that she is intercepted and destroyed by a pursuing Royal Navy force. Coincidentally, the senior officer of the British force is the now Captain Saville-Samarez, Brown's father, although they never know of each other's existence. Historical background As so often with Forester's novels, the action takes place against a background of carefully researched historical fact. During the early part of World War I, Germany had a small squadron of modern vessels in the Far East. When war was declared, the larger vessels of the squadron set out to return to Europe. The light cruisers , and , on detached duty, rejoined after brief periods of raiding, while SMS Emden was detached to serve as a commerce raider. The fictional Ziethen is supposed to be on a similar mission. Most of the German squadron was eventually destroyed at the Battle of the Falkland Islands, but the British eventually found Dresden anchored and essentially non-operational at an isolated Pacific island. The British then fired on the anchored ship, and unable to effectively fight back, her crew scuttled her. Parallels in Forester's work This novel has some parallels to Forester's Death to the French. In both novels the hero is an enlisted man, cut off from friendly forces and acting alone. In both, the protagonist's dogged and surprisingly effective actions stem from instinctive shrewdness rather than conscious planning. Film versions The novel has been filmed twice. John Mills played the title role in the 1935 version, called Brown on Resolution. The 1953 version which starred Jeffrey Hunter as Brown, was called Single-Handed in the UK and Sailor of the King'' in the US, and was set during World War II. References External links 1929 British novels British novels adapted into films Novels by C. S. Forester The Bodley Head books Novels set during World War I Novels set on uninhabited islands Novels set on fictional islands