Customer Reviews

Jutland 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Overall 'Jutland 1916' is an excellent overall history of the Battle of Jutland. It briefly covers events preceding the battle especially Jellico's orders and mindset then gets right into the action. The battle itself is covered in great detail with significant quotes from participants. The authors seem to be very fair and balanced in their portrayal of events and in giving the participants the benefit of the doubt. It is also very well written.

The only criticisms of the book are that it is slightly British heavy although the authors do indeed cover the German events well. While it has numerous maps I would still have preferred a few more and also a bit more detail on each especially ship and group names on all maps. Finally, the book assumes you have not only a familiarity with WW1 naval warfare but especially British naval ranks/positions and traditions.

None of these criticisms are significant and for anyone interested in the Battle of Jutland this books is a must read.

For anyone already at least somewhat familiar with the history of the Royal Navy prior to and during World War I, this book is an excellent addition to the library. The authors presuppose that the reader already has some knowledge concerning such actions as the Dogger Bank, Coronel, the Falklands, etc., which predate the Battle of Jutland, but if one does, the narrative flows smoothly from them.

This volume answers some questions that other authors, notably John Keegan and Robert Massie, seem to have overlooked or not considered worth adding to their own works, although to be fair, Mr. Massie's amazing "Castles of Steel" is not a book solely about Jutland and should not be expected to contain the same level of detail. Mr. Keegan's "The Price of Admiralty," which contains a condensed description of Jutland, does not, in my opinion, approach either of the other books in level of detail or editing.

My personal recommendation would be for anyone interested in, but lacking knowledge of, this period of warfare first to read "Castles of Steel" and then read "Jutland 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes." The first book will give the reader all of the background to Jutland, as well as an excellent account of the battle. The latter book will then "fill in" the gaps from the first, and make the battle come alive even more fully.

I was fascinated by this book from the moment I started reading it. This book holds the reader's attention through first hand accounts by the participants and in depth analysis by the authors. Accounts range from the lowest seaman in the bowels of ships and gun turrets to the admirals and captains making the decisions during the battle. The authors have thoroughly done their homework.

Jutland has been a battle analyzed inside and out by historians and reporters from the time the battle ended until now. The battle is generaly more noted for the mistakes, errors in judgement by leaders, and the overiding decisions by both sides to not take anymore risks than were absolutely necessary.

Misters Steel and Hart bring these points to the forefront with superb detail, fast-paced action narratives, and personal eyewitness accounts of participants. The book is well interspersed with diagrams of the naval movements during key phases of the battle and excellent quality photographs of the men, ships, and action in the North Sea. Appendices of both sides major combatants with results and casualties are also well done.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in great naval battles from any age.

After reading another good book on the battle of Jutland, I didn't think that this book would be as good. Well, it's better. It provides both a strategic perspective and a detailed perspective from the men who fought at Jutland. In the detailed perspective, you are there with them as the shells hit their ships and rock them. You are there, as the water comes into the ship and they are trying to save it. You are there with them, as the flash of fire goes from one room to another and they are trying to save their ships from exploding or themselves from burning alive. And, you are there as the terrible casualities are handled after the battle - of the drownings in the ocean when the ships can't find them, of the people who are scalded so bad that their skin is falling off, of the men who lose arms legs, and are still living. This book gives you the glimpse of the strategic perspective but also this personal perspective of what it was like to experience this battle. Consequently, I highly recommend this book.

This is one of the most enjoyable accounts I've read in a long time. Two aspects of this account stand out in my mind. This is one of the few accounts that attempts to bring home the true horror of the conflict with the inclusion of personal. Accounts of the battle and the fate of those that participated to. It kept my interest from start to finish particularly through the night action which have always found to be dull and interesting in other accounts. The writers avoid getting embroiled in the most controversial aspects of the battle, giving their own considered opinion and moving on. They clearly articulate the roles responsibilities and culpability of the main players and in my mind definitively onto the question " who won" .

Jutland 1916, Death in the grey wastes is an excellect source of detail on this first clash of "modern" era Navies. The authors do a far and away exemplary job of aquainting the reader with the period and setting. Personalities and technoloies are discussed but not to the point of being burdensome. The heavy use of quoted material from individuals both British and German add texture, color and clarity to the telling of a, at times, confused event. The summary is short and reasonable in its conclusions.

The writing style is smoothly flowing and sure to be appreciated. There is a decidedly "British" flavor to the telling but it is also obvious Misters Steele and Hart have tried hard to be even handed and objective.

Anyone reading for research or pleasure will enjoy this book and it is, in my opinion, one for the book case.

Jutland 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes by Peter Hart and Nigel Steel is an excellent account of the battle, with an interesting twist, the book is taken almost entirely from the recollections of the participants. Hart and Steel have searched the primary record for each phase of the battle and edited together a very cogent and moving account of the battle. The narrative was particularly compelling because it was told in the actual voices of the participants. A particular strength of the book was the wide diversity of its voices. The authors used both German and British sailors of all ranks, from stokers and wipers, through midshipmen to officers, even Beatty, Jellicoe and Scheer make appearances. Inclusion of all these voices brought home to me the human cost of the battle as no other book I've read.

I had two minor criticisms; first, the book really needs more and better maps. Readers unfamiliar with the battle may have difficulty keeping the relative positions of the ships straight at several key points; when Jellicoe made his deployment decision which resulted in the Grand Fleet "crossing the Tee", during the confused and chaotic night action when the German fleet slipped behind the Grand Fleet to make good its escape and most perhaps importantly, at the beginning when Beatty first discovers the German scouting squadron. Although the authors describe the (mis)deployment of 5th Battle Squadron, and the subsequent signaling disaster in some detail, a map or two at this point would have been invaluable. The other issue is that, being limited to primary accounts, the book is sometimes short on details of parts of the battle that didn't get well documented by participants. Therefore, this should not be the only book a reader reads on Jutland, but it sure is a good second! Finally, readers should be aware that some of the participant recollections are a bit grisly. Descriptions of the wounded and dead are told with all the immediacy and impact of eye-witnesses describing what they saw.

Despite these very minor criticisms, I recommend this very highly for pretty much anyone interested in the battle, especially those interested in what it was like for the participants.

This is a good read. I have read many books on the subject and this one is very good.

First, the good news: Nigel Steel and Peter Hart have seamlessly meshed their narrative of the largest naval battle of the First World War, and one of the largest in history, into a highly readable account of the battle, with a clear, concise summary of the events leading up to it - the pre-war naval arms race and the two years of tedious waiting for 'Der Tag' - to start and an equally deft description of its results. I have read several narratives on Jutland, almost the sole fleet action between dreadnought battleships, fought on 31 May-1 June 1916, with little to no participation by airplanes or submarines, It is not a new story and neither Steel nor Hart will end the debate on "who should have done what at what moment" in the battle, but they have done a fine job at coherently presenting the action and, perhaps most importantly, presenting the story through the eyes of the ordinary sailor and the most junior officers.

That said, Jutland 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes, is not without its flaws. The most obvious is the poor binding of my softcover Cassel edition - although new, my copy is already falling apart, with the photos (which are quite good but nothing new to the subject) slipping from the spine. The authors' rely overmuch on lengthy, sometimes page-long, excerpts from participants' diaries and accounts, rather than simply paraphrasing or summarizing the same for the reader. This makes for a harder read than need be, especially as the authors expect the reader to fully understand Royal Navy idiomatic English, circa 1916. That is another issue: except for some perfunctory quotations from the normally-quoted German sea officers, the Germans perspective is largely ignored. Neither Reinhard Scheer, the German High Seas Fleet Commander-in-Chief nor his subordinate battlecruiser admiral Franz von Hipper merit more than a few lines of description, whereas both of the two most prominent British commanders, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe and Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty both enjoy brief but comprehensive biographical summaries of their careers. The book could also have been enhanced by an appendix, or even a chapter within the narrative, describing the ships themselves, especially the battleships and battlecruisers, how they ran on a daily basis, what life aboard was like for the British and German sailors, etc. Jutland 1916, however, is more typically British in its historiographical style, focusing on a strictly chronological, while still exciting, narrative.

I do want to end on a positive note. The long-neglected actions of the lesser ships, particularly the destroyers, gets a much-needed recounting, notably the action of Commander Barry Bingham, HMS Nestor, and also of Ship's Boy Jack Cornwell, HMS Chester, both VC (Cornwell's being awarded posthumously). The description of the action of the main battle between the dreadnoughts, particularly as to such consequences as the terrible burn wounds, also receive careful attention. The maps are clear and intelligible and the authors employ a solid body of sources. In sum, I recommend Jutland 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes, especially for readers unfamiliar with this dramatic story - but I can wish that the authors' editor had been more aggressive in editing the manuscript.