100 Greatest Battles

100 Greatest Battles written by Angus Konstam and published by

Osprey Publishing - Hardback - £14.99 - Pages 223

A highly illustrated introduction to some of the greatest battles in world history, from

the iconic encounters of the Ancient World such as Thermopylae and Cannae,

through to the major clashes of the 20th century epitomized by Stalingrad and Khe

Sanh.

This concise study by renowned military historian Angus Konstam examines one hundred of the most famous battles from world history. It includes great naval engagements such as Salamis, Trafalgar, Jutland and Midway; pivotal land battles that decided the fate of nations, such as Hastings, Yorktown, Gettysburg and the Somme; and the impact of the new dimension of aerial warfare in the 20th century at Pearl Harbor, in the Battle of Britain and in the skies over Hiroshima.

This highly illustrated book features 100 full-colour battle scene artworks from Osprey's comprehensive archive and is the ideal introduction to the battles that changed the course of history.

To pinch an advertising slogan from television, this book does exactly what it says on the tin, its 100 Greatest Battles from history. The battles range from the Ancient World with the battle at Marathon all the way up to Desert Storm in 1991. With everything in between such as the Thermopylae, Bannockburn, Hastings, Trafalgar, Medway and Stalingrad. The book chooses 100 battles from history and each double page explains about the battle accompanied by some nice artwork of each battle. The book feels informative and a good little book, although it aimed at those wanting to learn about military history or maybe a student looking to get into history. Which is all perfectly fine and there is a market out there for it but if you wanted lots of detail and information it might not be the book for you. A really good book that serves its purpose.

 

Great Naval Battles of the Pacific War

Great Naval Battles of the Pacific War compiled by John Grehan and published

by Frontline Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 296

The key naval battles against Imperial Japan in the Pacific during the Second World War have

been described many times by numerous diligent and skilful historians. Such histories

are, of course, the products of many years, even decades, of accumulated knowledge,

but also of a received consensus of how the war played out to its, seemingly, inevitable

conclusion. That of course is not how it was perceived at the time. Hindsight, as we know,

gives us 20/20 vision. The accounts here, compiled for and on behalf of the Admiralty,

were written either during or immediately after the end of the war before historians had

begun to give their assessments of these momentous events.

These accounts were written for internal consumption, to guide and instruct naval officers. It was never intended that they would be released to the general public. As such, there was no jingoistic drum beating, no axes to grind, no new angles to try and find. The authors of these accounts relate each battle, move by move, as they unfolded, accurately and dispassionately.

This makes these accounts so invaluable. They read almost like a running commentary, as action follows action, minute follows minute. This sensation is magnified by the absolute impartiality of the authors, their sole attempt being to provide a thorough but very clear and comprehensible record so that others in the future could understand precisely how each battle was fought.

These accounts can never be superseded and never replaced. Written by naval officers of the time for naval officers of the future, they are the permanent record of the great victories, and the sobering defeat in the Java Sea, during the struggle for control of the Pacific which, for many months, hung precariously in the balance.

This book is a very formal book really to read, mainly because it wasn’t aimed at the general public consumption, they were written by naval officials for naval officials. The book covers official reports on the Midway, Coral Sea, Java Sea, Guadal Canal and the Leyte Gulf the key battles in the naval war of the Far East. Although the reports throughout the book are official ones, they are really good, detailed and comprehensive as you would expect. Some of them are a little dry, but then that is what you would expect. This has been a really good book to read and I have enjoyed the formal approach to normal as a change.

Naval Battles of the Second World War II

Naval Battles of the Second World War written by Leo Marriott and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 240

The Second World War was a truly global conflict and maritime power played a major role in every theatre of operations. Land campaigns depended on supplies transported by sea, and victory or defeat depended on the outcome of naval battles. So Leo Marriott’s highly illustrated two-volume account of the struggle sets naval actions in the wider strategic context as well as giving graphic accounts of what happened in each engagement.

This second volume concentrates on the epic struggle between the Americans and the Japanese in the vast expanses of the Pacific where for almost four years a great maritime campaign ebbed and flowed and some of the most famous naval battles of the conflict took place. The first part of the book covers the period from Pearl Harbor to Midway while the second covers the long and bloody campaign in the south-west Pacific where the US Navy honed its skills and turned a bloody defeat into a hard-won victory. The final section focuses on naval operations during the American advance across the central Pacific up to the Battle of Leyte Gulf – the greatest naval battle ever fought. Included are other actions involving the Royal Navy which, after early setbacks, would go on to play a major supporting role alongside the US Navy in the Pacific

This concise but wide-ranging introduction to the naval war emphasizes the sheer scale of the conflict in every sea and shows the direct impact of each naval battle on the course of the war.

This book is the second book of two called, Naval Battles of the Second World War in the second of two books looking at the Pacific & Far East of World War II the book gives you a view of the strategic naval process and battles including the role of the American Navy and the Japanese Navy. The book highlights a number of key naval battles throughout the war including Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway and the battle in the Leyte Gulf, I personally found this a fascinating book as I am trying to improve my knowledge of naval warfare. Both in the west and the Far East I found the book very informative and detailed but then I am probably counted as a beginner in this subject so whilst I found the book very helpful and informative others might prefer to read a more detailed assessment as they are classed as more knowledgeable. With the author Leo Marriott a specialist in this subject, his highly detailed knowledge is evident in this book and makes for a very good read. I enjoyed all the facts and details along with many good photographs and I especially enjoyed the appendix at the back of the book listing all the warships involved I would recommend this book and enjoyed it slightly more than the first but only because I knew less about the Pacific war.