The Second World War, Vol. 3: The War at Sea

Articles: [“Abrial, Jean Marie Charles (1879-1962),” 1:4-5; “Auboyneau, Philippe Marie Joseph Raymond (1899-1961),” 1:64-65; “Auphan, Paul Gabriel (1894-1982),” 1:65-66; “Bloch, Claude Charles (1878-1967),” 1:118-119; “Christie, Ralph Waldo (1893-1987),” 1:176-177; “Conolly, Richard Lansing (1892-1962),” 1:183-184; “Cunningham, Sir John Henry Dacres (1885-1962),” 1:215-216; “Fechteler, William Morrow (1896-1967),” 1:266-268; “Fegen, Edward Stephen Fogarty (1891-1940),” 1:267-268; “Giffen, Robert Carlisle ‘Ike’ (1886-1962),” 1:307; “Godfrey, John Henry (1888-1971),” 1:312-314; (with Spencer C. Tucker) “Godfroy, René Émile (1885-1981), 1:314-315; “Great Britain, Women’s Royal Naval Service,” 1:322-323; “Harwood, Sir Henry (1888-1950),” 1:341-342; “Hewitt, Henry Kent (1887-1972),” 1:347-348; “Holland, Lancelot Ernest (1887-1941),” 1:350; “Ingersoll, Royal Eason (1883-1976),” 1:379-380; “Ingram, Jonas Howard (1886-1952),” 1:380-381; “Keyes, Roger John Brownlow (1872-1945),” 1:415-416; (with Spencer C. Tucker) “King, Ernest Joseph (1878-1956),” 1:420-421; “Kirk, Alan Goodrich (1888-1963),” 1:423-424; “Knox, William Franklin ‘Frank’ (1874-1944),” 1:424-425; (with Spencer C. Tucker) “Laborde, Jean Joseph, Comte de (1878-1977),” 1:441-442; “McGrigor, Sir Rhoderick Robert (1893-1959),” 2:488; “McMorris, Charles Horatio ‘Soc’ (1890-1954),” 2:489; “Noble, Sir Percy Lockhart Harnam (1880-1955),” 2:564-565; “Reeves, Joseph Mason (1872-1948),” 2:624-625; “Sherman, Forrest Percival (1896-1951),” 2:660-661; “Stark, Harold Raynsford ‘Betty’ (1880-1972),” 2:709-711; “Wilkinson, Theodore Stark ‘Ping’ (1888-1946),” 2:801-802] The war at sea was a key aspect of World War II, one that is too-often under-studied. This comprehensive encyclopedia shares current understandings of the struggle to control the seas during that conflict—and it opens our eyes to the reasons sea power continues to be of critical importance today. Scholarly treatment of World War II is constantly changing as new materials inform new interpretations. At the same time, current military operations lead to reevaluation of the tactics and technologies of the past. Marshalling the latest information and insights into this epic conflict, World War II at Sea: An Encyclopedia will enable students and other interested readers to explore specific naval engagements, while also charting the transformation of naval history through innovations in ordnance. In treating the naval aspects of World War II, this two-volume ready reference enhances the understanding of a part of the war that is often overshadowed by the fighting on land and in the air. The encyclopedia focuses on the events, individuals, organizations, and ideas that shaped the world's navies during World War II, as well as the resultant battles that changed naval history. It also covers the numerous innovations that occurred during the conflict and shows how strategies evolved and were executed. Features •More than 450 A–Z entries •A comprehensive chronology •Numerous illustrations of individuals, weapons, and battles •Maps •A glossary of naval terms •A comprehensive bibliography, plus cross-references and suggestions for further reading at the end of each entry Highlights •Overviews the history of the navies of World War II in an instructive introductory essay •Shares biographies of the leading personalities of the war •Discusses naval strategy during the war, explaining the naval technology of the period in layman's terms •Provides comprehensive treatment of battles and information on principle campaigns

The War for the Seas, 2019

2021

This work is the second and last sequel to Major Naval Operations, published by the Naval War College Press in 2008 as Newport Paper 32. The first sequel, Major Fleet-versus-Fleet Operations in the Pacific War, 1941–1945, was published (as Historical Monograph 22) by the Naval War College Press / Government Printing Office in 2014; a second edition came out in 2016. The focus of that volume was on the description and analysis of three major fleet-versus-fleet operations. In contrast, this work, Major Naval Operations in European Waters, 1939–1945 (twenty-seventh in the Naval War College Press’s Historical Monograph series), looks at three different types of major naval/joint operations: an attack on enemy maritime trade, the defense and protection of friendly maritime trade, and a major amphibious/anti-amphibious operation. The principal purpose is to impress on commanders and their staffs the critical importance of studying the theory and practice of major naval/joint operations. A...

Naval warfare is defined as the tactics of military operations conducted on, over, or under the seas, oceans, or any other major water bodies such as rivers or lakes. It is waged against other seagoing vessels or targets on land or in the air. Even if one agrees with the techno-centric view that modern naval history begins at the point when steam power becomes the principle propulsive mechanism for combat, in the late 1840s, the major naval engagements of the twentieth century best demonstrated, indeed rapidly accelerated, the unprecedented development of technology, the evolution of tactics, and the fighting skills of personnel – altering the relationship between them. However, outside the idealised theoretical conditions of the academy, the environment remained an un-mastered obstacle to all these imperfect factors, but especially technology, throughout the century. The maritime environment constitutes atmospheric conditions such as cloud, fog, wind, precipitation, humidity, temperature, sunlight, and night time, on the one hand, and aspects of the water, namely area, temperature, state, tides, landforms (sandbanks and reefs), on the other. It was a hindrance or an aid to naval forces, as it reduced the fighting capabilities of personnel and caused fatal accidents, enabled concealment and evasion of platforms, and fundamentally altered the nature, and forced the delay, postponement, and abandonment of certain naval engagements altogether. The study focuses on the two world wars and the Falklands conflict of 1982, only briefly including the Korean War, fought in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Ocean. Finally, for convenience purposes the essay prioritises the navies of the UK and US over others.

The Mariner's Mirror, 2017