Coronel and Falkland: Two Great Naval Battles of the First World War [Paperback]

Barrie Pitt (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cassell Military Paperbacks | Publication Date: October 28, 2002

Two great battles at sea--and the ultimate triumph of British revenge. In 1914, Great Britain's naval supremacy was challenged as the Imperial German Navy shattered their fleet at Coronel, in Chile. Under orders from First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill and Lord Fisher, First Sea Lord, a powerful force set sail to the southern seas. And, when the Germans went to attack the Falklands, the British were ready and waiting.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barrie Pitt saw active service in both Europe and the Middle East. He edited the partwork HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR and was editor-in-chief of Ballantine's ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF WORLD WAR II. His masterly three volume work on the war in the desert, THE CRUCIBLE, has recently been republished by Cassell.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cassell; Cassell Military Paperbacks Ed edition (October 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304361607
• ISBN-13: 978-0304361601
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,434,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > World War I
  • #77 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Naval

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Indeed, two important battles of this war, September 6, 2008

By 

Luis Mansilla Miranda (Viña del Mar, Chile) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Coronel and Falkland: Two Great Naval Battles of the First World War (Paperback)

It was the evening of November the first 1914 and the war at sea was inaugurated by the battle of Coronel, almost in front of the city of Coronel (Chile). The result of this battle, two British cruisers sunk, a slap in the face to British proud and a challenge to its superiority at sea. What happened next was simply the destruction of Von Spee German squadron, a hunting season for the British Navy thirst for revenge. German cruisers were more advanced in design than its British couterparts, but the problem with German Navy was that they didn't have many places to quietly refuel and provision their ships around the world, an important difference in this case. Von Spee didn't have much intelligence information also before deciding to attack the Falklands and what he found was the whole British squadron stationed there. It was in this battle that almost all the German ships were sunk, after escaping South of the Falklands they were hunted down one by one, and only SMS Dresden managed to escape. This last ship was found and sunk three months later in Juan Fernandez Island, off the coast of Chile, the Island of Robinson Crusoe.

After reading this book, I can only praise the courage and honor of all these sailors, either German or British, giving their life for the Flag. Dresden Bell was given back to Germany by Chilean authorities and two British battle cruisers are sunk in front of Santa Maria Island (37°01'50S & 73°31'10W), HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth, perhaps a job for the "Shipwrecks Hunters" to reveal and remember. A good book, with maps and pictures, but only one page dedicated to SMS Dresden capture.