Naval Battles of the First World War (Classic Military History) [Mass Market Paperback]

Geoffrey Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002 | Series: Classic Military History

With the call to action stations of August 1914, the Royal Navy faced its greatest test since the time of Nelson. Geoffrey Bennett's classic history of the Great War at sea combines graphic and stirring accounts of all the principal naval engagements - battles overseas, in home waters and, for the first time, under the sea - with analysis of the strategy and tactics of both sides. He brings these sea battles dramatically to life, and confirms the Allied navies' vital contribution to victory. In his words, "Though the titanic struggle on the Western Front dominated the strategy of the Allies, it was their navies, of which the British was immeasurably the strongest, that in the end brought Germany to her knees". Illustrated with maps, plans and contemporary photographs, this detailed, immaculately-researched account is the authoritative history on an often overlooked but hugely important aspect of the First World War.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Captain Geoffrey Bennett RN (1909-1983) served in the Royal Navy from 1923 until 1958, during which time he was for three years Naval Attache in Moscow. He is the author of several distinguished books on the history of naval warfare, including The Battle of Jutland, Coronel and the Falklands and The Battle of the River Plate.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Revised edition (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141390875
• ISBN-13: 978-0141390871
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic history from the Great War., March 14, 2006

By 

Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Naval Battles of the First World War (Classic Military History) (Mass Market Paperback)

Geoffrey Bennett was a distinguished naval historian who also served for 35 years in the Royal Navy. As I have mentioned before, he brings an understanding of naval history and naval issues to his work which is rarely found elsewhere. This is not the first book from this author which I have reviewed and, once again, I am not disappointed with the content.

When Britain found itself at war with Germany in 1914, the Royal Navy was faced with it's sternest test since the days of Nelson. Just over 100 years had passed since the Battle of Trafalgar and, during that time, wooden warships had given way to the largest steel leviathans with massive deck guns which could now be swung through 180 degrees and where, below decks, the power source was the very latest in steam engine technology. For all these advances, however, the battle plan of the world's two major navies - Britain and Germany, was still basically the same. They would steam in line ahead towards the enemy in the hope of crossing the "T" before the same was done to them.

This classic work recounts all the major naval encounters from World War One with a strategic analysis of each battle.

With a good and relevant selection of historic photographs reproduced in the middle of the book, this product is best described as; Altogether, a good job well done.

NM

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book if somewhat anglo-centric, July 21, 2011

By 

Fredrik (Stockholm Sweden) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Naval Battles of the First World War (Military Classics Series) (Paperback)

This is a good overview of naval warfare in WW1. Despite its age I would say it is one of the best and most readable books on the subject. The drawback is that it concentrates almost exclusively on Anglo - German battles.

12 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative, but heavy reading., September 8, 2003

By 

Dean Thomas (Downey, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Naval Battles of the First World War (Classic Military History) (Mass Market Paperback)

While enjoying reading about naval battles, this book - while descriptive - gives a little too much detail, turning it into more of a textbook, which for me made it a little tough to really get into the book.
Despite this, it is informative and for those of you interested in finding out more about World War One naval battles, it is worth acquiring.