Pitching the X-craft against the Tirpitz seemed like matching tadpoles against a whale - except that hat the whale had an unprotected underbelly and the tadpoles 2-ton explosive charges on their sides. If they could survive the nightmarish 2000-mile submerged tow, Paul Everard, commanding X12, would have his chance to gatecrashers the fjords and cripple the ship which Churchill has referred to as ‘The Beast’.
But whether or not he succeeded, his chances of getting out alive were slim; and if he failed, Nick Everard, commanding the escort of Arctic convoy PQ19, was in for bad trouble - none of his ships could stand up to the weight of Tirpitz’s broadsides. As The Gatecrashers draws to its thunderous climax, father and son face their final and most searching test..............
