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Loss of the Bismarck
B. B. Schofield, Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1972. 96 pp. Illus. $5.00.
Reviewed by William H. Garzke, Jr., and Lieutenant Commander Robert O. Dulin, Jr., U. S. Naval Reserve
(Mr. Garzke received his bachelors degree in naval architecture and maritime engineering in l%0 at the University of Michigan. In 1970, he earned his masters degree in applied mathematics from Adelphi University.
Presently employed as a senior staff engineer at Gibbs and Cox, Inc. in New York, he is the coauthor, with Lieutenant Commander Dulin, of a forthcoming Naval Institute Press book on battleships. Lieutenant Commander Dulin, a 1961 graduate of the Naval Academy, served in gunnery and engineering billets on board the destroyer Mullinnix. He received a masters degree in naval architecture and marine engineering, and also the professional degree—naval engineer—from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1967. He then served in engineering billets at duty stations both in the United States and overseas. He resigned his regular Naiy commission in September 1973, and is presently in the Naval Reserve. He is employed by John J. McMullen Associates in New York.)
This interesting little book is the third in the "Sea Battles in Close-up” series. The limited size of the book (only 96 pages of text, appendices, and index; plus 16 pages of photographs) forces a concise presentation. Within this constraint, Vice Admiral Schofield has succeeded rather well in presenting a good overview of the Bismarck saga.
The sortie of the Bismarck, highlighted by the dramatic destruction of the Hood and the subsequent pursuit and eventual sinking of the Bismarck is almost legendary in its impact. Certainly, the episode has a fascination for the general public that far exceeds that accorded numerous engagements of
vastly greater import to the outcome of the war. As Vice Admiral Schofield points out, the era of the surface raider as a major factor in naval warfare was fast drawing to a close in 1941. No matter what the outcome of the Bismarck chase, this trend would have continued. The sinking of the Bismarck primarily served as a symbol of this trend and, most importantly, provided Great Britain with a dramatic victory at a time when its naval and military successes were few and far between.
Although the book is rather successful from the standpoint of its historical narrative, it is inaccurate when technical matters are discussed.
The author exaggerates the disparity between the displacement of the Bismarck and the Washington Treaty limit by comparing the maximum displacement of the German ship against the standard displacement limit set by the Treaty. This gives a pronounced, unfair bias to the comparison. Rather than compare 50,900 tons for the Bismarck against the 35,000-ton Treaty limit, he should have used the standard tonnage of the German ship, 41,700 tons, for the comparison. This does not vary much from the standard displacement of the Prince of Wales, 38,000 tons. In any event, the Treaty was no longer in effect, and all "Treaty battleships,” as completed, actually exceeded the Treaty- specified limit on displacement by a considerable margin.
The author errs when he comments that the Bismarck was originally conceived as a diesel-driven warship. The original German plan was for a turboelectric plant similar to that on the liner Normandie and the American carriers Lexington and Saratoga, which had impressed the German marine engineers. A satisfactory propulsion motor could
not be developed, however, and Admiral Erich Raeder eventually ordered the selection of a high-temperature, high- pressure steam turbine plant.
Admiral Schofield has nicely summarized the Bismarck's final engagement, but his tabulation in the appendix of torpedoes fired at the Bismarck—eight hits; four possible hits—contradicts his text (six hits).
The book’s reliance on Jochen Brennecke’s conclusions about such technical matters as the ship’s stability and resistance to underwater damage is most unfortunate. As the book’s narrative points out, the shellfire damage was largely confined to areas of the Bismarck above the waterline, and it is known that the British aerial torpedoes carried an explosive charge less than the designed resistance of the Bismarck's side protective system. Hence, minimal flooding could be attributed to gunfire, and fully half the six confirmed torpedo hits probably did not cause flooding beyond the confines of the battleship’s side protective system. A damaged stability analysis performed by German naval constructors during the design of the Bismarck determined that massive flooding would have to occur before the ship would capsize. As the Dorsetshire’s three torpedo hits, the only ones likely to have breached the Bismarck’s side protection, occurred only a few minutes before the ship capsized and sank (and two of these were to the starboard side, and the ship capsized to port), it is virtually certain that Commander Junack’s allegation that the Bismarck was scuttled is correct.
This small book is far from definitive, but (despite the technical deficiencies noted) it does provide a good summary and description of the dramatic Bismarck episode.
Professional Reading
Associate Editor
Compiled by Robert A. Lambert,
Aces High
Alan Clark. New York: Putnam, 1973. 191 pp. lllus. $10.00.
The men and their flying machines, on both sides, are pictured over the Western Front in the years between 1914 and 1918.
America’s Major Wars: Crusaders, Critics, and Scholars
Leslie E. Decker and Robert Scager, II (eds.). Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley, 1973. Vol. 1, 358 pp; Vol. 2, 354 pp; $4.95 ea. (paper).
These volumes are a collection of readings intended as supplementary material to college-level courses in military-social-diplomatic history. They present a view of the evolution of war as part of the natural flow of history, patterns of assent and dissent, and interpretations of issues by scholars following the wars. Eight wars are treated, Volume 1 covers 1775 to 1865; Volume 2 includes 1898 to 1972.
The American Revolution 1775-1783
W. Bart Greenwood (ed.). Washington, D.C.:
U. S. Government Printing Office, 1972. 85 pp. Illus. $8.50.
An atlas of 18th century maps and charts complements the multi-volume scries Natal Documents of the American Rerolution and provides a good graphic method of understanding the role of seapower in that conflict. The maps are reproductions of contemporary printings, and are contained in a reinforced vinyl, folio-size envelope, along with a booklet which explains methods of surveying and mapping. It provides an index to the locations on the maps. An excellent purchase; work done under the direction of the Naval History Division.
The American Way of War
Russell F. Wcigley. New York: Macmillan,
1973. 584 pp. Illus. $12.95.
The author’s very detailed, but hardly origi-
nal thesis, is that the object of American military strategy, whether on land or sea, from the Revolution to the present, is the total destruction of the enemy’s armed forces, often followed by a total destruction of his society as well.
The Attack on Taranto
B. B. Schofield. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1973. 94 pp. Illus. $5.95.
While the focus is on the great carrier-borne aircraft raid by the Royal Navy against the Italian Fleet at anchor in a protected harbor, there is also a brief tracing of the development of British naval aviation and a description of the combined German-Italian effort to sink HMS Illustrious two months after the attack.
Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905-1970
Siegfried Brcyer. New York: Doubleday, 1973. 480 pp. Illus. $25.00.
Originally published in Germany in 1970, this is a welcome translation of a comprehensive reference on the historical development of the capital ship. It features detailed drawings and technical characteristics of the warships that were so much a part of the modern naval scene. A Naval Institute Press book selection.
Bloody Ulster
A. I. Barker. New York: Ballantine, 1973.
160 pp. Illus. $1.00 (paper).
This short, illustrated history will help the reader understand how current tragedy in Northern Ireland ties into eight centuries of murderous history that has tormented Britain. An odd omission, however, is that there is no mention of Dublin’s rejection of Winston Churchill’s offer of union of Ulster to the Irish Republic, in return for the latter’s permission for the Royal Navy to use three ports against the German submarine menace of World War II.
C.I.A.: The Myth and the Madness
Patrick J. McGarvey. New York: Saturday Review Press, 1972. 240 pp. $6.95.
The author claims the CIA (as well as the DIA and NSA) is plagued by the same problems that beset all large organizations—bureaucratic headaches, paperwork, and a gap between policy-making and reality. But the book also makes clear that intelligence operations are a vital part of the country’s defense system.
Colonial Silver
R. Hammond Gibson. St. Michaels, Md.: Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 1973. 29 PP Illus. $2.50. (paper).
The connection between ship design, ship building, trading, and the increased value of cash silver over barter, are the subject of this monograph which features drawings of the various types of colonial vessels.
Dreadnought to Polaris
A. M. J. Hyatt (ed.). Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1973. 125 pp. Illus. $7.00.
Maritime strategy since Mahan is the subject of nine papers presented at the 1972 Conference on Strategic Studies. While a few of the papers go into too much tactical detail for the situation being studied, the)' all present interesting facets of the strategic evolution of seapower in the present century, with its great changes in technology and politics.
BOOK ORDER SERVICE
Members may order books of other publisher* through the Naval Institute at list price. The postage and handling fee for each such special order book of a United States publisher will he 50c; the fee for a book from a foreign publisher will be $1.00. When air mail or other special handling is requested, actual postage and handling cost will be billed to the member.
Professional Reading 107
Fighting Ships of Australia &
New Zealand, 1973-1974 edition
Graeme Andrews. Kogarah Bay, NSW 2217, Australia: Regency House Booksellers and Publishers, 1973. 64 pp. Illus. $2.50 (paper).
The aircraft and the missiles, as well as the ships, of the two navies are included in this revised edition, along with a section on the Australian Army’s Water Transport Squadrons. When originally published in 1971, this compendium was titled Australasian Navies.
Flying the Midnight Sun
A1 Muenchen. New York: David McKay, 1972. Ulus. 164 pp. $6.95.
Words and pictures tell a history of the exploration of the South Polar continent by air; the writing is fast-paced journalistic style, and the sketches are nearly photographic in quality.
German Schnellboote (E-Boats)
Gerhard Hummelchen. Culver City, Calif.:
Profile, 1973. 24 pp. Illus. $2.00 (paper).
An illustrated history of the excellent World War II torpedo boat. Warship Profile 31.
Heydrich
Alan Wykes. New York: Ballantine, 1973.
160 pp. Illus. $1.50 (paper).
Too many irrelevant photographs, with occasional chunks of verbal padding, mar what could have been a fairly informative biography of this archetype Nazi.
The Hooligan Navy
H. N. "Sam” Houston. New York: Vantage Press, 1973. 150 pp. $4.95.
A wartime officer looks back on the amusing events, often as a result of battles with the Navy supply system, that relieved the pressures on board minor ships of the fleet during World War II.
If I Die in a Combat Zone
Tim O’Brien. New York: Delacorte, 1973.
199 pp. $5.95.
A candid account of an American infantryman in Vietnam.
Jane’s Fighting Ships 1973-74
John E. Moore (ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973. 670 pp. Illus. $65.00.
A very fine, clearly-stated editorial analysis of the world’s navies as seen against the backdrop of changing technology and strategic considerations, leads off this year’s annual. It also sees a change in editors, along with some changes of format—16 pages of ship silhouettes of those classes most likely
to be sighted, a new index to ship classes, and a rearrangement of the country sections. The section on naval aircraft and missiles is now arranged by country rather than by function. This new Jane’s has 75 fewer pages, but more than 15,000 ships are covered. Most interesting are the line drawings of the Soviet Union’s AVer-class aircraft carrier.
Lawrence
Douglas Orgill. New York: Ballantine, 1973.
160 pp. Illus. $1.00 (paper).
At best, a superficial outline of the life of the famed World War I desert raider.
The Loss of the Prince of Wales and Repulse
Geoffrey Bennett. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1973. 95 pp. Illus. $5.95.
One of the worst defeats suffered in the history of the Royal Navy is minutely described and placed in context with the political and military decisions which preceded the tragedy.
Magellan of the Pacific
Edoward Roditi. New York: McGraw-Hill,
1973. 271 pp. Illus. $6.95.
A plausible biography about one of history’s great mystery men.
Marine Policy, Law, and Economics
Ann L. Hollick. Kingston, Rhode Island: The Law of the Sea Institute, 1970. Unpaged.
The articles, books, reports, and symposia covered in this extensively annotated bibliography have been selected because of their significance for policies, decisions, and arrangements for the use of the sea and its resources. Technical and scientific items are not included, because they can be found in other bibliographies and reference sources. The materials generally cover the 1960s up through mid-1969.
Nelson and Sea Power
Christopher Lloyd. Mystic, Conn.: Lawrence Verry, 1973. 156 pp. Illus. $5.00.
Somewhat padded with unneeded details of the Admiral’s personal life, but otherwise quite useful as a clear explanation of Horatio Nelson’s tactical and strategic sense.
None But the Valiant
Graeme Cook. New York: Taplinger, 1973.
323 pp. Illus. $8.95.
Told in a fast-paced journalistic style, these are war stories of two world wars with a decided British cast. The author, however, is not neglectful of heroism displayed by the men of other nations, including Germany and Japan.
Ordeal of Convoy N.Y. 119
Charles Dana Gibson, II. New York: South Street Seaport Museum, 1973. 178 pp. Illus. $10.00.
The day-to-day story of the mid-1944 crossing of the Atlantic by a convoy of tugs, yard tankers, and barges operated by the U. S. Army, escorted by U. S. Navy destroyer escorts, and bound for the war zones of northern Europe to help clear the invasion- crowded harbors, in order to release vital shipping for use elsewhere. The crossing took 30 days and a few units were lost in Atlantic storms, but the wonder is that any of these non-ocean-going ships and barges survived both the elements and the green crews.
Paul Elvstrom Explains . . . The Yacht Racing Rules
Richard Creagh-Osborne (ed.). Tuchahoe,
N.Y.: John de Graff, 1973. 98 pp. Illus. $4.95.
This 7th edition is based on the latest version of the racing rules, which have been frozen for the next four years; official rules text is carefully separated from comment and explanation. Four miniature plastic sailboats are included for graphically working out rule problems.
Peary at the North Pole: Fact or Fiction?
Dennis Rawlins. Washington, D.C.: Robert B. Luce, 1973. 320 pp. Illus. $8.95.
Definitely fiction claims the author, as he uses many of the famous explorer’s own words and documents to prove his point. Straying from the point of the title if not the pole, Admiral Byrd’s aerial location of the North Pole is criticized as being a monumental falsehood.
The Royal Navy in America,
1760-1775
Neil R. Stout. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1973. 227 pp. $12.50.
As an instrument of British mercantile policies, the Royal Navy built a popular resentment in the colonies that became a partial cause of the American revolution. Showing both scholarship and a clear writing style, the author analyzes this little-considered factor.
The Submarine: The Ultimate Weapon
Nichlas Whitestone. London: Davis-Poynter, 1973. 146 pp. £1.50 (paper).
A former officer in the Royal Navy and ex-naval correspondent with a London newspaper, traces the evolution of the submarine to the present time, showing its influence on world politics and upon various offensive and defensive strategies.
Survive the Savage Sea
Dougal Robertson. New York: Praeger, 1973- 269 pp. Illus. $7.95.
An incredible, but true story of a family’s fight for life, cramped on a small raft in the mid-Pacific for 38 days, after their 48-foot schooner had been destroyed by killer whales in 60 seconds. Without any navigation instruments and enough food and water for only three days, they managed to chart a course toward land 1,000 miles away, facing sharks and storms while doing it. The author and his family were rescued just 300 miles off the coast of Central America in 1972.
Threshold
Frank Herbert. New York: Ballantine, 1973.
153 pp. Illus. $2.95 (paper).
More than a hundred color photographs are part of this narrative script for a documentary film about the Navy’s flight exhibition team, The Blue Angels.
The United States Coast Guard
Gene Gurney. New York: Crown, 1973.
246 pp. Illus. $6.95.
A large format pictorial history of this largely unknown branch of the military services, from its earliest days as strictly a revenue service to the present day multifaceted force.
USS Barb (SS-220): Gato Class Submarine
William H. Crackncll. Culver City, Calif.:
Profile, 1973. 23 pp. Illus. $2.00 (paper).
The Barb was chosen for this issue because she was one of four of her class to sink more
than 90,000 tons of shipping. She was also the first submarine to fire rocket projectiles, when she used 12 experimental 5-inch unguided missiles against a Japanese land target in 1945.
USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
William H. Cracknel! Culver City, Calif.:
1973. 23 pp. Illus. $2.00 (paper).
Her short career began in 1933, and she often transported President Roosevelt in the pre-World War II period. Shortly before her sinking, two weeks prior to the war’s end, she delivered the first operational atomic bombs for the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Warship Profile No. 28.
Warships 1860-1970
J. M. Thornton. New York: Arco, 1973. 96 pp. Illus. $6.95.
From the end of the age of sail through the present day, familiar and strange ships, others planned but never built, are all part of this compendium, which features informal line illustrations, showing the development of the warship during the past 90 years. Readers of the "Naval Lore” section of Warship International and other similar naval magazines will be familiar with much of what is to be found here.
Weyer’s Warships of the World, 1973 Gerhard Albrecht (ed.). Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1973- 485 pp. Illus. $30.00.
A few more drawings, quite a few more photographs, and a short assessment of the world naval situation, make up the new English language edition of this warship compendium.
The Winter War
Eloise Engle and Lauri Paananen. New York: Scribners, 1973. 176 pp. Illus. $7.95.
The Russo-Finnish War of 1939 and 1940, which has been a subject of increasing interest, is graphically described in this volume that focuses strongly on the small unit action and the human element of the war. The strongest theme is the Finns’ continuing sense of humor in the most trying times, and some of the contemporary cartoons which illustrate the book, are worthy of Bill Mauldin.
RE-ISSUES
Hell or High Water
Walt Sheldon. New York: Ballantine (1968) 1973. 336 pp. Illus. $1.50 (paper).
Nelson’s Battles
Oliver Warner. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press (1971) 1973. 254 pp. Illus. $8.50.
Osterreich-Ungarns Seekrieg 1914-18
Hans Hugo Sokol. Graz, Austria: 1967. Akademische Dmck- u. Verlagsanstalt (1933). Vo! ! 468 pp. Illus. No price given. Vo! 2. 426 pp. Illus. No price given.
In addition to the two volumes of text, there is a separate appendix detailing fleet strength and charting various battle actions.
Scorched Earth
Paul Card! New York: Ballantine (1966),
1973. 652 pp. Illus. $1.65 (paper).
Thunder on the Gulf: The Story of the Texas Navy
C. L. Douglas. Fort Collins, Colo.: The Old Army Press (1936) 1973. 128 pp. Illus. $4.95.
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