Derek Law Bibliography

Full entry text:

BALME, David. Enigma: The Untold Story of the Secret Capture (The British Navy at War and Peace, Volume 3). x, 166p., bibliog., illus., index. Dunbeath: Whittles, 2016. ISBN: 9781849952262.

        A biography based on recordings made by Balme and assembled by the series editor Peter Hore. When war broke out in 1939 he was a midshipman on Ivanhoe. He saw the sinking of Courageous guarded convoys then took his Sub-Lieutenant’s course at Portsmouth. He joined Berwick in June 1940 and went to the Mediterranean with her. He saw action at Cape Spartivento and against Hipper when she attacked convoy WS5A. Early in 1941 he joined Bulldog, which served in the Atlantic. The book focuses on the battle for convoy OB318 and the capture of U 110. Balme led the boarding party which ransacked the submarine, took her in tow and captured her Enigma machine. In August 1941 he transferred to the Fleet Air Arm. After service in the Western Desert he trained as a Fighter Direction Officer. In 1943 he joined Renown. He served with her in the Pacific Fleet.