1942. I bought the book through my local independent bookstore. It is also available through online booksellers.
In this book, we watch four groups of people go through their wartime routines. First, there is a group of codebreakers at Bletchley Park. A second group are the officers and enlisted personnel of HMS Protea a “Flower” class corvette of the WW II British Navy (smaller than a destroyer and equipped for antisubmarine warfare). The third group the reader meets is aboard the German U-boat, U-133, a submarine. Neither Protea nor U-133 existed in the format described. The final group are Norwegian resistance fighters who lived near the major German navy base at Trondheim, Norway.
Mr. Allan was trained at school and the workplace as a naval historian. His knowledge and his descriptions are first rate. This is despite his contrary protestations about his ability to write about WW II. When the author describes the trials and tribulations of fighting a war in the frigid North Atlantic, on convoys to Russia in winter, I had to put on extra clothing because I felt the cold.
Vera Baldwin is a Bletchley Park codebreaker who has two new members on her team. She is a holdover character from Book 1 in the WW II series, THE SEA OF WOLVES. She has left Malta to return to her homeland, England. The specialty of her team is coded messages from Norway. One of the boats with which she is familiar happens to be U-133. It is because of her knowledge of this ship, she is able to identify messages to and from it. This helps her break coded Enigma messages. Enigma was a coding machine the Germans thought produced unbreakable codes. However, British Intelligence had gotten a machine from a German weather boat. With Dr. Alan Turing’s help, the codebreakers at Bletchley Park were able to create their own devices that could simplify the code breaking.
Aboard HMS Protea, Lt. Commander Paul Garner is captain. He is an experienced antisubmarine officer. Reggie Ward, John Butcher and Rory Stones are the three enlisted men who are the ASDIC (sonar) and radar operators. Their jobs, using state-of-the-art electronics, involve spotting enemy ships on or underwater as well as approaching aircraft. They are very good at what they do. Leonard Cole is First Lieutenant of the corvette. He, too, is a returning character.
Among the personnel aboard U-133 is its Captain, Jurgen Bortfeldt, who is a seasoned and a senior U-Boat skipper. He also is commander of a “Wolfpack”. The Germans would send groups of U-Boats to attack commercial shipping convoys. These groups were called “Wolfpacks” because animals of the same name hunt in packs. Bortfeldt’s “packs” were usually three or four subs. His second in command is a Prussian officer of aristocratic descent, Hermann Von Fishel. He is an ardent supporter of Adolph Hitler. Ralph Weber is a newcomer to U-133, the boat’s 2nd Lieutenant and faces his first action in this book.
The glue that holds this story together is the interaction of the four groups of characters. Mr. Allan says he is deficient in telling stories about WW II. He is not. I rank his stories about that conflict with the best writers of that genre. There is nonstop action, a little romance and a great look at how the British codebreaking system operated. By all means, read this book if your interest lies in WW II, codebreaking or naval fiction/history. You will not regret reading his books. EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
GO! BUY! READ! NOW!
In this book, we watch four groups of people go through their wartime routines. First, there is a group of codebreakers at Bletchley Park. A second group are the officers and enlisted personnel of HMS Protea a “Flower” class corvette of the WW II British Navy (smaller than a destroyer and equipped for antisubmarine warfare). The third group the reader meets is aboard the German U-boat, U-133, a submarine. Neither Protea nor U-133 existed in the format described. The final group are Norwegian resistance fighters who lived near the major German navy base at Trondheim, Norway.
Mr. Allan was trained at school and the workplace as a naval historian. His knowledge and his descriptions are first rate. This is despite his contrary protestations about his ability to write about WW II. When the author describes the trials and tribulations of fighting a war in the frigid North Atlantic, on convoys to Russia in winter, I had to put on extra clothing because I felt the cold.
Vera Baldwin is a Bletchley Park codebreaker who has two new members on her team. She is a holdover character from Book 1 in the WW II series, THE SEA OF WOLVES. She has left Malta to return to her homeland, England. The specialty of her team is coded messages from Norway. One of the boats with which she is familiar happens to be U-133. It is because of her knowledge of this ship, she is able to identify messages to and from it. This helps her break coded Enigma messages. Enigma was a coding machine the Germans thought produced unbreakable codes. However, British Intelligence had gotten a machine from a German weather boat. With Dr. Alan Turing’s help, the codebreakers at Bletchley Park were able to create their own devices that could simplify the code breaking.
Aboard HMS Protea, Lt. Commander Paul Garner is captain. He is an experienced antisubmarine officer. Reggie Ward, John Butcher and Rory Stones are the three enlisted men who are the ASDIC (sonar) and radar operators. Their jobs, using state-of-the-art electronics, involve spotting enemy ships on or underwater as well as approaching aircraft. They are very good at what they do. Leonard Cole is First Lieutenant of the corvette. He, too, is a returning character.
Among the personnel aboard U-133 is its Captain, Jurgen Bortfeldt, who is a seasoned and a senior U-Boat skipper. He also is commander of a “Wolfpack”. The Germans would send groups of U-Boats to attack commercial shipping convoys. These groups were called “Wolfpacks” because animals of the same name hunt in packs. Bortfeldt’s “packs” were usually three or four subs. His second in command is a Prussian officer of aristocratic descent, Hermann Von Fishel. He is an ardent supporter of Adolph Hitler. Ralph Weber is a newcomer to U-133, the boat’s 2nd Lieutenant and faces his first action in this book.
The glue that holds this story together is the interaction of the four groups of characters. Mr. Allan says he is deficient in telling stories about WW II. He is not. I rank his stories about that conflict with the best writers of that genre. There is nonstop action, a little romance and a great look at how the British codebreaking system operated. By all means, read this book if your interest lies in WW II, codebreaking or naval fiction/history. You will not regret reading his books. EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
GO! BUY! READ! NOW!
July 29, 2022
Selected as a Reviewer's Choice Good Read
What an exciting read this has been. Philip K Allan has obviously put many hours into the research for this meticulous World War II novel, which he has based on true events. But it is not just the military detail that makes it so good, nor the descriptions of being in a bitterly cold and hostile environment or even life in the cramped conditions of a submarine, it is the way we are able to get to know the characters and empathise with them. As, in real life, there is more than one group of protagonists in this story; in fact there are four who all play a crucial role.
In the first chapter we meet Captain Jurgen Bortfeldt the broad-minded and experienced German commander of the U-boat U-133 and become acquainted with him and his crew. Then we meet Vera Baldwin and her colleagues struggling to break the Enigma codes at Bletchley Park. The next are the first lieutenant of the corvette HMS Protea, Leonard Cole, his commander and the crew, and our fourth focus of attention is on a Norwegian resistance group based in the north of Norway. Each, in their own way is portrayed as determined, tenacious and indefatigable in the pursuit of their task. Mr Allan skilfully moves the story between these four groups of protagonists to produce a tense, nail biting description of the events of 1941 when ships like the HMS Protea were deployed to protect merchant ships taking supplies to the Russians via the Artic, and the U-boats were ordered to prevent this from happening.
For lovers of World War II fiction this is a must read, but it has a wider appeal as well because the characters are so well described that we come to warm to them all, whichever side they are on. In this book Mr Allan draws a clear picture of the barbarity of war but also emphasises the humanity of the participants, who through no fault of their own are caught up in the maelstrom of war. So much so that when it come to the exciting and vivid finale, we don't want any of them to die.
An excellent book Mr Allan.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
What an exciting read this has been. Philip K Allan has obviously put many hours into the research for this meticulous World War II novel, which he has based on true events. But it is not just the military detail that makes it so good, nor the descriptions of being in a bitterly cold and hostile environment or even life in the cramped conditions of a submarine, it is the way we are able to get to know the characters and empathise with them. As, in real life, there is more than one group of protagonists in this story; in fact there are four who all play a crucial role.
In the first chapter we meet Captain Jurgen Bortfeldt the broad-minded and experienced German commander of the U-boat U-133 and become acquainted with him and his crew. Then we meet Vera Baldwin and her colleagues struggling to break the Enigma codes at Bletchley Park. The next are the first lieutenant of the corvette HMS Protea, Leonard Cole, his commander and the crew, and our fourth focus of attention is on a Norwegian resistance group based in the north of Norway. Each, in their own way is portrayed as determined, tenacious and indefatigable in the pursuit of their task. Mr Allan skilfully moves the story between these four groups of protagonists to produce a tense, nail biting description of the events of 1941 when ships like the HMS Protea were deployed to protect merchant ships taking supplies to the Russians via the Artic, and the U-boats were ordered to prevent this from happening.
For lovers of World War II fiction this is a must read, but it has a wider appeal as well because the characters are so well described that we come to warm to them all, whichever side they are on. In this book Mr Allan draws a clear picture of the barbarity of war but also emphasises the humanity of the participants, who through no fault of their own are caught up in the maelstrom of war. So much so that when it come to the exciting and vivid finale, we don't want any of them to die.
An excellent book Mr Allan.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
May 29, 2025
A Great Story craftily wrapped around Enigma
The Murmansk run. When I was Commander of my towns VFW Post, my Chaplin was an Uncle type character, well loved and regarded by all. I had many conversations, the most about his being part of USN Augmentation crew of ships making this unbelievable passage to Murmansk, on three different units because the Germans kept sinking his ride. Yes it was dangerous and miserable cold. All that happened in this marvelous book did happen somewhere. It is very well written,I love how he worked Norway and Bletchley In. Thank you, great read!!!
The Murmansk run. When I was Commander of my towns VFW Post, my Chaplin was an Uncle type character, well loved and regarded by all. I had many conversations, the most about his being part of USN Augmentation crew of ships making this unbelievable passage to Murmansk, on three different units because the Germans kept sinking his ride. Yes it was dangerous and miserable cold. All that happened in this marvelous book did happen somewhere. It is very well written,I love how he worked Norway and Bletchley In. Thank you, great read!!!
May 6, 2022
The Wolves
An excellent book, written in Mr. Allan’s own style. Gripping and exciting, even to those who have read many of the books published about the war at sea during WW2. Enough technology to keep most readers happy, yet with enough action and suspense to entertain the reader. Thank you for a well-written story.
An excellent book, written in Mr. Allan’s own style. Gripping and exciting, even to those who have read many of the books published about the war at sea during WW2. Enough technology to keep most readers happy, yet with enough action and suspense to entertain the reader. Thank you for a well-written story.
June 15, 2022
Chilling tale (pun intended) of WWII naval warfare in the North Sea
Well told and detailed stories about these warriors on land and sea -- from both sides! Hard to put down. Look forward to another from Allan.
Well told and detailed stories about these warriors on land and sea -- from both sides! Hard to put down. Look forward to another from Allan.
June 23, 2022
Top notch
A fantastic book from Phillip ,fast pace with plenty of action,well written brilliant characters a cracking series hope there is more to come
A fantastic book from Phillip ,fast pace with plenty of action,well written brilliant characters a cracking series hope there is more to come
August 19, 2022
Excellent book very well written , held your attention through out and made you want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen.👍👍
October 6, 2022
Good sea action
I truly enjoy World War Two novels, being to young for that war, but served during the Korean conflict. I thus read and saw news reels
I truly enjoy World War Two novels, being to young for that war, but served during the Korean conflict. I thus read and saw news reels
October 20, 2022
Book 2 is as good as the first. A continuation in a manner of speaking. Author has the skill to bring the reader into the scene with descriptors that work.
February 25, 2024
Real good series
April 27, 2024
Another great story about WW II submarine conflict.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews