Ahoi zusammen,
die Frau von A. Kent hat angeboten, Fragen zum Werk ihres Mannes zu beantworten. Da evtl. nicht jeder oder jede hier so gut ausländisch können, könnt ihr hier gerne Fragen auf deutsch stellen, die wir dann übersetzen.
Die Antworten werden hier dann auch übersetzt. 
Eine Frage zur Bolitho-Reihe: Warum musste Stockdale sterben?
Zu Kanonenboot (The pride and the anguish): HMS Porcupine kann ja aus Singapur entkommen, indem das Schiff als winzige Insel getarnt wird. Kannte Douglas Reeman den Fall des niederländischen Minensuchers, der mit dieser Tarnung tatsächlich nach Australien entkam oder gab es vielleicht so eine Geschichte auch in der Royal Navy?
Zu den Weltkriegsromanen allgemein: Die Helden haben ja oft mit gewissenlosen oder inkompetenten Vorgesetzten zu tun. Entsprach das Douglas Reemans eigenen Kriegserfahrungen oder war es nur ein künstlerisches Mittel um neben dem Kampf gegen den Feind auch interne Konflikte schildern zu können?
Thank you all for your questions, and the offer to translate.
Stockdale dies because that was how it happened. When we write, the story takes life and the characters become very real to us. Sometimes, like life, some one dies. In this case, it was Stockdale's time. Douglas sensed that as he wrote. It adds realism to our books when art reflects life and is true to life.
The Pride and the Anguish, like all of Douglas's books, is based on fact, and many ships and smaller boats, fishing boats, even canoes, escaped or tried to escape from Singapore before or after the surrender to the Japanese. Some ships did make it to safety in Australia or to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He would have based Porcupine's escape and the camouflage details on fact.
As for incompetent and unscrupulous superior officers, Douglas portrayed a wide range of people, good and bad, officers and men. He knew the bad and the good. The damage a bad officer could do. The love and courage a good officer could inspire in his men. He used his own experience, and he used the stories told to him by others. He always enjoyed hearing other people's stories and loved to talk to them and hear from his readers.
I just wanted to add that Stockdale was based on a real person. After the war Douglas was a police officer in London. "Stockdale" was a night watchman in one of the buildings on Douglas's beat, and used to make Douglas a cup of tea. They would talk and Stockdale would tell Douglas stories about his life as a prize fighter. He even had the damaged vocal cords and the whispering voice.
Thanks for this information. For me Stockdale is one of the most interesting persons in the Bolitho universe. He is very special compared to the normal jack tars.