The German Fleet At War, 1939-1945

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. 368 pages. 23 photos. 9 line drawings. Appendices. Notes. Bibliography. Index.