LONGEST BATTLE: The War at Sea 1939-45 (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

A straightforward chronicle, the book begins on September 3, 1939. The author points out that the 'phony war' that persisted till May 1940 was no such thing at sea. U-boat and surface actions strained the British navy to its limit. Vicious battles in spring 1940 failed to prevent Nazi occupation of Norway but destroyed so many German surface vessels that they ceased to present a strategic threat. English naval historian Hough spends a great deal of his book on the travails of his country: the U-boat war as well as the destruction of half a dozen German surface vessels, but these remain gripping stories. The author accepts the traditional view that the Allies won the Battle of the Atlantic by a whisker although Clay Blair (Hitler's U-boat War, Random House, 1996) insists the issue was never in doubt. Americans need reminding of the 1940-42 Mediterranean campaign which was definitely won by a whisker. Fighting to hold Malta and keep supplies from Axis forces in North Africa, the British devastated the Italian fleet but suffered terrible losses from U-boats and aircraft. Victory wasn't assured until Hitler transferred much of his air force to the Russian front.

On a different, gargantuan scale were the awesome fleet actions across the Pacific. Besides recounting the campaigns in all their Wagnerian detail, the author mentions a reason for the allied victory readers often forget: despite their willingness to die, Japanese naval leaders lacked the killer instinct. From Pearl Harbor to the Guadalcanal battles to Leyte Gulf, their admirals failed to press home their attacks or sailed off after a satisfying tactical victory.

Samuel Eliot Morison's massive but eminently readable work remains the benchmark, but this is a fine single volume history.


A fascinating history of World War II Naval conflict.   December 12, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

In this book, Richard Hough covers the historical angle very well; that's a requirement. He teaches the reader about naval conflict in World War II quite nicely. But his main accomplishment is to make it very interesting. This book is a good read; Hough makes it a pleasure to learn what he's teaching. Highly reccommended.