Author:
Mawdsley, Evan, 1945- author.
Imprint:New Haven : Yale University Press, [2019]
Imprint2019
Descriptionxlii, 557 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Note:Part I. Sea power and the European War, September 1939-June 1940 -- The twilight war, September 1939-April 1940 -- Norway: a costly victory -- The defence of the British Isles -- The bitter fate of the French navy, 1940-44 -- Part II. The British Empire at bay, June 1940-April 1942 -- The battle of the Atlantic, round one, June 1940-December 1941 -- The struggle for the Mediterranean, July 1940-December 1941 -- Defending the motherland: the embattled Soviet navy, June 1941-December 1944 -- An undeclared naval war: the neutral US and the Axis threat -- Japan attacks Britain and America, December 1941-April 1942 -- Part III. Global war at sea, April-December 1942 -- The Pacific in the balance: from carrier raids to Midway -- The south Pacific: the American offensives at Guadalcanal, the Solomons and New Guinea, August 1942-May 1944 -- The battle of the Atlantic, round two, January-December 1942 -- Britain and the beginnings of amphibious operations in Europe, March 1941-December 1942 -- The Mediterranean: the British regain the initiative, January 1942-November 1942 -- Part IV. Victory at sea, January 1943-June 1944 -- The battle of the Atlantic, round three, January 1943-May 1944 -- The Mediterranean: the Allies gain control, November 1942-August 1944 -- The submarine war in the Pacific and Indian Oceans -- The US navy's drive across the central Pacific, November 1943-June 1944 -- Part V.Commanding the seas, defeating the Axis, June 1944- August 1945 -- The invasion of France and the defeat of the Third Reich -- The Philippines, Okinawa and the defeat of Imperial Japan.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (pages 517-532) and index.
Note: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.
