Rating: 5 out of 5
Two prior opinions collided here. Of course, I’m very interested in naval history. Then, only a few pages into this book it was clear that it would include a description of Jutland, something I’ve studiously avoided for a very long time. Nonetheless, I carried on and – this is probably my biggest possible praise for this author – he really made that conflict stand out.
So what we get here is an overview of the battlecruisers, how they came to be built for the royal navy, and how they managed in war. It was not a shining career for all of them, sometimes due to their commanding officers, but the author made the relevant events really stand out, especially from the point of view of the subject matter. Even his description of the first naval events in the Gulf of Thailand theatre was outstanding, and reminded me of my long-time wish to read the Australia in the Second World War series.
I think that one could have asked for more descriptions of the other countries who followed in the footsteps of the Royal Navy, but it was a very enjoyable read in any case.
