Books in Brief: The Deadly Stroke

The Deadly Stroke, by Warren Tute (Coward, 221 pp., $6.95).

Summer 1940. A pivotal juncture for the flickering Allied war effort. All that remained between the collapse of France and a total debacle was the will of Winston Churchill. The toughness of that will was manifested in the formulation and execution of “Operation Catapult.” A “deadly stroke” of naval destruction would be visited upon the French fleet by the Royal Navy unless the former was willing to submit her resources to the Allied cause. Churchill’s ultimatum was coldly calculated: Britain could not risk the fourth largest seapower falling into the hands of the Axis. On July 3, in the wake of several agonizing attempts at negotiation, Admiral Sommerville’s Force H smashed the French fleet harbored in Oran. Warren Tute’s subtle style and restrained narrative skillfully complement this compulsive drama.

AM

About the Author

A. Miller

Featured Tags

The Deadly Stroke, by Warren Tute (Coward, 221 pp., $6.95).

Summer 1940. A pivotal juncture for the flickering Allied war effort. All that remained between the collapse of France and a total debacle was the will of Winston Churchill. The toughness of that will was manifested in the formulation and execution of “Operation Catapult.” A “deadly stroke” of naval destruction would be visited upon the French fleet by the Royal Navy unless the former was willing to submit her resources to the Allied cause. Churchill’s ultimatum was coldly calculated: Britain could not risk the fourth largest seapower falling into the hands of the Axis. On July 3, in the wake of several agonizing attempts at negotiation, Admiral Sommerville’s Force H smashed the French fleet harbored in Oran. Warren Tute’s subtle style and restrained narrative skillfully complement this compulsive drama.