Naval warfare and navies in general can often get ignored. Those interested in military history tend to have a bias towards military events on land. And, as former US Marine John Kroger explains in his interview on the best books on American naval history, governments often have a similar bias. In the US there is a 'boom and bust' approach to naval warfare that sees the navy run down in the absence of naval conflict and then rapidly increased when the fighting starts. He discusses the wider importance of the US Navy over the past two hundred years, explaining how the building of the Panama Canal was driven by the US’s need to be able to deploy naval ships from east coast to west coast, without having to go round Cape Horn and this, in turn, shaped US policy to Latin America.
Elsewhere British naval historian Nicholas Rodger talks about naval history in the 20th century. He also argues that naval history is marginalised, particularly when looking at World War II, where he argues that the war was effectively won at sea. The losers were those who did not focus on winning the war at sea.
Both historians discuss the limits of naval action in terms of their ability to command certain resources. Rodger notes how restricted battleships were in their movements in the early 20th century by their need to re-coal and Kroger on how modern navies are highly dependent on satellite systems.
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1
US Navy: A Concise History
by Craig L. Symonds -
2
Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy
by Ian W. Toll -
3
Sea of Glory: America’s Voyage of Discovery
by Nathaniel Philbrick -
4
The Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War
by Samuel Eliot Morison -
5
Learning War: The Evolution of Fighting Doctrine in the U.S. Navy
by Trent Hone
The best books on American Naval History, recommended by John Kroger
The best books on American Naval History, recommended by John Kroger
The story of the American navy is deeply intertwined with that of the nation, says John Kroger—former Chief Learning Officer to the US Navy—although we don’t always afford naval history the attention it deserves. Here he selects five of the best books about American naval history and predicts a renewed focus on Pacific naval defenses in the coming decades.
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1
After Jutland: The Naval War in North European Waters, June 1916-November 1918
by James Goldrick -
2
The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command
by Andrew Gordon -
3
The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service since 1945
by James Jinks & Peter Hennessy -
4
Battle Line: The United States Navy, 1919–1939
by Thomas C. Hone & Trent Hone -
5
World War II at Sea: A Global History
by Craig L. Symonds
The best books on Naval History (20th Century), recommended by Nicholas Rodger
The best books on Naval History (20th Century), recommended by Nicholas Rodger
In the world wars of the twentieth century, naval warfare has often been given a secondary role. But as naval historian Nicholas Rodger explains, the protagonists who thought like that lost. Here, he chooses five books that explain the military role and development of navies over the course of the 20th century.
