The Harwich Striking Force (Hardback)
The Royal Navy's Front Line in the North Sea 1914–1918
Pages: 336
Illustrations: 133 black and white photos and 1 map
ISBN: 9781399015967
Published: 16th August 2022
Essex County Standard and Daily Gazette Feature
Historian tells the forgotten story of Harwich's First World War sailors
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'The Harwich Force has made its name and will not be forgotten during the future annals of history’; so said Rear Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt on Armistice Day 1918. But that fame has not endured. Yet for the whole duration of the First World War, the Harwich Striking Force was the front line of the Royal Navy, a force of cruisers and destroyers defending the seas for the Allies.
Under a charismatic and aggressive leader, Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt, U-boats, German cruisers, destroyers and light craft all met their ends at the hands of the Force, as did enemy seaplanes and Zeppelin airships. The Harwich ships were at sea almost daily throughout the war, haunting the German coast and the Friesian Islands, pioneering aerial attack from the sea, developing naval carrier aviation and combined air/sea operations, and hunting for enemy submarines and minelayers in the North Sea. The Harwich Force also took part in major naval battles alongside the Grand Fleet’s battlecruisers, and protected merchant ships operating in the dangerous waters around Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Britain.
The author also assesses the role played by the other Royal Navy formations at Harwich: submarines, auxiliary minesweeping and patrol vessels, the Felixstowe seaplane base and the town itself. And when the war was finally won, the Force gained further fame when the German U-boat fleet was surrendered there.
Lavishly illustrated, this book is an enthralling account of the men of the Harwich Force, of their grit and brave sacrifice and the key part that they played in the final Allied victory against Germany.
"Few possess more knowledge of the Royal Navy during World War I than Steve Dunn. His research has led him to publish works on the Dover Patrol, the blockade of Germany, and naval efforts in the Baltic. With The Harwich Striking Force: The Royal Navy’s Front Line in the North Sea 1914-1918, Dunn sought to shed light on the all but forgotten efforts of Admiral Tyrwhitt and his command. His knowledgeable perspective of the Royal Navy in this conflict lets him place their triumphs within the larger background of the Great War. For readers seeking knowledge on a lesser known aspect of naval combat during World War I, The Harwich Striking Force is an excellent starting point."
Nautical Research Journal - Volume 69 (2024)
“For readers seeking knowledge on a lesser-known aspect of naval combat during World War I, The Harwich Striking Force is an excellent starting point.”
The Nautical Research Journal
Read the full review here
"Here is what is believed to be the first lengthy appraisal of these remarkable operations recounting actions in a praiseworthy narrative with copious illustrations."
The Flash - No39 Autumn 2023
‘Excellent, finely detailed, action-packed ‘’biography’’ of Harwich and its Striking Force, Steve R Dunn delivers many a fascinating ‘‘dit’’ while offering vivid portraits of the people involved’.
Warships International Fleet Review, May 2023
Anyone interested in the Great War and naval operations in general will enjoy reading Dunn’s book.
Beating Tsundoku
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As featured on The Naval Review
The Naval Review
4.5 out of 5
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
Read the Full Review Here
Most readers who have an interest in the Royal Navy will know about the RN at Harwich during WWI but probably have limited knowledge of the whole scenario. This book by Steve Dunn, the author who has written many books about the RN, has rectified omissions and filled in all the blanks.
Bob Dean - Navy Daze, The Ton Class Association
It centres around the officer in command during WWI Rear Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt, an admiral much admired by his peers and men. However the contents are far from being a record of his achievements and exploits as the author covers the whole spectrum of the Harwich Force. The ships of all classes and size, the actions against the enemy, the mining and the losses caused by mines and last but by no means the least the men who fought, died, were wounded and those that lived to tell the tale of the fears, hardship and the occasional free time ashore.
Superbly researched as usual. I recommend this publication.
Steve Dunn brings the reader his eighth published work for Seaforth. In the view of this reviewer he has maintained his usual excellent standards in terms of the quality and depth of research and the highly readable and engrossing narrative.
Martin Willoughby Wessex Branch WFA
Steve Dunn is a well-known author with a special interest in the Royal Navy of the late nineteenth century and the First World War. He has written on a variety of naval topics and narrative histories including works on the Dover Patrol, the Naval Blockade of Germany in WW1, the Battle for the Western Approaches in WW1 and the ‘Battle of the Baltic’.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I guessed I would, it really is a good read and kept me hooked for a good few days. Most definitely recommended.
The History Fella
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‘A superb read and very highly recommended’.
Warship World
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Australian Naval Institute
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‘The book chronicles the battles, bad weather and contradictory orders of the war. It is both informative and readable’
ARRSE October 2022
Read the review here
The easy flowing text includes a lot of personal accounts and observations, there are many photographs of the men and the vessels and one very good map. This is a well-focussed work and a jolly good read which we highly recommend.
Clash of Steel
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This book is a fitting tribute not just to the men and ships of the Harwich Force but also to its leader Reginald Tyrwhitt who led the Force for the whole of the war and was described by one of the Force Petty Officers as “the finest sailor Britain has produced since Nelson”. A superb read and very highly recommended.
Peter Wykeham-Martin, Warship World
Steve Dunn has comprehensively in this book encompassed all aspects of the Harwich Force. His thorough research has revealed a fascinating study of its operations during the First World War. Reflections and quotes are included by naval officers who served with the force. Technical characteristics of ships and aircraft are also outlined. ...
The Wessex Branch of the Western Front Association
The author provides a well-balanced and considered account of Tyrwhitt and the Harwich Force. There are included within the book black and white photographs, appendices, authors notes, bibliography, and index. This concise and engrossing history of the Harwich Force is a valuable welcomed resource. It is also a memorable reminder to the debt that is owed to those who served in the Royal Navy and the cost in human lives to bring about the downfall and defeat of the Imperial German Navy.
Reviewer: Roger Coleman
The story is complex and diverse but the author shapes the narrative so that the focus glides smoothly from one aspect to another – a tale of individual heroism, wholesale naval battles and skirmishes, involvement of air craft and submarines, coastal bombardments, zeppelins and flying boats.
Dr David A. Male, Harwich Society
This book is a fascinating and interesting read, well populated with photographs of the ships, the aircraft and notable personnel. There are chapters dedicated to the Auxiliary Force and the work at Felixstowe, and, most interestingly, the effect that the force had on Harwich and its surrounds.
Les Brown, Small Warships
Highly recommended.
‘I could not put it down. You have done all those brave men a great service’.
Letter to the author from Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt, 3rd Baronet, grandson of Admiral Tyrwhitt, who commanded the Harwich Force.
As Featured In
Cher Ami, Great War Special Interest Group Newsletter - July 2022
About Steve R. Dunn
STEVE R DUNN is an author with a special interest in the Royal Navy of the late nineteenth century and the First World War. He has written biographies and narrative histories including Blockade, Securing the Narrow Sea, Bayly's War, Southern Thunder, The Battle of the Baltic, The Power and the Glory, British Naval Trawlers and Drifters in Two World Wars, The Harwich Striking Force and most recently Petrol Navy, all published by Seaforth. Steve lives in Worcestershire.
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