The Great War at sea: A history of naval action 1914-18

1133 The Great War at Sea: A History of Naval Action 1914-18, by A. A. Hoehling (read 2 Oct 1971) I must remember not to read any more Hoehling books. He is a lousy organizer, a lousy writer, and the very interesting things in this book do not make it good, because of the writer's inabilities. This book covers the Falklands battle well--I knew little of it before I read this. The chapter on Jutland is worth reading. Jutland was not a British victory, but it did end the role of the German High Seas Fleet in the war, so maybe Jellicoe was right in not continuing the battle on June 1, 1916. The book also has a chapter on the Konigsberg, which holed up in German East Africa till it was finally sunk on July 11, 1915. Also a chapter on the show more disappearance of the Cyclops in March 1918. The author makes a big deal about this, but I think the ship was simply torpedoed and sunk--what is so much about that? The chapter on the scuttling of the German Fleet (70 ships) on June 21, 1919, was interesting. show less

The stories a both technical and entertaining. The battle sequences can be somewhat disjointed but overall an insightful and educational read. If you are looking for an overview of naval operations in the Atlantic during WW1 this is a good book to read.