British Motor Gun Boat 1939-45

Published: October 12, 2010
Book Author(s): Angus Konstam
Company: Osprey Publishing

Most of you have heard of PT Boats, E-Boats, and MTBs. There have been movies, books, and some good models of these boats. But a class that doesn’t get that much attention is the British Motor Gun Boats or MGBs. This 48 page soft-cover book starts with the development of these craft. The Motor Torpedo Boats did not have the firepower to take on their German cousins, so the initial thought was to remove the torpedo tubes and add heavier weapons. Later, boats made specifically as MGBs were created and finally, some of these were rearmed with torpedos by the end of the war, making a full circle.

The book does a fair job describing the types of boats used up to the Fairmile Type D, which was a much more capable, seaworthy vessel, able to hold its own against the E-boats. One of the… more