Book Reviews
Admiral of the Fleet
Richard Hough. New York: MacMillan, 1970. 393 pp. Illus. $8.95.
Reviewed by Vice Admiral B. B. Schofield, Royal Navy (Retired)
(Vice Admiral Schofield, a graduate of the Royal Navy Colleges, Osborne and Dartmouth, served on board the battle cruiser HMS Indomitable in World War I. He commanded the cruiser Galatea and the battleships Duke of York and King George V during World War II. He has served at various duty stations, both in the United States and Great Britain. Since his retirement in 1950, he has been the author of several books and articles on naval and maritime subjects.)
If Jacky Fisher had not presided over the selection board which passed me into the Royal Navy, this reviewer might never have come face to face with the most colorful officer to reach flag rank in the Royal Navy in the last 100 years. Although a biography of his life was published 40 years ago, Professor Arthur Marder’s four volume study, From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow, and the two volumes of his papers published by the Navy Records Society, have brought to light so many new facets of Fisher’s character that a new study of the life of this remarkable man was clearly desirable. It was at Marder’s suggestion that Richard Hough undertook the task.
With so much of the flamboyant in his hero’s make-up, it would have been easy to produce an overcharged narrative, but the author has given us a sober, factual, and well-balanced biography of a highly controversial figure who, with all his faults, did more than anyone to ready the Royal Navy to meet the German challenge in 1914.
Fisher’s life is a story of success achieved by ability, hard work, and an unshakeable determination to succeed. He entered the Navy on 12 June 1854 at the age of 13, and after some uneventful service in the Baltic during the Crimean war, he was sent to China where he saw active service during the disastrous attack on the Peiho forts in June 1859. On his return to England, his marked success in his professional examinations for the rank of lieutenant, led to an appointment on the staff of the gunnery school ship, HMS Excellent at Portsmouth, and in 1863, he became gunnery officer of Britain’s first iron ship, HMS Warrior.
When the Whitehead torpedo made its appearance in 1866, Fisher saw in it a weapon “. . . destined to play a most important part in future wars . . . .”
Promoted to captain in 1874 at the age of 33, he commanded “. . . the newest and most powerful warship in the Royal Navy, HMS Inflexible.”
The next 14 years, with one brief exception, he spent in shore appointments, because of ill health. After commanding the Gunnery School at Portsmouth, in 1885, he became Director of Naval Ordnance, succeeding in his efforts to gain control of naval ordnance from the Army.
In August 1890, he was promoted to rear admiral, and in 1892, he became Third Sea Lord and Comptroller of the Navy. The author states that it was “. . . a time of great accomplishments achieved through constant controversy and even rancor and at the price of a reputation for utter ruthlessness.”
In 1897, he became Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies station, and then Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in July 1899. He saw the need to reform the Royal Navy, so while whipping up the efficiency of his fleet, he carried out attacks on Admiralty policy, which Mr. Hough characterizes as “three-pronged”—direct, through political allies, and by means of the press.
While in the Mediterranean, Fisher perfected a new system of entry and training of naval officers. He implemented this plan when appointed Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel. He took up his post 18 months after King Edward VII ascended the throne, and the friendship which grew between them continued up to the King’s death in 1910. Paradoxically, Fisher was ardent for the abolition of class distinction among naval officers. This was one of the features of his educational reforms, and the King allowed both his grandsons to enter the navy as cadets at Osborne, where they were treated on an equal footing with the rest of the cadets, including this reviewer.
Admiral Fisher succeeded Admiral Lord Walter Kerr as First Sea Lord on 21 October 1904. After five and a quarter stormy years, he retired on 25 January 1910.
Fisher is generally given credit for the introduction of the all-big-gun battleships typified by HMS Dreadnought, but as the author points out, the idea originated with an Italian Colonel Cuniberti, and it is sometimes forgotten that in 1905 the U. S. General Board authorized the construction of the battleships South Carolina and Michigan, in which this principle was adopted. Indeed there is reason to believe that knowledge of this fact spurred Fisher on to have the Dreadnought completed in the short space of 16 months so as to be first in the field. Full credit, however, must be given to him for the way in which he overcame all opposition to and for the secrecy with which he surrounded his plans.
Retirement did not come easily to a man of his dynamic disposition. Winston Churchill, on taking office as First Lord in 1911, was the recipient of many of Fisher’s broadsides. One outcome of their association was the decision to lay down the five oil-burning, 15-inch gun battleships of the Queen Elizabeth class. In this reviewer’s opinion, it was the best investment Great Britain ever made. As the war which Fisher had foretold with such accuracy approached, the old warrior girded himself up at the age of 73 to play the part he was sure he would be called upon to fulfill. The story of his recall is well told by author Hough.
Two such forceful characters as were Churchill and Fisher were bound to disagree, and the rift came over the ill-fated Dardanelles expedition, which led to Fisher’s resignation and Churchill’s removal from office. The Admiralty was certainly the poorer for the loss of these two brilliant minds.
This is an important, well-written book, which admirably complements the studies made by Professor Marder of this crucial period in British history. The book is expertly indexed, and one could only wish that the proofreading had been as good.
Surfboats and Horse Marines
K. Jack Bauer, Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute, 1969. 291 pp. Illus. $12.50.
Reviewed by William James Morgan
(Dr. Morgan is the head of the Historical Research Section, Naval History Division, Navy Department. He is editor of the multi-volume series Naval Documents of the American Revolution, and the author of Captains to the Northward: The New England Captains in the Continental Navy.)
Mr. Bauer, a meticulous scholar with a deep knowledge of his subject, quite correctly introduces his work by noting that naval operations during the Mexican War have never been treated in the detail they deserve. This same observation could be made about the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War I.
Nevertheless, it is surprising that naval historians heretofore have touched so lightly on the Mexican conflict, which not only cemented the U. S. position in Texas and brought California into the fold, but was rife with portents of the future.
This war called forth the largest projection of military strength, land and sea, experienced until that period in the young life of our Republic. It likewise marked the beginning of the end of an era in sea warfare—steamships for the first time played a significant role in U. S. combat action. Senior commanders in the Mexican War had received their baptism of fire during the War of 1812, and the more junior officers would shortly be Civil War leaders.
Although the Mexican Navy posed no serious challenge, operations embraced numerous familiar facets of seapower application, including blockade of enemy coasts and ports, major amphibious assault, riverine warfare, sailors and Marines fighting ashore as infantry and artillerists. And yes, thorny logistic problems and confrontations regarding spheres of command were also present.
The war fell into isolated theaters on the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific coasts. Plans were made for a co-ordinated naval and land pincer action, but slow communication and distance dictated otherwise. Logically, Bauer organizes his book in two distinct sections for the Gulf and the struggle in California. I cannot, however, find agreement with his contention that operations in both theaters were totally unrelated. Certainly those in Washington charged with trying to meet and balance demands from both fronts for more ships, men, and supplies were well aware of a real relationship. The situation was not unlike that faced by Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King and the Navy’s supply bureaus in World War II.
Whereas the naval mission in the Gulf, other than Veracruz and the river operations, was primarily blockade, the war in the Pacific and ashore in California abounded with political intrigue, international implications, colorful characters, and exciting action. U. S. sailors and Marines battled the Californios in deadly earnest, albeit Lilliputian, campaigns which not infrequently took on the appearance of comic opera. Americans stormed into the fray shouting “New Orleans” in memory of Andrew Jackson’s great victory 32 years earlier. Vaqueros, Mexican cowboys, charged over the countryside on sinewy ponies, while making excellent use of their expertise with the lasso. All in all, there was more dust and noise than carnage.
The Bauer book is a thorough and much needed addition to the bibliography of the U. S. Navy. Rewarding as it is, it is not an easy book to read. The author appears dedicated to the proposition that not even the most minuscule fragments of researched data will escape his printed page. Thus, it would seem that every time a ship shifts anchorage or takes on water, the reader is kept informed. The usual apparatus of documentation would have been welcome, but this lack is in large measure remedied by a scholarly bibliographical essay. Illustrations are splendid, and the book is rounded off by a good chronology, useful listings of U. S. and Mexican naval vessels, and an adequate index.
Professional Reading
Compiled by Robert A. Lambert, Associate Editor
A Matter of Accountability
Trevor Armbrister. New York: Coward-McCann, 1970. 408 pp. Illus. $7.95.
Focusing as much on the bureaucratic system that spawned the incident as on the Pueblo’s crew, the author has pulled together personal interviews, statements, and court testimony in the best, impartial examination yet of that costly blunder.
Aircraft and Sea Power
Vice Adm. Sir Arthur Hezlet. New York: Stein and Day, 1970. 370 pp. Illus. $15.00.
Covering aircraft, ships, technology, tactics, and strategy, the influence of aircraft on seapower from the turn of the century to the present and the probable developments of the future are the subjects of this study. The author’s previous work was The Submarine and Sea Power.
Armada from Athens
Peter Green. New York: Doubleday, 1970. 392 pp. Illus. $7.95.
Here is ancient history that moves with the speed of a modern novel in a retelling of the Athenian attempt to conquer Syracuse in 415 B.C. Using original sources, recent archeological finds and his own shrewd estimates, the author has produced an interesting, if over-long, account of the great expedition that eventually doomed Athens. While the naval aspects are not slighted, it is the military and political components that are featured.
Blunderbusses
D. R. Baxter. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole, 1970. 78 pp. Illus. $4.95.
Not really comprehensive but reasonably detailed otherwise, this illustrated account traces the development of this devastating weapon that for nearly 300 years was the most popular and effective firearm available to the private citizen.
British Smooth-Bore Artillery
Maj. Gen. B. P. Hughes. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole, 1969. 144 pp. Illus. $14.95.
In this large-format work, an extensive series of illustrations, all of which are either reproductions of contemporary scale drawings or prints, or photographs of actual pieces, presents a comprehensive picture of muzzle- loading artillery of the 18th and 19th centuries. The accompanying text, by the curator of the Royal Artillery collection, includes details of performance, handling, and casting.
British Warships 1845-1945
B. W. Bathe. New York: British Information Services, 1970. 40 pp. Illus. $1.50 (paper).
The booklet offers a very brief outline of the technological changes that occurred in the Royal Navy, using as examples color photographs of the steam warship models in the Science Museum collection.
Bucher: My Story
Commander Lloyd M. Bucher. New York: Doubleday, 1970. 447 pp. Illus. $7.95.
The all-too-familiar details of the Pueblo affair take on an impact not possible from any other book, no matter how well written, and this one is well written. Other than the capture and the imprisonment, Bucher concentrates to a great extent on his difficulties in outfitting his ship, while the chapter on the Court of Inquiry is really a series of unanswered questions rather than a retelling.
The Classic Sherman
Konrad F. Schreier, Jr. Canoga Park, Calif.: Grenadier, 1969. 80 pp. Illus. $4.95 (paper).
In almost every major battle since El Alamein to the recent Israeli victories, the Sherman tank has shown itself to be one of the world’s best medium tanks and the best the United States has produced. In this fine pictorial, all models and variants are displayed with an equally interesting text.
The Cossacks
Philip Longworth. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. 409 pp. Illus. $8.95.
A finely detailed and readable history of these Russian frontiersmen who have demonstrated a remarkable knack for standing against the tides of fortune as first they resisted the growing authority of the tsars, only to side with the Tsar during the Russian Revolution, and later to provide units fighting for Hitler in World War II.
Damn the Torpedoes!
Christopher Martin. New York: Abelard-Schuman, 1970. 280 pp. $6.95.
This popular biography of David Glasgow Farragut is occasionally uneven in treatment, but more often the writing style seems aimed at a young-teen audience. The less knowledgeable reader is hampered also by the lack of charts and maps.
Dive and Torpedo Bombers
J. V. Mizrahi. Northridge, Calif: Sentry Books, 1967. 66 pp. Illus. $5.50 (paper).
From the vintage biplanes to the Avenger and the Skyraider, a multitude of photographs and drawings aid the text in telling the history of planes from a bygone era.
Duty, Honor, Empire
John Lord. New York: Random House, 1970. 412 pp. Illus. $10.00.
To understand the Victorian Age and the British Empire, it helps to know the men who were part of those times. In this life story of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, the reader is introduced to a typical latter-day imperialist—he soldiered in Kenya and India, fought in East Africa, Palestine and France in World War I, and at age 62 was in a small boat at Dunkirk. An adventurer who unabashedly enjoyed killing, he killed his last man when he was 70 years old, when he shot three Arabs in a fire-fight in Haifa. He always regretted not killing Hitler when he had an opportunity to do so in 1939. Certainly a full, exciting life, that has been admirably handled by the biographer.
Engines of Change
George C. Lodge. New York: Knopf, 1970. 411 pp. $8.95.
A re-assessment of U. S. interests, policies, and programs is called for in dealing with Latin America and similar revolutionary regions of the world.
From The Dreadnought to Scapa Flow Vol. 5, 1918-1919: Victory and Aftermath
Arthur J. Marder. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970. 417 pp. Illus. $12.00.
In this final volume, which includes the bibliography for the entire series, the Royal Navy is followed from the dismissal of Admiral Jellicoe through the scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow. The author’s epilogue recapitulates and briefly analyzes the main features of the Great War and of the whole “Fisher Era.”
Grey Wolf, Grey Sea
E. B. Gasaway. New York: Ballentine [sic], 1970. 245 pp. Illus. $.95 (paper).
This is the history of the German submarine U-124 which, during her brief, exciting life sank one British cruiser, one corvette, and 47 merchant ships. This record was the third best of all the submarines that fought in World War II.
The Handgun
Geoffrey Boothroyd. New York: Crown, 1970. 577 pp. Illus. $19.95.
Massive, comprehensive, detailed—the evolution of the handgun from the matchlock to the revolver and the automatic is authoritatively described. The excellent text is complemented by an equally comprehensive range of illustrations that not only show the pistols as complete units, but also dismantled into their component parts, with complex technical points frequently clarified through the use of original patent drawings. This is a must reference for any serious gun hobbyist.
History of the Royal Navy
Peter Kemp (ed.). New York: Putnam, 1969. 304 pp. Illus. $15.00.
A beautifully illustrated volume with an outstanding cast of authors—Geoffrey Bennet, Christopher Lloyd, Donald Macintyre, Bryan Renft, B. B. Schofield, Oliver Warner—show the development of the Senior Service, from the Tudors to the present, in an action oriented compendium. Each of the authors takes one or more chapters and
treats his subject in a fine fashion within the chapter, but the movement from one chapter to another is sometimes awkward. While the illustrations are excellent, some are out of place in relation to the narrative.
Inside the Third Reich
Albert Speer. New York: Macmillan, 1970. 596 pp. Illus. $12.50.
With a strangely detached manner, Hitler’s Minister of Armaments and War Production portrays his part in the Nazi regime and provides a unique, personal view of the Nazi elite. In the past three or four years, the Third Reich has been the subject of several fine analytical histories. In many ways, these memoirs validate those studies. By itself, it must be considered as the most important book to come from the tragedy of Germany and World War II.
Judgment on Nuremberg
William J. Bosch. Chapel Hill, N.C.: The University of North Carolina Press, 1970. 272 pp. $9.75.
Legality of the trials, composition of the court, justice of the verdicts and future implications are the four basic questions evaluated in terms of the views held, then and now, by various segments of American society—government officials, politicians, lawyers, historians, military men, churchmen, political, and behavioral scientists.
Loss of the Scharnhorst
A. J. Watts. London: Ian Allen, 1970. 84 pp. Illus. $.60.
While this may be a small book, it is packed with information, diagrams, pictures, and tables. Divided into two distinct parts—the first is an account of the action which resulted in the battlecruiser’s sinking; the second consists of 11 tables which list the composition of the various forces, the technical specifications of the German and British warships involved, and details of the radar and armament. This is the first in a new series covering the naval battles of World Wars I and II.
Military Law
Edward M. Byrne. Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute, 1970. 396 pp. $7.50.
Law of its very nature is a complicated subject usually made no easier by the books which are supposed to clarify it, but this reference is a welcome change as it explains in the plainest language possible, the principles and practice of a complex field. Written by a naval officer with excellent legal qualifications, it is both a textbook and a handbook intended for Navy and Marine Corps officers who are not lawyers.
Modern Ship Design
Thomas Gillmer. Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute, 1970. 336 pp. Illus. $11.50.
Using the latest information, this is an introductory text which emphasizes the unusual requirements involved in the design of naval vessels ranging from the many warship types to the equally varied supply and specialty ships.
The Naval Officer’s Guide
Rear Adm. Arthur A. Ageton, U.S.N. (Ret.) and Vice Adm. William P. Mack, U.S.N. Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute, 1970. 678 pp. Illus. $10.00.
With its usual fund of pragmatic advice, and with more information than before, this is the eighth edition of a standard reference especially useful for new officers.
Naval Regulations 1802
Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute, 1970. 43 pp. $3.00
Using Commodore Edward Preble’s personal copy for the model, binding, paper, and printing have been well combined in this facsimile booklet that codifies the regulations in force during the Barbary Wars. An added feature is the small bibliography and “Notes on Early Naval Regulations” prepared by Professor Harry Skallerup.
Naval Swords
P. G. W. Annis. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole, 1970. 80 pp. Illus. $4.95.
The evolution of British and American naval edged weapon forms is traced from the adapted hunting swords of the late 17th century to the regulation patterns of cutlass introduced in the 1800s, as well as the dirks and elaborately decorated presentation swords.
Nothing Too Daring
David F. Long. Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute, 1970. 396 pp. Illus. $12.50.
Scholarly research and a readable style combine to form a finely balanced biographical portrait of Commodore David Porter.
Orders and Decorations of Europe in Color
Paul Hieronymussen. New York: Macmillan, 1967. 256 pp. Illus. $4.95.
Great Britain’s Order of the Garter, France’s Legion of Honor, Russia’s Order of Lenin, these and many more of the major orders of 29 nations are illustrated and explained in this atlas which also traces the evolution of orders from their chivalric and religious beginnings.
Pentagon Capitalism
Seymour Melman. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970. 290 pp. $8.50.
According to the thesis advanced here, the American economic and industrial system has been brought under “state-management,” a central control located in the Pentagon.
The Politicians: 1945-1960
Booth Mooney. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1970. 368 pp. $7.95.
This is a lightweight journalistic survey of political personalities who were fixtures on the American landscape from the Fair Deal to the New Frontier.
Privateers in Charleston 1793-1796
Melvin H. Jackson. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1969. 160 pp. Illus. $3.50.
The effort by Spain and England to crush revolutionary France came to the new United States in the form of privateers. Sheltered by French sympathizers in Charleston, South Carolina, French privateers, in direct contravention of American neutrality, sailed out to attack British and Spanish shipping. These adventurous efforts at saving France’s West Indian colonies are the subject of this first in a new series, Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology.
PT Boats
Bryan Cooper. New York: Ballantine, 1970. 160 pp. Illus. $ 1.00 (paper).
Concentrating on the action in and around the world’s coastal waters, this small book describes the crews and exploits of the smallest, fastest surface fighting craft used by the warring nations in World War II.
Racing Planes and Air Races—1970 Annual
Reed Kinert. Fallbrook, Calif.: Aero, 1970. 105 pp. Illus. $3.95 (paper).
With clear photos and three-view drawings of some very unusual aircraft, these pages provide complete coverage of the important air races held in the United States in 1969.
The Republic F-105
Robert D. Archer. Fallbrook, Calif.: Aero, 1969- 80 pp. Illus. $4.25 (paper).
Very few aircraft gain a tremendous reputation in combat after acquiring a poor one in their initial service. “Thud” was once a term of vilification for the Republic F-105 Thunderchief; but that aircraft is one of the few to redeem itself. This oblong booklet tells the history of this fighter-bomber in text, photos and color drawings.
The Rise of Modern China
Immanuel C. Y. Hsü. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970. 830 pp. Illus. $14.50.
The size and complexity of the subject, and the scholarly method in which it is handled will make this survey of China’s painful history from a Chinese viewpoint a useful text for some time to come.
The Roman Imperial Army
Graham Webster. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1969. 330 pp. Illus. $7.95.
All aspects of the army’s history—organization, tactics, weapons, fortifications, diet, medical service, pay—are described and discussed in this work that draws deeply on original sources. There is an index and a lengthy bibliography.
The Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Pacific
Rene J. Francillon. Fallbrook, Calif: Aero, 1970. 98 pp. Illus. $3.95 (paper).
Short on narrative but long on photographs that show the wide variety of aircraft that were used by these two forces as they impressed civilian craft and absorbed planes belonging to retreating Allied units. At the war’s end, the R.A.A.F. was the fourth largest Allied air force.
The Russian Dagger
Virginia Cowles. New York: Harper & Row, 1969. 351 pp. Illus. $7.95.
This is the history of Russia’s attempts to expand into Europe in the 60 years before World War I, depicted against a background of dynastic relationships and revolutionary plotting which made rivalries personal and vicious.
Seacoast Fortifications of the United States
Emanuel Raymond Lewis. Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1970. 145 pp. Illus. $8.95.
This is an illustrated survey, which covers the architecture and technology of these harbor defenses built between 1794 and the final constructions during World War II.
Sir Francis Drake
Hans P. Kraus. New York: Kraus-Thomson, 236 pp. Illus. $80.00
Here is truly outstanding, original scholarship, a pictorial biography of the great Elizabethan sea dog that is also a masterpiece of the printing art, with fold-out charts and manuscript reproductions that appear to be faithful renderings of the originals. Based on the author’s own collection, this is a massive compilation of source material that shows Drake as he appeared to his friends and his enemies. There is an historical introduction by Commander David W. Waters, Curator of Navigation and Astronomy at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and Dr. Richard Bonlind. There is a selective bibliography, but no index—a serious flaw in an otherwise near faultless production.
Some Ship Disasters and their Causes
K. C. Barnaby. New York: Barnes, 1970. 272 pp. Illus. $10.00.
A dull style, combined with a natural variance in the detail of each disaster that is described, reduces the readability of the book. However, when the author, who is a naval architect, really digs in, he brings a professional’s view of such factors as design, seamanship, and luck that were involved.
Steamships, 1: Merchant Ships to 1880
B. W. Bathe. New York: British Information Services, 1969. 40 pp. Illus. $1.40 (paper).
Using color photographs of models in Britain’s Science Museum collection, this booklet gives a very brief summary of steamship development by describing early experimental steamboats and the various types of paddle and screw steamships that were launched before 1880.
Suez Thrombosis
Capt. A. P. S. Bindra, Indian Navy. Delhi, India: Vikas, 1969. 159 pp. Illus. $6.30.
With most of the emphasis on recent events—in which the Arabs, Israelis, and other interested parties receive fair-handed treatment—this is a concise survey of the long history of Suez as a crisis zone.
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I-XVI
Richard Ward and Ted Hooton. New York: Arco, 1970. 48 pp. Illus. $2.95 (paper).
The operational history of this superb defensive fighter, in its Merlin-engine version, is covered by this large-format publication.
The 10th Royal Hussars
Michael Brander. New York: Hillary House, 1969. 137 pp. Illus. $4.50.
Although his military career was short, one of the more familiar persons to have served as an officer in this regiment was “Beau” Brummel; however, the Prince of Wales’s Own is more famous for its decisive charge at Waterloo, as well as for its part in the North African and Italian campaigns of World War II. Unfortunately, there is no chronology table in this short history as there is in others of this Famous Regiments series.
Trafalgar: The Nelson Touch
David Howarth. New York: Atheneum, 1969. 254 pp. Illus. $8.95.
With excellent illustrations of the ships, the battle, the commanders, and the sailors, this facile narrative brings new life to this famous engagement and provides a rare human touch to its equally famous participants.
The U. S. Merchant Marine Today—Sunrise or Sunset?
Earl W. Clark, Hoyt S. Haddock, and Stanley J. Volens. Washington, D.C.: Labor-Management Maritime Committee, 100 Indiana Ave., N.W., 20001, 1970. 24J pp. Illus. (paper). No price given.
The U. S. Merchant Marine has diminished to a shadow of its former self while the Soviet Union drives to the sea in a massive effort to dominate it, but the American public remains indifferent to this aspect of seapower. This thorough documentation is not aimed at getting public attention so much as political attention, for it seeks to get the maritime community to present a program of national maritime objectives to the Administration and Congress that will “achieve a U. S. flag merchant fleet sufficient to the needs of the nation without delay.”
Unsere Marineuniform
Josef Zienert. Hamberg [sic]: Helmut Gerhard Schulz, 1970. 451 pp. Illus. $23.00.
Every aspect of German naval uniforms from 1816 to 1969 is considered in this remarkably detailed reference. While there are few color plates, there are many full page illustrations and a liberal employment of textual illustrations. This book, which is in German, is a must for any serious naval history or uniform collection.
The Walls of Israel
Jean Larteguy. New York: Evans, 1969. 240 pp. $5.95.
In a fast-paced style, this noted French journalist and author provides a fascinating view of the individual Israeli soldier and his remarkable army.
War in Peacetime
J. Lawton Collins. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1969. 416 pp. Illus. $10.00.
From his position as Army Chief of Staff and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff throughout the Korean War, General Collins uses this book to provide an intimate view of the personalities, politics, and tactics involved in America’s first, large-scale limited war. In the book’s final chapter, “In Retrospect,” the general uses the Korean experience as a means for sifting clues to what may develop in Vietnam.
Warships of the British and Commonwealth Navies
H. T. Lenton. London: Ian Allen, 1969. 287 pp. Illus. $5.00.
A worthy successor to the earlier compendium, this second edition retains the first edition’s innovative grouping of ships in functional categories as it presents an up dated detailing of the units in the 16 navies of the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, the general arrangement drawings were dropped from this revision.
Will the Soviet Union Survive Until 1984?
Andrei Amalrik. New York: Harper & Row, 1970. 93 pp. $4.95.
According to the thesis advanced by this native Russian, who has just been punished for writing it, the Soviet Union will collapse in a war with Red China.
Witnesses of Tsushima
J. N. Westwood. Tallahassee, Fla.: Diplomatic Press, 1970. 321 pp. Illus. $15.00.
As seen through the eyes of a diverse group of participants, this is a dramatic reconstruction of the great naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War. In addition to the adroit interweaving of personal account, the author appraises many factors—ships, tactics, gunnery, officer competence—and concludes the Russians, though defeated, were not as badly out-of-phase with their contemporaries as is often portrayed.
RE-ISSUES
The Battle of Jutland
Holloway H. Frost, Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute [1936], 1970. 571 pp. Illus.
Greek and Roman Naval Warfare
William Ledyard Rodgers. Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute [1937], 1970. 555 pp. Illus.
Naval Warfare Under Oars 4th to 16th Centuries
William Ledyard Rodgers. Annapolis, Md.: U. S. Naval Institute [1940], 1970. 358 pp. Illus.