The war for the seas : a maritime history of World War II / Evan Mawdsley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mawdsley, Evan, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain. Royal Navy.

Great Britain.

World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations.

World War, 1939-1945.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xliii, 557 pages) : illustrations, maps, plates

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A bold and authoritative maritime history of World War II which takes a fully international perspective and challenges our existing understanding Command of the oceans was crucial to winning World War II. By the start of 1942 Nazi Germany had conquered mainland Europe, and Imperial Japan had overrun Southeast Asia and much of the Pacific. How could Britain and distant America prevail in what had become a "war of continents"? In this definitive account, Evan Mawdsley traces events at sea from the first U-boat operations in 1939 to the surrender of Japan. He argues that the Allied counterattack involved not just decisive sea battles, but a long struggle to control shipping arteries and move armies across the sea. Covering all the major actions in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as those in the narrow seas, this book interweaves for the first time the endeavors of the maritime forces of the British Empire, the United States, Germany, and Japan, as well as those of France, Italy, and Russia.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

List of Plates, Maps and Tables

List of Technical Abbreviations

Introduction

1. The Twilight War, September 1939-April 1940

2. Norway: A Costly Victory

3. The Defence of the British Isles

4. The Bitter Fate of the French Navy, 1940-44

5. The Battle of the Atlantic, Round One, June 1940-December 1941

6. The Struggle for the Mediterranean, July 1940-December 1941

7. Defending the Motherland: The Embattled Soviet Navy, June 1941-December 1944

8. An Undeclared Naval War: The Neutral US and the Axis Threat

9. Japan Attacks Britain and America, December 1941-April 1942

10. The Pacific in the Balance: From Carrier Raids to Midway

11. The South Pacific: The American Offensives at Guadalcanal, the Solomons and New Guinea, August 1942-May 1944

12. The Battle of the Atlantic, Round Two, January-December 1942

13. Britain and the Beginnings of Amphibious Operations in Europe, March 1941-December 1942

14. The Mediterranean: The British Regain the Initiative, January 1942-November 1942

15. The Battle of the Atlantic, Round Three, January 1943-May 1944

16. The Mediterranean: The Allies Gain Control, November 1942-August 1944

17. The Submarine War in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

18. The US Navy's Drive across the Central Pacific, November 1943-June 1944

19. The Invasion of France and the Defeat of the Third Reich

20. The Philippines, Okinawa and the Defeat of Imperial Japan

Conclusion: The Commanded Sea

Endnotes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliography and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's website, viewed April 6, 2020).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-300-24875-X

OCLC:

1112071249