War at Sea: 1914-45 (History of Warfare) - Hardcover

Bernard Ireland is the author of JANE'S BATTLESHIPS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, JANE'S CENTURY OF NAVAL WARFARE, and JANE'S NAVAL AVIATION (HarperCollins) and THE MEDITERRANEAN CAMPAIGN (Cassell & Co)

This literate, coffee-table volume on twentieth-century naval warfare is one in a series edited by famed war historian John Keegan and written by barely less distinguished contributors. If it is typical of its ilk, it bodes well for basic military history collections. The text summarizes the operations of the major navies, especially the British, American, and German, in the two world wars and the interwar period, including the growth of naval aviation. Battle accounts are cursory, personality sketches are vivid, but the book's greatest strengths are its maps and illustrations. Its weaknesses include uncertain editing and a paucity of material on the Japanese and Italian navies in World War II and the naval race between England and Germany that shaped the course of naval actions in World War I. The bibliography emphasizes readability, which, given the size of the literature on the subject, is pardonable. If not ideal for serious naval buffs, the book should profoundly pique the interest of the neophyte naval war student. Roland Green
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