Author Description

Unrivaled in detail, this book chronicles the great naval war in history, day-by-day across every theatre of war, from almost-forgotten skirmishes to the most famous climactic battles. Surface, underwater, naval-air and amphibious campaigns are all covered, and periodic assessments sum up the strategic situations in the worldwide theatres. From its first publication in the 1970s, the meticulous research behind this book has made it an essential tool for every historian and serious enthusiast concerned with World War II. It underwent complete revision in the early 1990s, when the full significance of Ultra cryptanalysis first became public, and it has now undergone a further massive updating and expansion with the opening of archives in the old Eastern Bloc countries at the end of the Cold War. A series of massive indexes featuring more than 20,000 entries greatly enhance the book's value as a reference and give readers easy access to material.