“[An] enthralling account of one of the least told important stories of WWII”: the role of the Department of Torpedoes and Mines Investigation Section (Firetrench).
In the lead-up to the Second World War, Ashe Lincoln, a junior barrister, had enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a Sub-Lieutenant. On the outbreak of war, he became determined to serve at sea and was posted to minelayers. But a mysterious midnight summons sent him hurrying from his ship to the Admiralty in London and a top-secret conference presided over by Winston Churchill.
Ashe Lincoln soon found himself pitting his wits against brilliantly skillful German scientists and technicians. These were the men Hitler had entrusted to devise secret underwater weapons sea mines and torpedoes of new and often unsuspected types to destroy Britain’s seapower and starve its population into surrender. The part that Ashe Lincoln played in this battle had been decided upon because he was a naval officer who combined legal training with a specialist knowledge in this particular aspect of naval warfare.
In time, Lincoln became a key figure in a small group in the Admiralty whose exploits have been almost forgotten. He found himself in extraordinary situations, including crouching on a bleak Scottish hillside dealing with the first parachute mine knowing that Goering had boasted that no-one would live to do this. His story is a remarkable blend of deductive enterprise and courage.
“Wonderful . . . This book was fascinating from start to finish. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Anyone with an interest in this field of warfare will find this book invaluable.” —Stand Easy
