The German Fleet at War, 1939-1945

 Vincent P, O’Hara

 Annapolis, Naval Institute Press, 2004

 This is a strangely interesting book. Strange because it is neither a ‘reading’ book, nor is it a textbook; interesting because it contains a wealth of useful information for the wargamer.

 In his preface the author makes the subject under consideration clear from the outset – to provide the operational details of the surface actions of the German Fleet. He recognises that individual actions are only a means to an end – in this instance the German Navy was to harass, and if possible sever, sea lines of trade and communication into and out of the British Isles. This would be achieved in conjunction with the ubiquitous U-boats. The early war German doctrine is well known, surface warships would break up convoys which were then vulnerable to Dönitz’s Wolf Packs. The German surface fleet had other tasks: to prevent Allied seaborne power projection, to protect German maritime power projection, and to protect Germany’s own sea lines of communication.

 The main text comprises 13 chronological chapters examining 69 actions; the number of times large German surface warships engaged with large enemy warships. It is useful to remember that the German Navy engaged in more sea battles than their Japanese allies, and surprisingly even the USN. The chronological approach allows the reader to grasp the key notions of cause and effect and to understand how the German navy, its personnel and its enemies developed technically and doctrinally during the course of the war.

 Each of the 69 actions is preceded by a table listing the forces involved and duration of the engagement, the type (such as ‘harbor attack’, ‘Encounter’ ‘Interception’ and so on), weather, visibility, sea state and the respective objectives. This provides a useful background to the detailed blow-by-blow micro examination of the engagement. 

 Of course the famous actions are covered here, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen’s battle with Hood and Prince of Wales, Graf Spee at the River Plate, the commerce raiding of Scharnhorst and, in company with Gneisenau, her sinking of the Glorious.

 But there are a host of less familiar or even obscure actions such as the numerous operations between British and German torpedo boat squadrons in the English Channel, attacks on Allied convoys and wider commerce raiding. The excellent maps are somewhat counterbalanced by the poor quality illustrations which are reproduced on standard paper; surely a plate section would have been a better option.

 The author has done well to prevent the detailed narratives becoming dull and monotonous, his lucid and clear style makes the information easy to access. This last point is perhaps the main strength of the work, it is an excellent, handy, work of reference which will be of immense use to all those working in this field. For WWII naval wargamers it is a priceless collection of many different types of scenario.

ISBN 1-59114-651-8

 22 illustrations, many maps and tables

 $32.95 - available in the UK through Amazon.co.uk

Martin Robson

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