Book description
In this second volume of his history of naval power in the 20th
century, H. P. Willmott follows the fortunes of the established
seafaring nations of Europe along with two upstarts-the United States
and Japan. Emerging from World War I in command of the seas, Great
Britain saw its supremacy weakened through neglect and in the face of
more committed rivals. Britain's grand Coronation Review of 1937
marked the apotheosis of a sea power slipping into decline. Meanwhile,
Britain's rivals and soon-to-be enemies were embarking on significant
naval building programs that would soon change the nature of war at
sea in ways that neither they nor their rivals anticipated. By the end
of a new world war, the United States had taken command of two oceans,
having placed its industrial might behind technologies that further
defined the arena of naval power above and below the waves, where
stealth and the ability to strike at great distance would soon rewrite
the rules of war and of peace. This splendid volume further enhances
Willmott's stature as the dean of naval historians.
"H. P. Willmott is the finest naval historian and among the
finest historians of any discipline writing today. His latest work
further strengthens that richly deserved accolade." -Bernard D.
Cole, author of The Great Wall at Sea
H. P. Willmott has written extensively on warfare in general and
on World War II in particular. Among his books are The Last Century of
Sea Power: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894-1922 (IUP, 2009) and The
Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action (IUP, 2005), a Society of
Military History prize winner.
