 "Superior naval history" | 2010-02-21 |
| - Reviewed By Matt Skuegler from Philadelphia |
| I bought this book and it sat on my shelf unread for years. It's a big book, over 750 dense pages. Even after I read (and loved) the prequel, Dreadnought, it still took me a long time to muster up the energy to tackle this. Probably I'm lazier than average. But once I did pick it up, I was awfully glad I did. Castles of Steel is a completely satisfying book -- first-rate writing, an engaging story, compelling battle scenes, balanced and fair coverage and judgments, helpful photos and maps. A year or two after reading it, the men and the ships at the center of the story are still vividly in my mind. Like many reading this, I've read dozens of books on naval history, and this easily ranks up with the best of them. Highly recommended. |
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| "A Unique World War I Introductory" | 2009-10-02 |
| - Reviewed By Matt Haak from Naperville, IL |
Trenches are undoubtedly the image that comes to mind when one thinks of World War I. But after reading Castles of Steel, one will also have to imagine massive 15-inch guns firing at ships 10 miles away and moving at 25 knots. I was happy to discover that the naval history of the Great War is quite interesting. This book brought it all to life.
In COS, Massie provides the most readable historical account I've encountered. I believe other reviewers have pointed out, and I agree with them, that this readability does not come at the expense of historical rigor, either. I now have a far better understanding of how the Royal Navy defined the British Empire and how the Kaiser's High Sea's fleet threatened that order.
I hoped, too, that this book would give a decent overview of World War I generally; as it was the first really in-depth book I've read on the Great War. It turned out to be a good but not great introduction, at least insofar as introductions typically offer breadth instead of depth. I hardly consider this a fault; the book was not intended to be broad. Nevertheless, I'll point out to someone with similar hopes that there is almost no discussion of armies in France or Germany other than political references to the stalemate. There is decent discussion of who was allied with whom and why, as well as who was trying to remain neutral. There was a surprising amount of ground-battle discussion as it related to Gallipoli, since that Mediterranean campaign was so intertwined with naval action. And finally, it was quite strong in its discussion of how America was drawn into the war. In that particular regard, I doubt a better introduction could be found (at least if Massie's thesis, that it was mainly a maritime matter, holds up.)
But simply as naval story, the book was superb. The institutions that once were Royal Navy and Imperial Navy hold my elevated respect. It is easy, through Massie, to conjure up images of men being men, shoveling coal like beasts in an inferno, pushing ships 2, 3, 4 knots past their rated maximum. It is easy to picture those same men full of honor, giving three cheers for their admiral and for the King as they steam into epic battles against hundreds of ships.
And yet, COS is far from a fairy tail. The old ways of war begin to crumble; monarchies defer to cabinets, sailors that had been gentlemen begin murdering, respect for one's enemy quickly gives way to hatred. Before the war, the Royal Navy and Imperial Navy held friendly competitions, by the end of the war, starvation blockade and unrestricted submarine warfare had taken hold.
So, through the lens of naval history, we see the full transformation from gentlemen's war to the horrors of modern, democratic warfare. And at the center of this transformation is Winston Churchill, whose bungled years at the Admiralty are marked by overzealousness, close-mindedness, and overall incompetence.
Ultimately, COS, though not intended to be an introduction to WW I, and certainly lacking introductory breadth, is nevertheless a unique place to start one's learning about the Great War. For whatever it lacks in breadth, it is certainly a deep recounting of the naval history, and I suspect in that depth one will find all the important human themes of the Great War which make it such a pivotal moment in time. |
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| "Loved it!" | 2009-09-28 |
| - Reviewed By E. Kirk from Michigan |
I don't think I have much to add to what's been said before, other than to simply iterate alongside many other people my enjoyment of this book.
I felt that this book, alongside Dreadnought (same author), gave a wonderful historical view of events that surrounded and led up to WW! (though pre-WW1 discussion is predominately found in Dreadnought, not this book).
I relished the discussion of the different personalities involved. And found the apparent lack of naval battles following the arms race quite ironic!
Great reading, and highly recommended! |
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| "The fog of war" | 2009-06-12 |
| - Reviewed By JOHN A. BROUSSARD from Kamuela, HI USA |
| If any lesson emerges from the naval war of 1914-1918 it's that the best laid plans can and do go awry. Add to that the comparatively new weapons of this period and virtually anything was bound to happen. Massie is a skilled master at showing the whole picture along with fascinating details, ranging from Britain's early, desperate attempts to deal with U-boat warfare (even attempting to train seagulls to defecate on periscopes) to the amazing breaking of the German naval code. All in all, an exciting description of man's devastating success in destroying others of his own kind. |
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| "Wonderful analysis of WWI Naval History" | 2009-01-27 |
| - Reviewed By ExSoldier-HarvardGrad from Cambridge, MA United States |
The naval companion to The Guns of August.
Massey's Castles of Steel is a concise history of the First World War at sea focusing on the Dreadnaught showdown between the British and German Empires as well as some peripheral topics such as the Dardanelle Campaign, and the German U-Boat blockade.
The book follows a dynamic narrative style that is remarkably easy to follow though at time the chronology is a bit hard to follow as the author has, for readability sake, chosen to follow specific people or units at times rather than adhering to a strict chronological format. Massey's training as a journalist is evident in the style and flow of the work. It is also a time period with which he is very familiar as his previous books have focused on the Russian Revolution.
The historical sources used are many and reliable. When there are differences in his sources he generally reconciles them very well. He also uses a significant number of primary sources rather than relying on other author's work. However, he does make appropriate nods to previous historians especially when he adopts their theories or explainations. Most notably he references John Keegan often.
I found the book to be a wonderful introduction to WWI at sea. I consider this book to be the naval companion to Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August and think that any one seeking a basic yet comprehensive understanding of World War One could do far worse than reading these two books. As such I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Naval history or WWI. |
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 "The English - German Naval History of WWI" | 2009-01-03 |
| - Reviewed By Book Person from Chico, Califiornia |
The Dreadnought, also by Massie, describes the transformation of the English and German navies just prior to WWI. Massie realizes that the personalities of the leaders and the governments matter as much to the results as the technological changes and does a masterful and suspenseful job of informing the reader of both but ends thebook at the outbreak of the war. Castles of Steel continues the drama starting with the chase of German ship Goeben by the English through the Mediterranean and up to the Dardanelles. It follows the legendary Admiral von Spee in his voyage from Japan to the western coast of South America then around the Cape to the battle near the Falklands and the tragic efforts of Admiral Craddock to stop the threat. (Even with the modern Falklands battle, I had not realized that the islands off Argentina were the only south Atlantic outpost for the English navy.) The scene moves to the North Sea, the outlet for both navies from their home port and the most likely battleground. Three battles comprised the North Sea war: Dogger Bank, Heliogland Bight and the titanic Jutland. The disastrous Gallipolli attack (with a fascinating footnote about Rupert Murdock)that ended Churchill's rise in government for years is chilling. The rise of submarines and the major combatant's ambivalence, for reasons of both political and traditional behavior, about their use is worth a book of its own.
There are two terrific strengths to this book: understanding the people and the battles. Massie continues the biographies started in The Dreadnought that illustrate both navies and their governments. Jacky Fisher (First Sea Lord) was the author of the modern English navy, touting technological change and modern battle technique. Young, brash Winston Churchill, First Lord and impetuous leader is Fisher's boss and, for a while, friend. Fisher ends his career in a series of childlike rages and resignations, putting his career and reputation on line time and again, often for a paltry reason. Churchill fares a little better -- but not much -- failing to realize the depth of the military effort necessary to achieve his ends. The crucial players, though, are the admirals. Massie launches a strong and detailed defense of John Jellicoe, the mild and thoughtful commander in chief of the English. He presents Jellicoe's second in command, the jaunty and handsome David Beatty, in a much less flattering light. There clearly is a battle between the naval historians regarding the roles of each commander. Covered in less partisanship but equal detail are the German admirals: commander in chief Scheer, young (in his 50s)and smart and foiled by his Emperor; Hipper (who seems more lucky than brilliant, Tirpitz, the father of the German modern navy, and Von Spee. The governing figures are covered: the loyal Louis of Battenburg, sidelined by prejudice, the prime ministers Asquith and Lloyd George (a footnote alone makes me want to read a full biography of this bad boy), Kaiser Wilhelm, Germany's immature and ambivalent leader, Hindenburg the figurehead who waslead around by his subordinate, Ludendorff--and many more. It is not possible to understand history without understanding the moving personalities behind it, and Massie does a wonderful job of both fact and color that aid the reader.
The second strength is the description of the battles. These are complicated movements of hundreds of ships. I found the descriptions of gun size, weight and displacement a bit technical for my interest levels but have to concede they are critical to understanding the reasoning of admirals and outcomes of the skirmishes that comprise the battles. Unspoken, but clear, is the odd mix of new technologies (diesel engines are rare and coal smoke both advertised position and obscured the battlefield; ships are now heavily armored but communications are by hard to see flags). Both navies have one foot in the 1800s both in their chains of commands and decision processes (submarines are "ungentlemanly and undignified"). The battle descriptions are fairly clear even for a non-military historian as I am, and at times the spray and smoke and noise envelopes the reader. Chaos is a factor in a win nearly as much as caliber; the human losses and the ways they died are horrifying. The maneuverability of the ships, the distances over which battles are fought and the difficulty of effectively commanding the squadrons is well illustrated as is the need for just plain guessing in tactical decisions. Massie describes battles well complete with why the win occurred and liberally dotted with the anecdotes that may be irrelevant but are certainly interesting (a Maori shaman gave the captain of the New Zealand charms against disaster that made the captain look a trifle odd, but seemed to work).
Castles of Steel is a very good book, if not quite up to The Dreadnought (perhaps because it is more military and tactical history than its predecessor, and thus less to my taste). It remains clear, and as well written as always. I would read anything written by Massie. The two books make me feel well served in a detailed overview of the naval WWI and they are easy to recommend highly.
[Dreadnought |
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