Victory at Sea : Naval Power and the Transformation of the Global Order in World War II

A sweeping, lavishly illustrated one-volume history of the rise of American naval power during World War II “A brilliant and gripping book by a master historian working at the top of his powers.”—Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University “Paul Kennedy has written a classic in this sweeping narrative account of the desperate struggle to command the seas and America’s rise as a superpower during the Second World War.”—John H. Maurer, U.S. Naval War College In this engaging narrative, brought to life by marine artist Ian Marshall’s beautiful full‑color paintings, historian Paul Kennedy grapples with the rise and fall of the Great Powers during World War II. Tracking the movements of the six major navies of the Second World War—the allied navies of Britain, France, and the United States and the Axis navies of Germany, Italy, and Japan—Kennedy tells a story of naval battles, maritime campaigns, convoys, amphibious landings, and strikes from the sea. From the elimination of the Italian, German, and Japanese fleets and almost all of the French fleet, to the end of the era of the big‑gunned surface vessel, the advent of the atomic bomb, and the rise of an American economic and military power larger than anything the world had ever seen, Kennedy shows how the strategic landscape for naval affairs was completely altered between 1936 and 1946. A sweeping, lavishly illustrated one-volume history of therise of American naval power during World War II"A brilliant and gripping book by a master historianworking at the top of his powers."-Fredrik Logevall, HarvardUniversity "Paul Kennedy has written a classic inthis sweeping narrative account of the desperate struggle tocommand the seas and America's rise as a superpower during theSecond World War."-John H. Maurer, U.S. Naval War CollegeIn this engaging narrative, brought to life by marine artist IanMarshall's beautiful full‐color paintings, historian Paul Kennedygrapples with the rise and fall of the Great Powers during WorldWar II. Tracking the movements of the six major navies of theSecond World War-the allied navies of Britain, France, and theUnited States and the Axis navies of Germany, Italy, andJapan-Kennedy tells a story of naval battles, maritime campaigns,convoys, amphibious landings, and strikes from the sea. From theelimination of the Italian, German, and Japanese fleets and almostall of the French fleet, to the end of the era of the big‐gunnedsurface vessel, the advent of the atomic bomb, and the rise of anAmerican economic and military power larger than anything the worldhad ever seen, Kennedy shows how the strategic landscape for navalaffairs was completely altered between 1936 and 1946 Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Paintings List of Maps List of Charts and Tables Preface PART I. Setting the Stage Chapter 1. Prologue: Sea Power and the Sweep of History Chapter 2. Warships and Navies before 1939 Chapter 3. Geography, Economics, and Geopolitical Writings PART II. Narrative of the Great Naval War, 1939–42 Chapter 4. The Early War at Sea, September 1939–July 1940 Chapter 5. The European War at Sea, July 1940–December 1941 Chapter 6. A War in Every Sea, 1942 PART III. The Critical Year of Chapter 7. Allied Control of the Seas, 1943 Chapter 8. The Shift in Global Power Balances, 1943–44 PART IV. Narrative of the Great Naval War, 1944–45 Chapter 9. Triumph of Allied Sea Power, 1944 Chapter 10. The Allied Victory at Sea, 1945 PART V. Aftermath and Reflections Chapter 11. Navies and Naval Powers in World War II: An Audit Epilogue. The Sweep of History APPENDICES. 1943: The Pivotal Year of the War, by Three Measures Appendix A. Sinking U-boats in the Dark, May 6, 1943 Appendix B. A Hypothetical Causation-Chain, from a Bauxite Mountain in Suriname to Air-Sea Victory in the Western Pacific, 1943–44 Appendix C. America as Number One: Overall Warship Tonnages of the Powers, 1930–60 Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z In this engaging narrative, brought to life by marine artist Ian Marshall's beautiful full-color paintings, historian Paul Kennedy grapples with the rise and fall of the Great Powers during World War II. Tracking the movements of the six major navies of the Second World War--the allied navies of Britain, France, and the United States and the Axis navies of Germany, Italy, and Japan--Kennedy tells a story of naval battles, maritime campaigns, convoys, amphibious landings, and strikes from the sea. From the elimination of the Italian, German, and Japanese fleets and almost all of the French fleet, to the end of the era of the big-gunned surface vessel, the advent of the atomic bomb, and the rise of an American economic and military power larger than anything the world had ever seen, Kennedy shows how the strategic landscape for naval affairs was completely altered between 1936 and 1946.-- Provided by publisher