While her eight 15-inch guns were the largest then afloat, her Achilles’ heel was her relatively thin armor, which made her more vulnerable than any battleship.”, https://global.oup.com/academic/product/world-war-ii-at-sea-9780190243678?prevSortField=1&facet_narrowbypubdate_facet=Last%203%20months&start=40&prevNumResPerPage=20&lang=en&cc=us, Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope. Very little on the technologies except as to how each came into the war and impacted the outcome. This book is superb in giving insight into why sea battles were fought, why they were lost or. DOI: 10.1177/0843871419860719q Corpus ID: 204483703. This war started due to numerous factors. Not surprisingly, Symonds contends it wasn’t the bomb, nor code-breaking, nor radar that won the war: each of those explanations has been advanced in diverse books. Or I am just too lazy to really concentrate on understanding it. Symonds has written a naval history that covers, and correlates, all venues, campaigns and battles - at sea. The figure behind him is his aide Col. Lloyd Lehrabas. His approach is chronological, and swings back and forth between the European and Pacific theaters. Not enough to bore but certainly enough to give a fuller of appreciation of these aspects next to the classic narrative of admirals and fighting ships. Even WW II experts may learn new things from this book, and all can benefit from the author's judgments and insights. I knew much of what he recounts here, and was a little puffed up at finding that I had read a number of the books he cites. He uses contemporaneous quotes and lively prose, bringing historical events to life. He gives clear explanations for the Norway fighting, and does not take Churchill to task for the muddles. The World War 2 Trivia Book: Interesting Stories and Random Facts from the Second World War (Trivia War Books) (Volume 1). There are no discussion topics on this book yet. This, along with numerous other mistakes, detracts from what could be an essential volume for anyone seeking a good overall view of WW2 naval operations. The historical events are mostly told in chronological order, which makes it easy to follow. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. World War II Records. I'd buy this to get a great overview and if I wanted more detail get other books to cover specific actions. Two German destroyers are moored next to the pier in Narvik Harbor in April 1940 prior to the attack by Warburton-Lee’s destroyers. He argues forcefully and persuasively that Allied naval superiority was one of the three reasons the Allied forces prevailed in the war (the other two being British determination at the beginning of the war and the resilience of the Red Army). The entire naval history of World War II is recounted in one volume. With war history I tend to gravitate towards personal stories or accounts of individual episodes, because military strategy and maneuvering tends to go over my simple little head. I don’t know how to adequately convince you of this, but this is a highly readable history that kept me listening to the last syllable without checking the “where am I” button on my book player. The story is presented chronologically, which is very helpful for me because I did not have a clear sense of when the Graf Spee, Bismarck, Norway operations, sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, took place. He spends a good deal of time on the LST, which transformed the amphibious war but of which there were not enough to supply all the invasion forces. This book is really fascinating. 80-G-16331. Again, errors happen, but routine errors of ship related facts, classes, specs, etc. Not enough to bore but certainly enough to give a fuller of appreciation of these aspects next to the classic narrative of admirals and fighting ships. Craig Symonds, a lifelong Navy man, might be considered somewhat partial his own Service, but that partiality doesn't dim the brilliance of his survey of the crucial role played by Allied naval forces in World War II. A massive synthesis of the emerging interpretations of naval warfare in World War II, more a narrative than an analysis, but not without insights. Throughout, there are asides and digressions into torpedoes, convoys, submarines, amphibious concerns, ship construction and many other relevant (and interesting) sub topics that flesh out and substantiate the historical narrative and the underlying thesis that sea power was critical to winning the war for the Allies and a major factor resulting in losing the war for the Axis. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2020. We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. It focuses on the Naval aspects of the War and deals with the German, British, American, Italian, and French navies. The Japanese pretty much outfought the Americans in just about every battle---their night optics and the Long Lance torpedoes were a deadly combination. Not surprisingly, Symonds contends it wasn’t the bomb, nor code-breaking, nor radar that won the war: each of those explanations has been advanced in diverse books. This book tells that story but it also addresses the Herculean ordeal of transporting critically needed supplies across thousands of miles of ocean to keep Britain, the Soviets, the Australians and New Zealanders, and China in the war. The stories themselves serve as a stark reminder of the madness of war and the incalculable damage that foolish, misguided, and simply evil leaders are capable of inflicting on the human race. A book signing will follow the program. Scapa Flow, after all, sounds like it ought to be a congestion relief medicine, not the location of one of the early naval encounters of World War II. I enjoyed it tremendously. There's a problem loading this menu right now. It is an interesting, extensive and very readable work. This is a great addition on this subject for your library. He discusses British, German, American, Japanese, French and Italian naval assets, tactics and employments interrelated with their relative strengths and weaknesses. This book takes an enormous subject and renders it consumable for even the dimmer-witted. Rather, it was U.S. technological prowess in shipbuilding. This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. SD was driven out of the fight; Washington sank Kirishima. Rather, it was U.S. technological prowess in shipbuilding. A really good read! Now they celebrate the “victory” - a key foundation of China’s rising nationalism. by Oxford University Press. Main navies Before & after the war. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Symonds has written a naval history that covers, and correlates, all venues, campaigns … Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Who would have thought that Landing Boats/Ships would be the most important craft in the Second World War. I learned a lot. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work. I have read a lot about the battles in the Pacific as well, many of which are sea battles. A good survey of the war at sea...a surprisingly fast read for such a heavy topic. A truely exceptional book in its scope and depth. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. World War II at Sea is his crowning achievement, a narrative of the entire war and all of its belligerents, on all of the world’s oceans and seas between 1939 and 1945. A thorough review of military naval activity from all the major players of World War Two from the beginning of the conflict to the end. (I did pace myself, though, the incomprehensible destruction and loss of life get a little overwhelming in too large of doses....so much I had never heard of before, and apparently the public never heard about at the time.) I never understood the impact of the split command (MacArthur and Nimitz) on the conduct of the war in the South Pacific. American General Douglas MacArthur surveys the terrain on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands in February 1944. Craig Symonds, a lifelong Navy man, might be considered somewhat partial his own Service, but that partiality doesn't dim the brilliance of his survey of the crucial role played by Allied naval forces in World War II. Smooth, well-written chronological summary of the naval aspects of War II. But I have never read an account of all of the sea battles and how they fit into the big picture of the war in general. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Unable to add item to List. I learned so much. I had no idea how important and scarce LSTs were. Start by marking “World War II at Sea: A Global History” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Two German minesweepers are moored at right. He makes a strong case for the critically necessary elements of sea power, sea lift and sea control to the process of the war. $34.95. For example, he shows, in the Battle of the Atlantic, that while closing the air gap, adding Jeep carriers to each convoy, and battling million of fanatical Russians helped, by 1943, America simply was producing more tonnage than U-boats could sink. Only gripe is the editing, which was very poor. With a massive merchant navy, about a third of the world total, … This book represents a phenomenal undertaking and accomplishes it with remarkable success. In fact, this is probably the first serious account of military history that I’ve read since then. This well written book covers the naval war of World War II between the years 1939 and 1945. Offers the first truly global narrative account of the maritime history of World War II Presents a cohesive chronology of the world's navies, from the London Conference of 1930 to the surrender in Tokyo Bay in 1945 Contains over 100 photographs and 23 maps I remember the parades of the early 1950s, but never really understood the scope of world war II. Chinese leaders once tried to suppress memories of their nation’s brutal experience during World War II. With this volume, Dr. Symonds once again proves he is one of the best naval historians currently writing. Learn more about the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Allies' first major offensive - and a decisive victory - in the Pacific theater during World War II. Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here, Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2018. But Symonds really does provide a full-bodied, detailed, expansive portrait of the war at sea---beginning with the London Naval Conference of 1930, which set the limits for warship construction among all the world’s navies. The American carrier USS Wasp in her death throes after being hit by three torpedoes fired from the Japanese submarine I-19 on September 15, 1942. Thoroughly good!! This is a wonderful book. Learn more about the program. This book never felt boring and was for the most part engaging, giving you enough details to fully understand a battle, but keeping it concise enough for it to not drag out. Nice review at end on what happened to the major personalities. It covers everything comprehensively, although in one volume you can't expect to get a huge level of detail. World War II at Sea from Craig Symonds is a comprehensive (not exhaustive) history of the naval war in its entirety told chronologically. Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? 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