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 ...
Adm. Joseph Mason Reeves (1872–1948) took command of the U.S. Navy’s nascent carrier arm during a critical period, transforming it from a small auxiliary command in support of the battle line into a powerful strike force. Until the carrier commanders of World War II proved their mettle, Reeves’s expertise in the use of the aircraft carrier in naval tactics was ...