REAL X-MEN

Sub-titled 'The Heroic Story of the Underwater War 1942-1945' this is a thrilling story of the development and operational deployment of human torpedoes - 'Chariots' - and 'X-craft' midget submarines in the British naval service during World War Two. It is also the story of the extraordinary men who crewed these dangerous vessels. The commando frogmen who rode the Chariots and operated as divers from the X-craft were the forerunners of today's Special Boat Service, the SBS. In the words of the Daily Mail, 'Heroism, adventure, tragedy, a superman hero and the loathsome Boche. This comprehensive retelling of the story has not lost any of its firepower.' The aim of the frogmen was to place explosive charges underneath or on an enemy ship to destroy the vessel. Their hope was to return to their parent submarine unscathed. The book relates the sacrifice and heroism of these men, many of them little more than teenagers who volunteered without knowing the full extent of the risks entailed, nor indeed the very small chances they had of coming back alive. Their bravery played a vital and secretive part in Britain's fight to win the war. Eight pages of archive photos, one showing how cramped the conditions aboard the vessels could be. 314pp.