Wars and ConflictsΒ permalink
The phantom Flotilla
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Message 1.Β
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
I picked up the above book at a Bring and Buy, and am enjoying every page of it. It is a true story set during the Great War. Germany control via a gun boat on Lake Tanganika, the whole of central Africa, and are threatening to bring the whole polulation out in revolt against their British and Belium (It is a word from the time) Masters. The British response is to ship two small Gunboats from England, and then transport them over land 3000 miles via railways, rivers and using traction engines and brute force overland. The atitude is. "Of course we can do it, we are British." Every page is full of funnys, but at the time would not be considered so. The doctor who when realising that the Army medical boxes are zink lined and built so that a bearer could carry them, reports so to his senior officer, only to be told. "If he wants to use Army stuff, join the bloody army."
Well worth the read, but it makes you wonder whether we should adopt this atitude of Of course we can do it, we are British,today. And what would Health and safety make of it?
GF -
Message 2
Posted by Lee (U8097024) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
Reminds me of a book called ( Guessing a bit here), Mimi and TuTu go to war,was any of the boats in your book called something like that?
I remember the British Officer in charge was a bit of a character,who took to wearing a skirt at one point. -
Message 3
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
That's the one, but I haven't got to the skirt bit yet I gather the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ did do the story as a radio play. Make a good film, although the hero would have to be played by an American, because we poor Brits couldn't manage on our own, and we would have remarks like lock and load
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Message 4
Posted by Nielsen2 (U13686196) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
Yet, I seem to recall reading a translated into Danish old book - well, from the 1960'es or so - with an Irishman and his daughter poaching big-game in that area of Africa up to the beginning of WW 1, and later seing this as a black-white film.
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Message 5
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
That was the Wilbur Smith book Shout at the Devil. Made into a film starring Roger Moore and Lee Marvin.
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Message 6
Posted by TimTrack (U1730472) on Monday, 22nd June 2009
A bizarre tale.
You may enjoy the History Channel's crack at covering it if you have satellite or cable.
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Message 7
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Monday, 22nd June 2009
Interesting, but refered to a 9'000 trek. I assume they included the trip from London to Capetown via a passenger ship. Hardly a trek. Refered at first to both boats as ships. You can put a boat on a ship,ehich they did for the trip from the U K to the Cape, but you can't put a ship on a boat.
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Message 8
Posted by abrazier (U3915690) on Monday, 22nd June 2009
The Phantom Flotilla is a good read but bear in mind that the author seems to have a real bias against Spicer-Simpson for some reason. He wasn't quite the manic obsessive that the book makes him out to be.
The more recent book, "Mimi and Toutou go Forth" is a more even handed but is written more as a novel (the author is a novelist) than a true history. That said it's still well worth a look.
In either case it's an amazing story and is part of an even more epic campaign against the Germans in East Africa. -
Message 9
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Monday, 22nd June 2009
Thanks abrazier, I will put it on my Look for list
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Message 10
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Monday, 29th June 2009
I finished the book, and enjoyed it. Lee though came across as a cross between a Victorian Can Do type and Walter Mitty with his tall tales. His infighting with both his officers and the Belgums could have ruined the mission. His attitude to refusing to engage the bigger gunboat in case it ruined his run of good luck. (And perhaps removed his status as a God in the eyes of the natives) needed explaining, and the way he altered reports to fit in. The finding of the German battle ensign went from picking it up in the water from near the flag locker, to shooting it from the mast was a good example. His refusing to obey orders and cooperate with the army which led to the escape of a large number of the enemy, then suggesting later that he had in fact captured the fort almost single handedly. But none of this can ruin the fact that he and the rest of his party moved to small gun boats overland almost 3000 miles and engaged an enemy.
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Message 11
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Monday, 29th June 2009
I finished the book, and enjoyed it. Lee though came across as a cross between a Victorian Can Do type and Walter Mitty with his tall tales. His infighting with both his officers and the Belgums could have ruined the mission. His attitude to refusing to engage the bigger gunboat in case it ruined his run of good luck. (And perhaps removed his status as a God in the eyes of the natives) needed explaining, and the way he altered reports to fit in. The finding of the German battle ensign went from picking it up in the water from near the flag locker, to shooting it from the mast was a good example. His refusing to obey orders and cooperate with the army which led to the escape of a large number of the enemy, then suggesting later that he had in fact captured the fort almost single handedly. But none of this can ruin the fact that he and the rest of his party moved two small gun boats overland almost 3000 miles and engaged an enemy.
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