Walter J. Boyne

The ships! The men! The... errors?

This is just what it sounds like: An overview of naval conflict in World War II. It covers all major navies -- Britain, United States, Japan, Germany, Italy, France -- and all oceans. It's about as comprehensive as a single medium-sized volume can be.

But I was constantly nagged by small errors and oversimplifications, such as Boyne's total condemnation of German Admiral Erich Raeder's use of his surface ships in commerce-raiding. Boyne thinks this a total show more waste -- yet the Graf Spee, for instance, although she was lost, knocked out many times her own tonnage. She was lost -- but she definitely paid for herself. And by keeping his raiders in existence, Raeder forced the British to keep a lot of heavy ships in commission, depriving them of the men that could man convoy escorts. For example, if the men who served on the five otherwise-useless Royal Sovereign class of battleships had been reassigned to destroyer work, the British could have manned several dozen more destroyers and probably saved many convoy ships.

Take as a specific case the hunting of the Bismarck. On p. 34, Boyne claimed that the Royal Navy sent "six battleships, four battle cruisers, two aircraft carriers" and some lesser ships to hunt the German battleship. The number of carriers is right. I believe the number of battleships is wrong but am not dead sure. But I can prove that the number of battlecruisers is wrong, because the British only had three! -- the Hood, Renown, and Repulse.

On p. 59 he describes the battle between the Bismarck and the Hood and Prince of Wales, condemning the way Admiral Holland fought the British ships. Certainly Holland's tactics proved disastrous. But he ignores the fact that Holland was supposed to intercept, and do so secretly -- and that Holland had been on course to cross the Bismarck's T when the Bismarck managed to escape surveillance and messed up the whole plan; Holland had nothing to do then except fight as best he could. It cost him his life, and the biggest ship in the Royal Navy, but there was a reason that Boyne ignores.

As for the destruction of the Hood herself, Boyne describes exactly how she was destroyed. Problem is, we really don't know. All we really know is that the was there, then she had broken in half due to an explosion, and only three men were recovered. It's clear that a magazine exploded -- but which one, and why? I've seen at least three other possible explanations; how does Boyne know with certainty?

And, at the end, Boyne says that the Rodney was Admiral Tovey's command ship (p. 67). No, Tovey was in the King George V; she and the Rodney were both there at the end, and the Rodney had heavier artillery, but Tovey's ship was much more modern and intended to be a flagship.

Few of these errors are really egregious. You have to really know your naval history (or have a trick memory like mine) to realize all the places where Boyne makes minor errors. If all you want is an overview, this book should be fine. But if you need to write a research paper or something... cite something else, OK? show less

Trophy for Eagles is a good work of historical fiction. The time period is from just before Lindbergh's famous flight to the Spanish Civil War. Settings cover a wide area of the world, although most of the novel is in various American locations. The two main characters develop their rivalry early on and it carries through to the final pages. Historical figures appear enough to connect our fictitious aviators to the time period - and the changing relationship between the protagonist and show more Lindbergh provides for excellent character development. Technical details are incorporated but similar to a Tom Clancy novel. My only real complaint is the overuse of similes in otherwise good writing. If you enjoy history and aviation you should enjoy this book. show less

Boyne, coauthor of The Wild Blue , here explores the golden age of aviation: the years from 1927 to 1937, when flying airplanes developed from an art to a craft and building them evolved from a craft to an industry. While peopled with historical characters such as Lindbergh, Howard Hughes and Ernst Udet, the relationship between two pilots, American Frank Bandfield and expatriate German Bruno Hafner, is at the novel's heart; their rivalry is the thread on which Boyne strings his vignettes. show more High-risk air racing in Depression America, innovations in design and production, the creation of Hitler's Luftwaffe , the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War--all find their place in this complex, compelling narrative. A former director of the National Air and Space Museum, Boyne impressively details flight techniques and aircraft construction. He even writes convincingly of the shortcomings that keep imaginary aircraft from entering production in his fictional universe. Technical material is so well integrated into the narrative, and human relationships are so dominated by flying, that it seems only natural when lovers talk of airplanes at intimate moments. show less

An excellent work of military history that analyzes World War II through the use and misuse of war planes and the strategy of war from the air. Each major air force is described in terms of its goals--and its ability to reach or fail to attain those targets--its successes and failures, the planes themselves--often in comparison with the planes that flew against them--and the men who planned and flew and died. The author provides a critique how each Axis and Allied participant responded to show more the challenges they faced and explains why a course of action succeeded or failed. The writing is superbly lively and interest never flags. Sometimes one encounters extraordinary wisdom and great heroism; sometimes ineptitude and small mindedness. The author takes on controversy with enthusiasm, explaining both sides of an issue--for example, the bombing of Dresden--and then explains why he agrees or disagrees with the path taken. An entertaining and informative read, the best type of history. show less