War at Sea: A Naval History of World War II - Softcover

Miller, Nathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195110382 ISBN 13: 9780195110388

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1997

Synopsis

History records few more gripping dramas than the naval history of World War II. It was the last great sea war, but in the half century since the final battles of that struggle, the conflict has receded into the past. Narvik, the Battle of the Atlantic, Midway, and the Philippine Sea are to the current generation as remote as Waterloo and Gettysburg. In War at Sea, Nathan Miller brings the story of these monumental events--and the achievements, suffering, and heroism of those who served at sea during World War II--to the attention of readers who have only a nodding acquaintance with it. In doing so, he illuminates in dramatic fashion the costly mistakes and the blunders, the great skill and courage of the Allied commanders, tactical leaders, and enlisted men that denied the Axis powers victory.
From the sinking of the British passenger liner Athenia on September 3, 1939, by a German U-boat (against orders), to the Japanese surrender on board the Missouri, on September 2, 1945, War at Sea covers every major naval battle of World War II in one fascinating volume. In gripping detail, Miller recounts the major operations of the British, German, American, Japanese, Italian, Canadian, and Russian navies. Based on recently released Ultra intelligence information the Allies procured from their deciphering of coded messages passed by their enemies, ship logs, official reports, interviews with surviving servicemen, and personal accounts and anecdotes from the men who manned the ships and the aircraft, Miller gives a human face to the daily routine of life at sea--from being torpedoed to living in the confines of a submarine for weeks at a time. Miller also details the political and historical backgrounds of each navy and analyzes the strategies of the combatants. He goes on to show how new technology, such as aircraft carriers and submarines, pushed aside the battleship and changed the course of the war and modern warfare.
Too often today, war is viewed as a bloodless computer game complete with "smart" bombs, guided missiles, and "surgical strikes." In reality, war is about death. It is a mixture of boredom, exhaustion, and sudden and terrifying moments of horror. This is particularly true of war at sea. One minute a ship can be steaming peacefully on a calm ocean; in the next it can be ripped apart by torpedoes with its crew fighting for their lives in a cauldron of flaming oil or scalding steam. War at Sea tells the true story of naval warfare during World War II, capturing the drama, suspense, and narrow triumph of the Allied forces in the great battle to secure the seas.

About this title

About the Author:

Nathan Miller, a journalist, historian, and naval scholar, is the author of twelve books of history and biography, including The U.S. Navy: A History, which is used as a textbook at the U.S. Naval Academy, and the widely acclaimed Theodore Roosevelt: A Life. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Review:

"Lively, informative, and richly textured....Well-researched and well-written, this is both an excellent reference volume and an engaging naval history that is a pleasure to read."--Sea Power

"Finally, a one-volume naval history of World War II that does justice to the enormous scope and detail of the subject. Entertaining, insightful, and a damn good read."--James F. Dunnigan, author of A Quick and Dirty Guide to War and How to Make War

"The general reader and specialist alike should set aside Samuel Eliot Morison and all the others and just devour Nathan Miller's classic tale of the navies of World War II."--Kenneth J. Hagan, U.S. Naval Academy and author of This People's Navy: The Making of American Sea Power

"This excellent naval history of WWII proves that it hasn't all been said....The book is remarkably alive and brings out in dramatic relief the problems that confronted commanders at sea on both sides in this conflict to dominate the world's oceans. And miller illustrates these problems with vivid on-deck reporting, drawing on the experiences of the men who were there."--Sea History

"A book that is as captivating and intriguing as a novel."--Library Journal

"With authoritative analysis, and in one volume, Miller majestically relates the history of the last great sea war for the general reader....Sweeping....Compelling."--Publishers Weekly

"Nathan Miller's long-awaited War at Sea does what no other book has done--it captures the worldwide ocean conflict in one sweeping narrative. This book puts the reader in the action, from the dank, interiors of U-boats tracking convoys in the Atlantic to the cockpits of divebombers closing in on Japan. Miller ties it all together with authoritative analysis; not only what the admirals did, but why, and what their decisions meant. This is the best single-volume naval history I have ever read."--Ernest B. Furgurson, author of Chancellorsville: 1863

"Fifty years after the last torpedo was fired, we finally have a history worth of the men who fought, suffered, and died in the greatest sea war history will ever know. The general reader and specialist alike should set aside Samuel Eliot Morison and all the others and just devour Nathan Miller's classic tale of the navies of World War II. It's all here; grand strategies, warring personalities, conflicting tactics, imperfect technologies, U-boats, convoys, battleships and amphibians."--Kenneth J. Hagan, U.S. Naval Academy and author of This People's Navy: The Making of American Sea Power

"Nathan Miller has completed a very difficult task, that of compressing the naval history of World War II into a single volume. His research is extensive and impecable, and all of the details of the story of each component of the war are carefully integrated. In addition many personal incidents and viewpoints have been inserted to make this history very readable. This is a first-rate work and is the best history of its kind yet written."--Vice Admiral William P. Mack, USN (Ret.), author of The Naval Officers Guide and Pursuit of the Seawolf

"Finally, a one-volume naval history of World War II that does justice to the enormous scope and detail of the subject. A personal account portrayed against a vast canvas. Entertaining, insightful, and a damn good read."--James F. Dunnigan, author of A Quick and Dirty Guide to War and How to Make War

"Nathan Miller's War at Sea is superb: comprehensive and balanced in scope, fair and measured in judgement, and full of colorful and textured detail to bring alive the tale of the greatest sea conflict in history. This should become the standard popular history of World War II."--Richard B. Frank, author of Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle

"War at Sea is history at its most entertaining and informative, and its fresh details will be a welcome surprise to naval history buffs who think they know the full story. Naval operations are fitted neatly into the overall story of World War II. The book is so comprehensive yet so finely crafted that it reminds me of a beautiful model of a ship of the line."--Vice Admiral George P. Steele (Ret.), former Commander of the Seventh Fleet, U.S. Navy

"Excellent, well-written--just the right amount of detail. Readable and informative."--Arthur L. Johnson, SUNY-Potsdam

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0195110382
• ISBN 13: 9780195110388
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 608