A unique overview of the German and Allied navies at war that
provides new appreciation of their activities and accomplishments.
The German Fleet at War relates the little-known history of the
Kriegsmarine's surface fleet with a focus on the 69 surface naval battles fought
by Germany’s major
warships against the large warships of the British, French, American, Polish,
Soviet, Norwegian and Greek navies. It emphasises operational details but also
paints a broad overview of the naval war. The German Fleet at War is a serious,
well-researched work, but the pacing is rapid and appeals to all level of
readers.
Histories emphasise famous actions, like those involving Bismarck or
Graf Spee, at the expense of equally interesting, but obscure actions. This
distorts the record and an understanding of the war at sea. The German Fleet at
War is a reference work, relating in both tabular and narrative format details
that do not appear in any other single volume available in English. It provides
a database of naval engagements for comparison and analysis, but unlike most
reference works, it has a continuous narrative and a theme. The result is a
unique overview of the German and Allied navies at war that provides new
appreciation of their activities and accomplishments.
