The Boy Volunteers with the Submarine Fleet

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

27674

Title

The Boy Volunteers with the Submarine Fleet

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Two American boys volunteer with Allied forces during WWI, facing submarine attacks and artillery battles. This thrilling adventure features daring rescues, underwater escapes, and heroic exploits against German forces, appealing to young readers with action and patriotism.

Summary up to 500 words

In Kenneth Ward's *The Boy Volunteers with the Submarine Fleet*, two American boys, Alfred and Ralph Elton, find themselves thrust into the heart of World War I after volunteering with Belgian and French forces. Following intense combat on land and in the air, the boys are wounded and eventually discharged, only to be reunited with their parents in France as they prepare to return to the United States. Their journey home is cut short when their ship is attacked by a German submarine while sailing through the dangerous waters near the English Channel. After being torpedoed and captured, the boys and the ship's crew are forced into the dark, cramped depths of the enemy vessel. The ship's captain, a former French submarine officer, reveals his expertise and leads the boys in a daring plan to escape. They navigate the submarine's mysteries, securing weapons and ammunition while avoiding detection by enemy patrols. The situation becomes critical as dawn approaches, threatening to expose their position to submarine chasers. Through clever engineering and bravery, the boys manage to free the entangled submarine from its nets. They then trigger a massive explosion, causing the vessel to sink. Rescued by Allied forces, the boys learn that Germany's ruthless submarine warfare has effectively brought America into the conflict without a formal declaration. Reunited with their parents in the French port of Havre, the boys decide not to return to the United States. Instead, they choose to stay and fight alongside their new allies, ready to continue their adventures under the banner of their beloved land, having witnessed the horrors of war and the necessity of American intervention.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27674.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg27674.epub

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2026-07-06 01:58 UTC

Categories

• Adventure
• History
• War