Wow! eBook
The German Fleet at War, 1939-1945
Author(s): Vincent P. O'Hara (Author)
- Publisher: Naval Institute Press
- Publication Date: 22 Nov. 2004
- Language: English
- Print length: 368 pages
- ISBN-10: 1591146518
- ISBN-13: 9781591146513
Book Description
The realities of naval combat as well as the facts are presented in this authoritative study. Using both a tabular and narrative format, it tells the story of all sixty-nine surface naval actions fought by major warships of the German navy against major warships of the British, French, American, Polish, Soviet, Norwegian, and Greek navies. While focusing on the operational details of these actions, the author also paints a broad overview of the naval war to give each battle context. Vincent O’Hara is the first to provide so much information in a single volume. Most books emphasize the famous actions―like those involving Bismarck and Graf Spee―at the expense of lesser known engagements, and in doing so distort the historical record. This unusual mix of macro and micro reveals the big picture and helps illustrate how designs, doctrine, and leadership withstood the stress of combat. It also shows that the German navy’s war was far more that a U-boat war, that its surface fleet was much more than a few star-crossed battleships, and that the fleet was more successful in carrying out the tasks allocated to it than is generally acknowledged. Everyone interested in naval history and how ships and men withstand the ultimate test of battle will welcome this priceless resource that is free from the nationalistic bias that sometimes taints works like this. Vincent P. O’Hara is a business consultant and researcher living in San Diego, California. His work has appeared in Warship and World War II, among other magazines.
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About the Author
Vincent P. O’Hara is an independent scholar and the author of five books including On Seas Contested: the Seven Great Navies of the Second World War (2010) and The Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean 1940-1945 (2009). Mr. O’Hara’s work appears in periodicals and annuals including Warship, MHQ, World War II Quarterly and Storia Militare. He holds a history degree from the University of California, Berkeley
