Douglas Reeman is one of the preeminent WWII naval story tellers, and under the name of Alexander Kent, of "Fighting Sale" stories in the Hornblower tradition. In 'The White Guns', he leaves the sea for a story of Naval personnel taking control of the great harbour and naval base at Kiel immediately following the German surrender.

While Ostensibly a novel, 'The White Guns' is essentially an interconnected series of short stories covering a period of about 12 months. Concise character development, precise plotting and structure are not Reeman's strengths, but are a requirement for the type of book he has undertaken here. The result is a disjointed melange of competing plots, all of which are ultimately disappointing.

Only recommended for the serial "complete-ists" amongst us ( )