World War Ii At Sea

World War II at Sea, using a fine selection of contemporary pictures, looks again at most of the major naval engagements fought between 1939 and 1945 and asks whether everything was as clear cut as earlier accounts have suggested. For instance, how many battles might have had a different outcome if one side or the other had had better communications, or better intelligence, or just that little bit of extra luck?World War II at Sea considers whether those involved fully appreciated the role of aerial reconnaissance, of carrier tactics and of the submarine, the latter proving all but decisive in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. It also examines whether there was too great an emphasis on destroyers fighting U-bots, and not enough on the safe and timely arrival of convoys.Finally, this book asks the reader to bear in mind the importance of a factor so often ignored in naval histories: the role of the sea itself.