Sailors Behind the Medals: Waging War at Sea, 1939–1945

By: Chris Bilham

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Synopsis: Twenty-three riveting true stories of the heroic acts that earned WWII Royal Navy sailors their awards for gallantry.Includes photos. The story of the Royal Navy in the Second World War is an epic, consisting of both dramatic battles such as the River Plate and Matapan, and drawn-out campaigns such as the escort of convoys to Malta and northern Russia. Sailors Behind the Medals examines the careers of twenty-three sailors whose part in these actions resulted in the award of their medals. The author illustrates a cross-section of the wartime navy: long-service regulars, volunteers, recalled veterans of the Great War, Hostilities Only ratings. They served on nearly every kind of warship and in all the main theaters of the war, and their individual acts of gallantry under extreme conditions make for inspiring reading. Also included is an examination of the medals that were awarded for gallantry.