Not exactly the most measured book ever written on Zeebrugge, more of a Boy's Own version full of derring-do and English (NB not British) pluck, but an OK read except in the bits where he's fawning over Keyes, whom Pitt obviously worships. ( )

Born in the fertile mind of Sir roger Keyes, this amphibious attack on the Belgian Port was designed to seriously hamper the German U-Boat campaign around the British Isles. Considering the complexity of the plan and the lack of the later small radio sets, it went off extremely well. The Germans were caught napping, but their response was still quite strong. So it was a bloody day, and the most Victoria crosses for a single action were handed out. It is a readable account of a complex situation. ( )

Account of a British Naval mission in World War I to blockage a German-held harbor in Belgium. Originally written in 1958, it tells of Roger Keyes, who planned and led the mission. Author's style is a bit understated in places and there are so many individuals and ships, it is hard to keep track of them all. ( )

Zeebrugge is a Belgian port on the English Channel which is the access to the canals leading to the inland port of Bruges. Admiral Roger Keyes organized a raid to sink blockade ships in the canal entrance. A thousand volunteers embarked on an expedition from which they were led to believe most of them would not return. By amazing luck and bravery, the majority did get back. The raid was only partially successful but enough so that German submarines found it difficult to get to sea which was the main objective. The raid led to the most Victoria Crosses awarded for one battle in the history of the award.
While most of this book is about the raid, the real purpose is to chronicle Keyes' career and the impact he had on the campaigns he planned or participated in. ( )

In 1918 did the Royal Navy undertake a daring if futile raid on Zeebrugge and Ostend in order to bottle up the German submarines stationed in Bruges. The operation against Zeebrugge had three components: The first component consisted of the cruiser HMS Vindictive, assisted by two ferryboats, whose mission it was to overwhelm the German defenses of the mole that covered the canal entry. Reminiscent of a medieval siege tower, the cruiser was slammed against the mole, allowing the Royal Marines on board to cross over and attack the mole. The mole, furthermore, was to be disconnected from land by explosives from a submarine. The second component consisted of three concrete filled old cruisers intended to block the canal entry. The third component were supporting ships that provided command stations, smoke screens, fire support and pick up points for survivors. Overall, the Royal Navy committed over 10,000 troops to this raid.

The costly success at Zeebrugge and the miserable failure at Ostend had minimal impact on the war, as the British did not manage to completely block the canal. Once again, the value of a raid lies in propaganda. Militarily, a raid is the tacit admission that one does not want a full engagement; a symbolic patch to cover inactivity. Many brave young men paid with their lives so that the Royal Navy could display some of its skin in the game (see also Gallipoli).

This is a quick account of the night raid from a British point of view. While the author uses Germans and Huns interchangeably, it isn't biased and admits British missteps freely. The author celebrates the men's heroism without being jingoistic. Compared to the modern US military history writing standards, the bias is rather tepid. Osprey illustrations, for example, never show Anglo-American forces losing an engagement. Not a bad read if you can pick it up cheaply. ( )