What do you think?
Rate this book
The Convoy: HG-76: Taking the Fight to Hitler's U-Boats
The Convoy represents a fresh approach to the story of the Battle of the Atlantic. It is also the first to deal with the more spectacular story of HG-76, a major turning point in the naval war.
HG-76 sailed from Gibraltar to Britain in December 1941 and was specially targeted by the Germans. A wolfpack of U-boats was sent against it, and the Luftwaffe was heavily committed too in a rare example of German inter-service cooperation. German intelligence agents in Gibraltar and Spain also knew every detail of HG-76 before it had even sailed, seemingly stacking the odds in favour of the Kriegsmarine.
Despite this the convoy fought its way through. Improved radar and sonar gave the convoy's escorts a slight edge over their opponents, while the escort group was led by Commander Walker, an anti-submarine expert who had developed new, aggressive U-boat hunting tactics. Previous Gibraltar convoys had been mauled by Luftwaffe bombers operating from French airfields. This time, though, HG-76 would be accompanied by HMS Audacity, the Royal Navy's first escort carrier - a new type of warship purpose-built to defend convoys from enemy aircraft and U-boats.
Following seven days and nights of relentless attack, the horrors of which are brought home through a series of first-hand accounts, the convoy finally reached the safety of a British port for the loss of only two merchant ships. Its arrival was seen as the first real convoy victory of the war. Brought to life by expert naval historian Angus Konstam, The Convoy combines the story of the technical and tactical developments that won the Battle of the Atlantic for the Allies along with a narrative that reveals both the terror and the stubborn determination that defined the experiences of those that served on convoy duties.
HG-76 sailed from Gibraltar to Britain in December 1941 and was specially targeted by the Germans. A wolfpack of U-boats was sent against it, and the Luftwaffe was heavily committed too in a rare example of German inter-service cooperation. German intelligence agents in Gibraltar and Spain also knew every detail of HG-76 before it had even sailed, seemingly stacking the odds in favour of the Kriegsmarine.
Despite this the convoy fought its way through. Improved radar and sonar gave the convoy's escorts a slight edge over their opponents, while the escort group was led by Commander Walker, an anti-submarine expert who had developed new, aggressive U-boat hunting tactics. Previous Gibraltar convoys had been mauled by Luftwaffe bombers operating from French airfields. This time, though, HG-76 would be accompanied by HMS Audacity, the Royal Navy's first escort carrier - a new type of warship purpose-built to defend convoys from enemy aircraft and U-boats.
Following seven days and nights of relentless attack, the horrors of which are brought home through a series of first-hand accounts, the convoy finally reached the safety of a British port for the loss of only two merchant ships. Its arrival was seen as the first real convoy victory of the war. Brought to life by expert naval historian Angus Konstam, The Convoy combines the story of the technical and tactical developments that won the Battle of the Atlantic for the Allies along with a narrative that reveals both the terror and the stubborn determination that defined the experiences of those that served on convoy duties.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2023
7 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Angus Konstam
220 books62 followersAngus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 7, 2026
A lot of the focus on WW2/SWW naval history is on the battles between warships or fleet units, but the convoy actions represent an important element as well. There is a story to each convoy - delivering troops, supplies, repositioning maritime assets, dealing with weather and other challenges of convoys. For many convoys there is also the story of fighting through opposing forces to complete the convoy route and task.
The book The Convoy tells the story of Convoy HG-76, a convoy that had to fight its way from Gibraltar back to the UK. There is additional relevance to the story of this convoy, though. It was led by Johnnie Walker, one of the UK's leading anti-submarine theorists and practitioners. The HG-76 convoy battle provided the opportunity for Walker to implement the tactics and strategy that he had developed to counter U-boats - in this case, a much more aggressive use of escorts to not just seek to suppress German U-boats but to take extra steps to sink the U-boats rather than harass and interrupt them.
Convoy HG-76 had the additional advantage of sailing with Audacious, one of the first operational escort carriers.
Konstam has written a nice piece of narrative history that tells the story of HG-76, Walker, and also adds the context to why this particular convoy battle stands out as a transition point in the battle between the UK and German U-boats. Konstam's account is engaging and clearly organized. Some of the sentence syntax is a bit awkward, but this is a minor complaint for a fine book that tells the story of HG-76 and its significance to WW2/SWW.
The book The Convoy tells the story of Convoy HG-76, a convoy that had to fight its way from Gibraltar back to the UK. There is additional relevance to the story of this convoy, though. It was led by Johnnie Walker, one of the UK's leading anti-submarine theorists and practitioners. The HG-76 convoy battle provided the opportunity for Walker to implement the tactics and strategy that he had developed to counter U-boats - in this case, a much more aggressive use of escorts to not just seek to suppress German U-boats but to take extra steps to sink the U-boats rather than harass and interrupt them.
Convoy HG-76 had the additional advantage of sailing with Audacious, one of the first operational escort carriers.
Konstam has written a nice piece of narrative history that tells the story of HG-76, Walker, and also adds the context to why this particular convoy battle stands out as a transition point in the battle between the UK and German U-boats. Konstam's account is engaging and clearly organized. Some of the sentence syntax is a bit awkward, but this is a minor complaint for a fine book that tells the story of HG-76 and its significance to WW2/SWW.
February 4, 2025
Much better than his Battle of the North Cape, not as good as the Bismarck book, he still talks down to his audience at many points and belabors others that don't need that much pounding into our skulls. There's an overly long explanation of the North African situation and the war in the Med, too. The heart of the book is fine, albeit not reinventing convoy battle writing by any stretch. Plenty of small details help the narrative along.
The sum up is a bit much and with a gross overreach at the finale, claiming this convoy was the real turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic, a bit of bombast that's just not necessary and will change no one's mind about the course of the U Boat struggle.
Solid enough with only one or two groaners here and there.
The sum up is a bit much and with a gross overreach at the finale, claiming this convoy was the real turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic, a bit of bombast that's just not necessary and will change no one's mind about the course of the U Boat struggle.
Solid enough with only one or two groaners here and there.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews