This is the story of the remarkable; intersecting careers of the two greatest writers on British naval history in the twentieth century - the American professor Arthur Marder; son of immigrant Russian Jews; and Captain Stephen Roskill; who knew the Royal Navy from the inside. Between them; these contrasting characters were to peel back the lid of historical secrecy that surrounded the maritime aspects of the two world wars; based on the privileged access to official papers they both achieved through different channels.Initially their mutual interests led to a degree of friendly rivalry; but this was to deteriorate into a stormy academic feud fought out in newspaper columns and the footnotes of their books - much to the bemusement (and sometimes amusement) of the naval history community. Out of it; surprisingly; emerged some of the best historical writing on naval themes; and a central contribution of this book is to reveal the process by which the two historians produced their literary masterpieces.Anyone who has read Marder's From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow or Roskill's The War at Sea - and they were both bestsellers in their day - will be entertained and enlightened by this story of the men A J P Taylor called 'our historical dreadnoughts'. This is the story of the remarkable; intersecting careers of the two greatest writers on British naval history in the twentieth century - the American professor Arthur Marder; son of immigrant Russian Jews; and Captain Stephen Roskill; who knew the Royal Navy from the inside. Between them; these contrasting characters were to peel back the lid of historical secrecy that surrounded the maritime aspects of the two world wars; based on the privileged access to official papers they both achieved through different channels.Initially their mutual interests led to a degree of friendly rivalry; but this was to deteriorate into a stormy academic feud fought out in newspaper columns and the footnotes of their books - much to the bemusement (and sometimes amusement) of the naval history community. Out of it; surprisingly; emerged some of the best historical writing on naval themes; and a central contribution of this book is to reveal the process by which the two historians produced their literary masterpieces.Anyone who has read Marder's From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow or Roskill's The War at Sea - and they were both bestsellers in their day - will be entertained and enlightened by this story of the men A J P Taylor called 'our historical dreadnoughts'.
#1197460 in Books Osprey Publishing 2009-10-27 2009-10-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.70 x 3.56 x 7.25l; .47 #File Name: 184603692564 pages
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. WWII US Armored Infantry TacticsBy Michael ReeseGordon has written another excellent book on WWII small units - in this case the US Armored Infantry Battalion; Company; and Platoon. Provides a well detailed description of the organization; including weapons; for the vehicles; platoons; companies and battalions using the US half-track. These units were used in US Armor Divisions with three battalions of armored infantry operating with three tank battalions and three self-propelled artillery battalions.Pictures and drawings are excellent. Several samples of actions are described - a shame there isn't enough room in the OSPREY series to more fully describe actual actions by US armored infantry. The book does explain the use of half-tracks in US armor doctrine. Good book for wargamers.Can't go wrong with a book that includes seating arrangements for all of the half-tracks used in the Company.Recommended. Excellent addition to the two OSPREY books on the US Armored Divisions in WWII.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Fewer 'tactics' than expectedBy Raymund EichI bought this while doing research for a military science fiction novel with AFVs; Take the Shilling. This was my first purchase of a book by Osprey; so I was a victim of my own expectations. I expected a thicker book with more detail on the combat experiences of units of this type; but all that was offered were some generic sketches and one brief case study of a failed operation from the Western Front 1944-5. If you're a WWII buff interested in the history and training of these units; this might fill a need for you.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. In short the visuals are no good.By L. MurphyDo not get a Kindle edition of an Osprey book. These books should only be seen in print. The reader can't get a grasp of the graphics in a Kindle version. The drawings; maps; photos; charts; etc. are too small and; or broken up on seperate pages. In short the visuals are no good.
