Book Reviews, Professional Reading & Book List

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If the books of 1983 were to be as­signed a central theme, it would most likely be “to educate.” The most impres­sive product this year is Keepers of the Sea, by Fred J. Maroon and Edward L. Beach. More than four years in the mak­ing, this beautiful and engrossing book is obviously a labor of love. Through pow­erful photography and clear, concise nar­rative (“A carrier is so big that even at flank speed, i.e., with throttles wide open, the only sensation of movement is the strong wind that sweeps over exposed persons on deck”), the authors have given any reader all that is necessary to understand what life in the U. S. Navy and U. S. Marine Corps of the 1980s is all about, and the enormous scope of the Navy-Marine Corps team’s contribution to the national defense. Billed as the first photographic portrait of the U. S. Navy in more than 40 years, Keepers of the Sea will remain tops in its class for many years. Taken alone, the photography or the narrative would be impressive and informative. Together, they are unsur­passed. Books of this type fill an impor­tant need. The average U. S. citizen knows little about our armed services. Keepers of the Sea has set the standard.

Examining the world’s navies in a more categorized approach are three ref­erence works of great importance to naval analysts, historians, and students.

The long-running annual Jane’s Fight­ing Ships and the semiannual Combat Fleets of the World maintain their reputa­tions as the leading reference publications among those that regularly report the in­ventories of the world’s navies. As in 1983 when there was no new Combat Fleets, Jane's Fighting Ships, 1983-84 is unmatched. The foreword to this year’s edition by editor Captain John E. Moore, Royal Navy (Retired), does not disap­point those who eagerly await his suc­cinct summary of the state of things naval in the world. The high quality, quantity, and accuracy expected of Jane’s informa­tion are continued in this year’s edition.

On a different tack in the same waters is Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships, 1947-1982, offered in two parts. Part I deals with the NATO navies and

those of other Western powers. Part II is concerned with navies of the Warsaw Pact, non-aligned countries, and what are termed “minor” navies. Organized by country, ship type, and class, this refer­ence book offers the familiar data on each, along with discussions of the trends and changes brought about by political and technical developments during the post-World War II era. Of particular note is the listing of each country’s fleet strength in 1947 by ship and the ultimate fate of each ship in the ensuing years.

Norman Polmar, in his third edition of Guide to the Soviet Navy, provides a comprehensive look at the state of the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. The book’s size alone testifies to the amount of detail and information it provides. The entire spectrum of Soviet naval might is pre­sented, including ships, weapons, air­craft, personnel, electronics, tactics, and support organization. Because of its depth of material, convenient format, and historical explanations of Soviet naval thought, Mr. Polmar’s work ranks high on any list of books dealing with the So­viet Navy. It joins the highly respected companion volume, The Ships and Air­craft of the U. S. Fleet.

Two books which deal exclusively with U. S. ship types are U. S. Aircraft Carriers and United States Navy Destroy­ers of World War II. The first, by Norman Friedman, is an illustrated design history of carrier development from the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley (CV-1), to the nuclear Nimitz (CVN-68) class. Other carrier types such as the anti­submarine warfare and vertical or short takeoff and landing carriers are included. This book is particularly relevant because of the continuing debate between those who support the carrier as the Navy’s main offensive element and those who believe them to be too expensive and too vulnerable. Regardless of the reader’s view in this debate, the information of­fered is essential to those who would be well informed on the subject.

John C. Reilly, Jr.’s United States Navy Destroyers of World War II goes to great length in explaining the rationale for the emergence of so many varied de­stroyer designs immediately before, dur­ing, and after World War II. The U. S. Navy’s approach to destroyer design prior to the war comes across as one of trial and error until the evolution of the battle-tested Fletcher (DD-445), Allen M. Sumner (DD-692), and the Gearing (DD-710) classes. Reilly’s research is concise, and his choices of photographic illustrations vividly support his narrative. The appendix information on battle damage and loss in action is particularly interesting, and, as the Falklands Conflict showed, it is still relevant today.

What did the Falklands Conflict show us? Although there has probably been insufficient time since the end of the Falklands Conflict to produce a large number of authoritative books on the event, the number and quality of accounts to date have been disappointing. One which does not disappoint is The Battle for the Falklands by Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins. Two things combine to make this book an extraordinary and sig­nificant account of the most extensive naval air and sea combat since World War II: the authors’ attention to detail and ac­curate reporting techniques. The book is written in a straightforward, hard-hitting style that makes it fun and exciting to read. Not content with simply reporting the action as it occurred, Hastings and Jenkins provide the reader with the intri­cacies of planning, the problems of weather and logistics, the diplomatic wrangling, and the moods and emotions of the participants. If one reads only one book on the Falklands Conflict, this book would be an excellent choice.

Writing on the heels of the Falklands Conflict, Sir James Cable has examined the possible roles and options now open to the Royal Navy in his book Britain’s Naval Future. Offering a wide range of possible scenarios which are then matched with a prospective naval pres­ence and strategy, at times Sir James comes close to playing the devil’s advo­cate game. He poses many questions- Should Great Britain maintain a navy? If so, what kind? How large? To meet what threat? These are vital questions for Brit­ish defense planners and ministers to con-

sider, but we are also reminded of the impacts upon NATO, strategic nuclear deterrence, and the defense programs of allied nations which are inherent in any British decision. The author eventually gets around to answering these questions, although his views do more to broaden the central debate than to finalize it.

Things were quite different for the British Navy in 1914. The British were supreme at sea with the largest and most powerful navy in the world, but the Royal Navy did not have an adequate Naval In­telligence Service. The story of how this service was started and how it functioned during World War I is told in Room 40 by Patrick Beesly. Created by then-First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Church­ill, Room 40, as it was called, became the Royal Navy’s first intelligence and code-breaking organization. Keeping track of the German High Seas Fleet and submarine movements was the primary mission assigned to a group of assorted civilians and military officers who were reading German messages within three months. Room 40’s role in the Battle of Jutland and in the struggle against the U-boats is presented. A chapter each is devoted to the infamous “Zimmerman Telegram,” which proposed that Mexico be brought in as an ally with Germany if the United States entered the war, and to the Lusitania's sinking. Given the state of the art of code-breaking and the uncer­tainties of radio communications in 1914, Room 40’s accomplishments equate well to Ultra successes of World War II.

Another book dealing with naval intel­ligence activities is Jeffery M. Dorwart’s Conflict of Duty. Tracing the activity and methods of the Office of Naval Intelli­gence (ONI) from 1919 to 1945, Profes­sor Dorwart’s study is primarily con­cerned with the struggle within the ONI between those who tried to carry out their duties while observing the rules of law and those who chose to work outside the law. Sensitive as we now are to the dis­closures of the Watergate incident, the reader is unnerved to learn of abuses of power and illegal invasion of privacy as far back as the early 1930s. The book divides quite equally and naturally into the interwar years (1919-1938) and the neutrality and war years (1939-1945). Although one would assume that the ONI would concern itself with foreign threats and the gathering of technical and mili­tary information on potential adversaries, much of ONI’s efforts in these years were directed inward. Conflict of Duty is a pre­cise book written on a subject which is only now beginning to emerge from the shadows.

This year’s list of notable books which deal with World War II topics and events contains two which represent the opposite extremes of the submarine war in the At­lantic. William T. Y’Blood’s Hunter- Killer: U. S. Escort Carriers in the Battle of the Atlantic vividly portrays the often- overlooked role played by escort carriers in the Allied campaign against Adolf Hit­ler’s U-boats. Beginning with a lesson in escort carrier development and tactics, Y-Blood goes on to tell the stories of the individual actions and victories attained by these escort carriers and the associated planes, ships, and men which comprised the hunter-killer groups. His research is meticulous and includes recently declas­sified material based on Ultra intelligence and official records. His book is very readable and is liberally highlighted by maps, diagrams, and photographs. Of the U-boat actions which he describes, the most exciting concerns the taking of the U-505 intact by the hunter-killer forces centered around the USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) commanded by Captain Dan Gallery, who later became a rear admiral and noted author. The capture of the U-505 provided the U. S. Navy with in­valuable information on the U-boat enemy and was to become one of the best-guarded secrets of the war.

Quite different in its intent and pur­pose, Axis Submarine Successes, 1939­1945 by Jiirgen Rohwer is a reference book which is the product of more than 20 years of research. It does not purport to tell a story, but the stark message of how close the Nazis came to winning the war in the Atlantic comes through. This is a book of statistics; every successful Axis submarine attack is listed in chrono­logical order by theater of operations. The data is arranged by date, time, posi­tion, nationality, name, and captain of the attacking submarine. Weapons used, target data, and battle damage are also presented. Dr. Rohwer has produced a book that writers, historians, and re­searchers will find very useful. This 1983 update of the 1968 German edition is a complete revision, made possible by the recent availability of declassified records and documents.

World War II, and particularly the naval war in the Pacific, enjoys a long- running appeal for reader and writer alike which shows no signs of waning. Amaz­ingly, writers continue to single out little known actions and events which have remained relatively free from literary at­tention in the almost 40 years since the war’s end. Pawns of War by Dwight R. Messimer is a good example. Pawns of War is a direct, uncomplicated book about the loss of two U. S. Navy ships, the USS Langley and USS Pecos (AO- 65). The Langley was a converted collier which was trying to carry out a mission of delivering fighter planes across the Indian Ocean in the early days of the war. The Pecos was a fleet oiler sent to accompany her. They were attacked and sunk in Feb­ruary 1942 by carrier- and land-based air­craft of the Japanese Navy. The action makes for a good story, especially since it is based on solid, eyewitness accounts. But there is more to this book than just a good story. The circumstances leading to the dispatch of these ships into enemy waters with no protection is examined, as are the actions of their commanders dur­ing and after the action. Perhaps the greatest contribution this book makes, however, is the story of the ships’ crew and their response to the events in which they suddenly found themselves.

Wars and battles, after all, are fought by humans. Their particular talents, ex­perience, character, and shortcomings are the prime factors in determining whether battles are won or lost. This is especially true of the men on whom the responsibil­ity of high command rests. The life of one of these leaders, Fleet Admiral Ches­ter W. Nimitz, is presented in Admiral of the Hills, by Frank A. Driskill and Dede W. Casad. The only biography in this year’s selections, this work traces Admi­ral Nimitz’s life from his 1885 birth and early boyhood years in a German settle­ment town in the Texas hill country to his death in 1966 as a five-star admiral, a former Commander in Chief, Pacific, and Chief of Naval Operations. Although it is impossible to separate the man from the admiral, this biography provides a better appreciation and understanding of the man. It is a down-to-earth portrayal com­plete with humorous anecdotes and lit­tle-known events of his life that give the reader an appreciation of the qualities so admired and often expressed by thou­sands of men who worked for him and served with him. Much has been written about his World War II role and his con­tributions to victory in the Pacific. It is refreshing to see equal time given to other phases of his life—the boy, the midship­man, the peacemaker.

Admiral Nimitz figures prominently in

the final selection dealing with World War II. The Barrier and the Javelin by H. P. Willmott is the latest of many books which refight the major Japanese-Ameri- can naval battles of the central and west­ern Pacific in the first year of the war. Although it is old ground that is being plowed, the author does turn over some new ground. He sets the strategic scene in the opening chapters by presenting the options open to the Japanese as a result of their rapid and stunning series of suc­cesses during the first few months of the war. The path that the Japanese decided upon brought them head-on into battle with the U. S. Navy in the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, battles which were planned to bring about the complete annihilation of Japan’s major naval an­tagonist in the Pacific. The battles are examined in detail and in distinct phases, with Operation Magic interwoven into the decision-making process of the com­manders and planners. The content of The Barrier and the Javelin is well known to most readers interested in naval history. What places it among the notable books is its treatment of how and why the opposing navies found themselves in the Coral Sea and at Midway when they did and with the forces at their disposal.

World War II was fought largely over a desire for more space. Space is fast be­coming a precious commodity. As the world’s population continues to expand and living space is gradually taken up, mankind will be forced increasingly to turn to the seas for more of the food sup­ply, mineral wealth, and energy. Interest in the world’s oceans should be cultivated and enhanced when and wherever possi­ble. In this vein, the final book selection of 1983 is The Times Atlas of the Oceans, edited by Alastair Couper. This beautiful and informative atlas contains more than 400 maps and illustrations, mostly in color, which depict every aspect of the ocean environment. The ocean-atmos­phere system and weather, resources, and geography are discussed and explained. Ocean trade and the strategic importance of the world’s oceans are also covered. There is much in this book for anyone connected to the sea: mariner, scientist, geologist, or fisherman. Of greater im­portance is its value to those who are not familiar with the seas.

All of the books chosen as notable naval books of 1983 are of value to the Navy professional or to those interested in naval topics and subjects. Although 1983 did not produce many blockbusters, it did produce a good variety of subject matter and setting, which has not always been true.

Pric

ber

es enclosed by parentheses are mem- Prices. Members may order most books

® Axis Submarine Successes, 1939-1945

3"8^en Rohwer, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute "■ess, 1983. 386 pp. Tables. Ind. $23.96 ($19.16).

S The Barrier and the Javelin: Japanese ®ⁿd Allied Strategies, February to June 1942

N- P. Willmott. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute "“s, 1983. 472 pp. Illus. $29.95 ($23.96).

The Battle for the Falklands

Hastings and Simon Jenkins. New York: W. ”• Norton and Co., 1983. 384 pp. Illus. Maps. Append. Ind. $17.50 ($15.75).

^book order service

°f other publishers through the Naval In- ^sl|tute at a 10% discount off list price. (Prices quoted in this column are subject to change ^and will be reflected in our billing.) Please allow for delays when ordering non-Naval Pstitute titles. When air mail or other spe- ^C|al handling is requested, actual postage ^ar,d handling cost will be billed to the mem- ^er- Books marked 53 are Naval Institute ^ress Books. Books marked H are Naval istitute Book Selections. For further in- °‘'^rnati°ⁿ about these books ( H. 53), call 1^1)224-3378, ext. 34. For information on ^e other books, call ext. 31. Use the order ^0rm provided in this section.

53 Britain’s Naval Future

Sir James Cable. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983. 220 pp. Notes. Bib. Ind. $24.95 ($19.96).

Chester W. Nimitz: Admiral of the Hills

Frank A. Driskill and Dede W. Casad. Austin. TX: Eakin Press, 1983. 298 pp. Illus. Bib. Ind. $12.95 ($11.65).

ES Conflict of Duty: The U. S. Navy’s Intelligence Dilemma, 1919-1945

Jeffery M. Dorwart. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983. 262 pp. Illus. Notes. Bib. Ind. $18.95 ($15.16).

53 Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships: 1947-1982

Robert Gardner, Editor. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983. 298 pp. Illus. $34.95 ($27.96).

S3 Guide to the Soviet Navy

Norman Polmar. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983. 465 pp. Illus. Ind. $36.95 ($29.56).

S3 Hunter-Killer: U. S. Escort Carriers in the Battle of the Atlantic

William T. Y’Blood. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983. 322 pp. Illus. Append.

Notes. Bib. Ind. $18.95 ($15.16).

Jane’s Fighting Ships, 1983-84

Capt. John Moore, RN (Ret.), Editor. Boston, MA: Jane’s Publishing Co., 1983. 779 pp. Illus. Ind. $140.00 ($126.00).

S3 Keepers of the Sea

Fred J. Maroon and Edward L. Beach. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983. 256 pp. Illus. $75.00 ($60.00) (deluxe, slipcased, bound-leather), $45.00 ($36.00) (clothbound).

S3 Pawns of War: The Loss of the USS Langley and the USS Pecos

Dwight Messimer. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983. 228 pp. Illus. Append. Notes. Bib. Ind. $18.95 ($15.16).

Room 40: British Naval Intelligence, 1914-1918

Patrick Beesly. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983. 338 pp. Illus. Append. Bib. Ind. $15.95 ($14.35).

The Times Atlas of the Oceans

Alastair Couper, Editor. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1983. 272 pp. Illus. Maps. Append. Bib. Ind. $79.95 ($63.96).

United States Navy Destroyers of World War II

John C. Reilly, Jr., edited by Frank D. Johnson. Poole, England: Blandford Press, 1983. 160 pp. Illus. Append. Ind. $16.95 ($13.56).

53 U. S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History

Norman Friedman. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983. 427 pp. Illus. Tables. Append. Notes. Ind. $44.95 ($35.96).