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N. neteen books have been selected for this annual round-up. As In the past, they were chosen on an individual basis, not in an attempt to meet any quotas or strike some sort of balance. Several works that appeared ln the closing months of 1977, too late for that year’s survey, are included here. Reference works of a purely technical nature (e.g., Dutton’s Navigation or American Practical Navigator, Bowditch") have been excluded.
Of the total 19, six are naval annuals and nine deal wholly or principally with World War II. Only four are de- v°ted to any of the other periods, top- lcs> or potential themes of naval history and affairs. (To be sure, there Were some books in the latter category, but none of sufficient interest to ^ considered notable.) Without wish- mg to denigrate either the historical 'mportance and dramatic appeal of the events of 1939-1945 or the value of the work being done on them, it seerns reasonable to suggest that other areas are ripe for attention.
It is also worthy of note that this is the fourth consecutive review to contain only a single biography. Why this fascinating field has attracted so ew authors is puzzling. Although 10graphy is reputedly among the tttost difficult of literary forms, it rnust also be among the most intri- ®Ulng, and naval subjects abound. It 15 been 30 years or more since the ttiost recent studies of Truxtun, De- ratur, Farragut, David Dixon Porter, Uce> and Sims. Surely, it is time a
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new generation took a look at them. Still more surprising is the number of outstanding officers—Sampson,
Mayo, Lee, and King, for four particularly prominent examples—of whom there are no biographies, old or new. Happily, this complaint seems likely to be short-lived. Several important biographies are under way at the moment. Their appearance is awaited with keen anticipation.
Now, to describe the books themselves. The most ambitious in its scope is Helmut Pemsel’s A History of War at Sea: An atlas and chronology of conflict at sea from the earliest times to the present. The subtitle is quite serious, and 2,500 years of maritime conflict, from the Graeco-Persian Wars to the Mayaguez incident, are traced by a concise (and comprehensively indexed) chronology and more than 250 well- executed maps and charts. There is also a series of small-scale waterline renderings, depicting the evolution of warships, and nine useful appendices. Seldom does one find such a wealth of readily retrievable information compacted between two covers. This is a book that no library and no student of naval history should be without.
The American naval experience is examined in In Peace and War: Interpretations of American Naval History, 1775-1978, a collection of 17 chronologically sequential essays edited by Naval Academy Professor Kenneth J. Hagan. As the title telegraphs, this is not a book of battles. It is as much concerned with the formulation of naval policy, the Navy's internal history, and its role as an instrument of diplomacy as with the wars it has fought. The wars are by no means neglected, however. The result is perhaps the best-rounded study of the U. S. Navy to appear to date. As is inevitably the case with anthologies, the quality of the contributions varies, but many of them—such as the superb account of how the Navy met the challenge of "Fighting a Global War, 1939-1945,” by Professor Robert William Love, Jr.—are very good, indeed, and the general level is high. The editor did his work well. The publishers did their work well, too, and have complemented his efforts by turning out a handsome volume.
Notable Naval Books of 1978
By Professor Jack Sweetman, Associate Editor
The single biography alluded to above is Alfred Friendly’s engrossing Beaufort of the Admiralty: A Life of Sir Francis Beaufort, 1774-1857. The man who made the words “Admiralty chart” a synonym for reliable (and devised the wind force scale which bears his name), Admiral Beaufort had an
adventurous career as a ship’s officer in the Napoleonic Wars before settling down to his great work in the Admiralty Hydrographic Office. The author, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, broke the code in which Beaufort kept his diaries and examined over 2,000 letters to present this almost three-dimensional portrait of a significant and sympathetic figure. Unfortunately, the volume exemplifies the adage that you can’t tell a book by its cover or, in this case, its dust jacket. The latter features a reproduction of a rather dusky portrait of Beaufort in late middle age, looking much the way Dickens described Mr. Pickwick. It is a nice enough painting, but it is very dull. Don’t be put off, because the book is anything but dull.
When in September 1939 Winston Churchill was recalled to the office of First Lord of the Admiralty, after an intermission of 24 years, the Royal Navy was informed of his return by the signal, “Winston is back.” The consequences of having Winston back are assessed in Captain Stephen Ros- kill’s provocative Churchill and the Admirals. Author of the highly acclaimed British official history of the war at sea, in this, his latest work, Captain Roskill focuses on Churchill’s relations with the Royal Navy’s senior officers in World War II. He also treats Churchill’s experiences as First Lord in the opening years of World War I, experiences which he considers the key to his attitudes in the second. Baldly stated, Roskill’s thesis is that Churchill, stung by the recollections of how frequently Lord Fisher had thwarted his designs, determined to prevent the recurrence of such frustrations by favoring admirals he could bend to his will. A prime example is his principal professional advisor, the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Dudley Pound. Roskill concludes that this self-imposed isolation from responsible dissent often had unhappy effects upon the conduct of the war at sea, to which Churchill continued to devote a great deal of extremely personal attention even after he became prime minister. An appendix reviews Roskill's reasoning in his celebrated controversy with Professor Arthur J.
Marder, whose analysis of Churchill’s influence on naval operations is considerably less critical.
In his History of the Second World War, Churchill wrote that the only thing which really frightened him in the war was “the U-boat peril.” How that peril was mounted and ultimately repulsed is related in The Battle of the ; Atlantic, by Terry Hughes and John Costello. A work combining the vir- l tues of a pictorial and narrative history, it features a collection of more than 400 photographs, many of which are published for the first time, and an exhaustively researched text. The flavor is unmistakably British, but the battle was primarily a British concern- The only serious flaw is an underestimation of the U.S. Navy’s contribution to the convoy effort in the months when it remained officially at peace. Overall, this is the most complete account yet to appear of the crucial struggle for the North Atlantic.
With the important exception of escort carriers, the vessels that waged the Battle of the Atlantic are among ; those treated in two fine references. Peter Elliott’s Allied Escort Ships <j I World War II and Erminio Bagnasco5 Submarines of World War Two. These large, copiously illustrated books take the same approach to their subjects- Following introductory discussions of the status of the respective vessels the outbreak of war, the coverage )S divided along national lines, with set" tions detailing the design, technic^ characteristics, major conversions, and; war services of each class. Elliott*; study includes the Royal Navy, the Dominion and Commonwealth naviesj (Canada, Australia, New Zealand. South Africa, and India), and tbr U. S. Navy. There are also chapter*! on armaments and electronics, and wartime transfers. Bagnasco’s book scribes all the classes and types of th£| 2,500 submarines employed by all tne| belligerent navies, including eve(,i Yugoslavia’s and Brazil's, betweeC 1939 and 1945.
One of the contributing factors 1 the Allies’ eventual victory over tf>£| wolfpacks was the fact, first reveal^ by the publication of Group Capta|(1j F.W. Winterbotham’s The Ultra SeC‘\‘ in 1974, that they were able to re.' '
the Germans’ codes. The impact of this ability on the conduct of British naval operations is described by Patrick Beesly in Very Special Intelligence: The Story of Admiralty’s Operational Intelligence Centre, 1939-1945. The Operational Intelligence Center was the Admiralty department responsible for decrypting and evaluating the German radio signals. In a very real sense, it Was, as Mr. Beesly writes, the nerve tenter of the sea war against Germany. This account of its activities, first made possible by the recent relaxation British security restrictions, is therefore a major contribution to the literature of the conflict.
Among the most questionable of Churchill’s decisions was to bolster “titain’s Far Eastern presence in late 1941 by dispatching the battleship Prince of Wales and battle cruiser RePulse to Singapore as a show of force against Japan. Admiral Pound obJected but, as was often the case, he tvas overruled. It was a mistake. Both ships were sunk off the coast of Malaya y a succession of Japanese air strikes °n the afternoon of 10 December 1941 ln an engagement which announced che end of the dreadnought era even tjiore clearly than Taranto or Pearl ttarbor. The battleships surprised in arbor at those places were fish in a arrel. The Prince of Wales and Repulse Were at sea, with room to maneuver, ar>d fully alert. The full story of this tragic episode, from the cabinet meet- lng in which Churchill decided to Send the ships to the Far East, to the tescue of their survivors, is told in "Jartin Middlebrook and Patrick /^honey’s meticulously researched /‘“hship: The Loss of the Prince of ales and the Repulse. In addition to c°nsulting British and Japanese offi- tial records, many of which have only ately been opened to researchers, hey contacted 193 officers and men 'V*1° had been on board the ships or 'Vere otherwise connected with the ac- ^°n- Their narrative is both enthrall- lng and authoritative.
An account of this action, and every p^er significant engagement of the acific war, is presented from the apanese viewpoint in A Battle History ■ ‘he Imperial Japanese Navy (1941- ^5), by Paul S. Dull. Professor
Emeritus of Asian History at the University of Oregon, Dr. Dull synthesized sources (the 260 microfilm rolls of Japanese naval records in the custody of the U. S. Navy History Division and the 90 volumes produced to date by the Japanese Defense Agency’s War History Section), hitherto almost untouched by Western scholars, to trace the course of the conflict as it was seen and recorded by the Japanese. In so doing, he adds to our understanding of it by showing us events as they appeared in the perspective of “the other side of the hill.”
The Pacific is also the scene of Rear Admiral Richard H. O’Kane’s gripping memoir, Clear the Bridge! The War Patrols of the U.S.S. Tang. The Tang departed Hawaii on her first patrol on 22 January 1944. She was lost in the Formosa Straits almost exactly ten months later, when one of her own torpedoes circled back to destroy her. In the course of her five patrols she had sunk an amazing average of one enemy ship every 11 days, a rate twice that of any other U. S. submarine and a record which made O’Kane the highest scoring skipper of the war. His telling of her story reads as well as any war novel and has the additional distinction of being true. As Rear Admiral John R. Wadleigh concluded in an earlier review (June 1978 Proceedings, pp. 102-103), the book is “a significant contribution to the Navy’s proud history, a narrative written by the best possible source: the one man responsible for everything that did or did not take place on the SS-306, her only commanding officer.”
The struggle for the Mediterranean is recalled by Navi e Marinai Italiani nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale, an Italian pictorial history of the Italian Navy in World War II. The 573 photographs it contains are complemented by a suite of full-color, fold-out renderings of Italian warships. The coverage includes the little-known activities of Italian small combatants at the extremities of the Eastern Front, on Lake Ladoga and the Black Sea.
In respect to naval annuals, there are three fine works from which to choose: the first bilingual edition of the well-known German publication, Weyers Warships of the World; the second English edition—not merely a translation—of Jean Labayle Couhat’s Combat Fleets of the World; and, inevitably, Jane’s Fighting Ships. All open with introductions in which their respective editors review the naval developments of the preceding year, and each has its special virtues. Comparing them to one another is a matter of making trade-offs between coverage, convenience, and cost. Their vital statistics are
Weyers:
Size: 5" x IVa Pages: 605
Illustrations: 561 photos,
1,437 drawings List price: $44.00
Combat Fleets:
Size: 10 Vi" x 81/2"
Pages: 651
Illustrations: 1,800 photos,
65 drawings List price: $49.50
Jane's:
Size: 8V4" x 13"
Pages: 813
Illustrations: Approx. 2,000 List price: $84.50
Of course, statistics do not tell the whole story. Weyers is obviously the easiest to handle, but its concision is achieved by means of an astringently tabular format and the division of text, drawings, and photos into three separate sections. What this means in practice, to take one example, is that the user who looks up the specification and performance data on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) on pages 192-193 must turn to pages 460 and 486, respectively, for drawings and a photograph of her. This is in marked contrast to Combat Fleets and Jane’s, both of which use their larger size to inte-
r
grate text and illustrations. Weyers also lacks the extensive notes with which the other two references often supplement their statistical presentations.
Drawing distinctions, other than in price, between Combat Fleets and Janes is more difficult, as they are quite similar in concept and style. This year’s Combat Fleets is 10% longer than the 1976-1977 edition and contains over 450 new illustrations. Jane’s, which underwent a major revision last year, retains the format adopted at that time. An interesting new feature is a list of "Major Matters" that have arisen in the different navies since the previous edition.
Four notable naval books provide close-ups of individual or, in one case, a regional grouping of navies.
The eleventh edition of The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet is, for practical purposes, a completely new work. The first edition to be compiled by Norman Polmar, former editor of the U.S. sections of Jane's Fighting Ships, it has been enlarged (in format as well as content), expanded, and thoroughly revised. The section on surface combatants, for instance, has been increased from 31 to 61 pages. In its previous incarnations, the book was basically a guide, designed to answer the questions: what do we have and what does it look like? It now emerges as a definitive reference.
Mr. Polmar is also the coauthor, with German naval expert Siegfried Breyer, of the new edition of the Naval Institute’s Guide to the Soviet Navy. Almost twice as long as the 1970 edition, it is not simply a guide to the Soviet fleet but, as the title indicates, to the Soviet Navy as a whole. Thus, the chapters on warships, weapons and equipment, and the naval air force are complemented by others on related topics ranging from organization, personnel, and warship construction to naval infantry and coastal defense, bases and ports, the shipbuilding industry, and satellite navies. Of course, the warship chapter is by far the longest (357 of 580 text pages). Illustrated by more than 300 drawings, 168 photographs, and 12 maps, it is an indispensable source.
The major navies of the Western Pacific are profiled in the Guide to Far
Eastern Navies, edited by Barry M. Blechman and Robert P. Berman. The six forces treated are those of Communist and Nationalist China, North and South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. The book is divided into two parts. The first is a series of essays ■ in which recognized experts assess the past and present status and the future prospects of these navies; the second consists of detailed descriptions of the ships and aircraft they currently deploy. Of especial interest among the essays are the editors’ introductory survey of “The Naval Balance in the Western Pacific” and Commander Bruce Swanson’s evaluation of “The Navy of the People’s Republic of China.” Mr. Blechman is Assistant Director of the U. S. Arms Control & Disarmament Agency; Mr. Berman is a member of the Brookings Institute Defense Analysis Staff.
Die Schiffe and Fahrzeuge def deutschen Bundesmarine 1956-1976, by Siegfried Breyer and Gerhard Koop> : describes the technical characteristics and operational history of every vessel that belonged to the Federal German Navy during the first 20 years of its - existence. This German-languagc work opens with an account of "The Planning and Development of Ship5 and Boats for the Federal German Navy in the years 1956 to 1976 ; coauthored by DiplomingenieW1 (graduate engineers) Hans-Geof? Forndran and Reinhold Fuhrmann> both of whom participated in the pr°" cess. The vessels themselves ate treated by class, with appendices oi> naval aircraft, weapon systems, an^ color camouflage paint schemes. At' tractively printed on high-quality PT per, and illustrated with hundreds photographs and drawings, this is an impressive volume. Unfortunately' thanks to the recent erosion of the dof lar against the deutschemark (1 to 2 a* of this writing), its 95 DM sales pt,cC converts into a whopping $47.50, *| sum likely to deter private purchase1* whose interest in the Federal Germa*1 Navy is less than passionate. Tho^ whose interest is of great intensity »'* find their money well spent.
EDITOR'S Note: Some of the books i* eluded in the listing are not pictured.
J Allied Escort Ships of World War : A Complete Survey
Peter Elliott. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1977. 575 pp. Illus. Ind. $17.95 ($14.35).
The Battle of the Atlantic
Terry Hughes and John Costello. New York: The Dial Press/James Wade, 1977. 342 pp. IUus- Maps. Bib. Ind. $14.95 ($13.46).
Si A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1941-1945)
Paul S. Dull. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute tess, 1978. 402 pp. Illus. Maps. Append. B‘h. Ind. $23.95 ($19.15).
battleship: The Loss of the Prince of ales and the Repulse
Martin Middlebrook and Patrick Mahoney. London: Allen Lane, 1977. 366 pp. Illus.
‘laps. Append. Bib. Ind. £ 5.95 (Approx. ,12-00), ($10.80).
beaufort of the Admiralty: A Life of Mr Francis Beaufort, 1774-1857
Friendly. New York: Random House,
7' ^2 pp. Illus. Maps. Append. Bib. Ind.
* 5-00 ($13.50).
Churchill and the Admirals
S?pt- Stephen Roskill, RN (Ret.). New York: hliam Morrow, 1978. 351 pp. Illus. Maps. PPend. Bib. Ind. $12.95 ($11.66).
8 Clear the Bridge! The War Patrols of*e U.S.S. Tang
j^dm. Richard H. O'Kane, USN (Ret.), "'tago: Rand McNally, 1977. 480 pp. Illus. aPs. Append. Ind. $12.50 ($10.00).
51 Combat Fleets of the World 1978/79: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament
Jean Labayle Couhat. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1978. 651 pp. Illus. Ind. $49.50 ($39.60).
Die Schiffe and Fahrzeuge der deutschen Bundesmarine 1956-1976 (The Ships and Craft of the Federal German Navy 1956-1976)
Siegfried Breyer and Gerhard Koop. Munich: Bernard & Graefe, 1978. 482 pp. Illus. Append. Bib. Ind. DM 95 (Approx. $47.50).
51 Guide to Far Eastern Navies
Barry M. Blechman and Robert P. Berman, Editors. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. 1978. 586 pp. Illus. Maps. Ind. $32.95 ($26.35).
51 Guide to the Soviet Navy
Siegfried Breyer and Norman Polmar. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1977. 610 pp. Illus. Maps. Append. Bib. Ind. $22.95 ($18.36).
51 A History of War at Sea: An atlas and chronology of conflict at sea from earliest times to the present day
Helmut Pemsel. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1978. 176 pp. Illus. Maps. Append. Bib. Ind. $15.95 ($12.75).
Jane’s Fighting Ships 1978/79 Capt. John E. Moore, Editor. RN (Ret.). New York: Franklin Watts, 1978. 700 pp. Illus. $84.50 ($76.05).
Navi e Marinai Italiani nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale (The Italian Navy in the Second World War)
Elio Ando and Erminio Bagnasco. Parma, Italy: Ermanno Albertelli, 1977. 572 pp. Illus. 18,000 Lira (Approx. $22.70).
In Peace and War: Interpretations of American Naval History, 1775-1978
Kenneth J. Hagan, Editor. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1978. 368 pp. Illus. Bib. Ind. $17.50 ($15.75).
51 The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet
Norman Polmar, Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1978. 350 pp. Illus. Ind. $18.95 ($15.15).
5] Submarines of World War Two
Erimino Bagnasco. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1977. 256 pp. Illus. Ind. $21.95 ($17.55).
Very Special Intelligence: The Story of the Admiralty’s Operational Intelligence Centre 1939-1945
Patrick Beesly. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1978. 282 pp. Illus. Bib. Ind. $10.00 ($9.00).
Q Weyers Warships of the World
Gerhard Albrecht, Editor. Munich: Bernard & Graefe, 1978. 605 pp. Illus. Ind. $44.00 ($35.25).
Editor's Note: See the Book Order Service Note on page 95 for a description of the symbols and book order information.
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