When Nazi Germany struck out from its borders in 1939, the force and efficiency of its land and air forces cut an unstoppable swath through mainland Europe. Only at sea was their new-found might tamed. Afraid to confront the British fleet in battle Hitler kept his most lethal ships hidden, although the Kriegsmarine's superior ships and guns probably would have ...
This is a vivid, minute-by-minute account of one of the worst shipwrecks in naval history. Edward Beach's father commanded the Memphis, one of the largest battle cruisers built by the U.S. Navy up to that time—bigger and faster than a battleship. The Memphis (originally Tennessee) was demolished by monstrous tsunami waves in Santo Domingo Harbor in August 1916 ...
Every aspect of the common sailor's life in the Union navy—from recruiting, clothing, training, shipboard routine, entertainment, and wages to diet, health, and combat experience—is addressed in this study, the first to examine the subject in rich detail. The wealth of new facts it provides allows the reader to take a fresh look at nineteenth-century social history, including issues like ...