In this lively approach to recording the impact of technology on the war at sea, Kenneth Poolman presents comprehensive descriptions of new technical developments and then offers dramatic examples of their use in action during World War II. He explains how Allied navies deployed new weapons to combat the savage campaign mounted by German submarines and surface raiders against the Allies' supply lines. Weapons like ASDIC (sonar), radar, high frequency direction-finding, forward-firing mortars, and rocket projectiles are examined in detail, as is the U-boats' use of acoustic torpedoes, Schnorkel tubes to breathe underwater, and the Luftwaffe's radio-controlled bombs in a war that became a conflict of technologies. The U.S. Navy's development of radar as a counter to Japanese ships and aircraft is also fully covered in this book, along with an explanation of how U.S. submarines overcame their own faulty torpedoes to decimate enemy shipping. In addition, the author examines how Allied carrier aircraft, controlled by multi-channel high-frequency radio, eventually came to dominate surface actions. Also included are details of the development and use of the sensitive listening stations that relayed enemy messages to cryptographers who broke "unbreakable" codes and important information about the special amphibious craft that put troops ashore in all theaters of war.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Competent Book; Same Old List,
This review is from: The Winning Edge: Naval Technology in Action 1939-1945 (Hardcover)
"The Winning Edge, Naval Technology in Action, 1939-1945", by Kenneth Poolman, NIP, 1997. This book is not about naval technology. The VT fuse gets only one line. Rather, it is about naval battles fought in World War Two that involved some technology. That would be almost all of them. The list is what you would expect: airplanes, submarines, radar and sonar. Even building an undersized aircraft carrier to use up allowed treaty tonnage is considered a technological edge in this book. You will learn little about WW2 naval technology or its development from this book. But, take away the expectation of reading about technology and what is left is a readable book that recounts numerous naval battles. It is short on detail, strategy, people and bloodshed. What is left is the activities of things (ships, airplanes, torpedoes). There is no theme, but the narrative is straightforward. It would be an informative book for some one whose only knowledge of WW2 naval combat came from the television. I could recommend it to a high school student.
0 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvellous,
By jubal.early@virgin.net (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Winning Edge: Naval Technology in Action, 1939-1945 (Hardcover)
This is the best book on the market, except for mine
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