 | 'Luxury' Fleet: (RLE The First World War): The Imperial German Navy 1888-1918 Subjects: Humanities; Politics & International Relations; History; Military & Strategic Studies; Military & Naval History; Modern History 1750-1945; Strategic Studies; Originally published in 1980 'Luxury' Fleet (the phrase was Winston Churchill's) was the first history of the Imperial German navy from 1888 to 1918. After tracing the historical background to German naval ambitions, the first two sections of the book analyse Admiral Tirpitz's programme of building a battle fleet strong enough to engage the Royal Navy in the North Sea. The author shows the fleet in its European setting and describes the warships and the attitudes of the officer corps and seamen. The final section of the book discusses the tactical deployment of the German fleet during the First World War, both in home waters and overseas; and it weighs the balance between those who supported fleet actions in preference to those who favoured cruiser and submarine warfare. Noted historian Bercuson has uncovered much new information on the Bismarck, including a close examination of the wreck itself, discovered on the ocean floor only in 1989. (Bowker Author Biography) |
