Andy H
26-08-2011, 12:31
The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy’s Most Powerful Strike Force by David Hobbs.
Published by Seaforth, ISBN 978184320482
Many of us are now well acquainted with the term ‘The Forgotten Army’ and how this relates to the rather neglected topic of the British 14th Army and its campaigns and battles in Burma, India and beyond. The British naval equivalent is the ‘British Pacific Fleet’ (BPF) of late 1944 and up to the end of the war against Japan. The BPF like the British 14th Army was the most powerful/largest force of its type that this country had put together in WW2.
Hobbs manages with ease to tell the tale of the BPF’s rather runt like birth and the huge challenges it faced just to be accepted as an equal by the battle hardened USN in the Pacific theatre. The often overlooked part played by the Commonwealth nations is given due credit, for without its logistical contribution above all else, the BPF would have remained but an ideal at best or a shadow of its reality at worst.
The book is broken down into some 16 easily definable chapters, from its background through to its evolution and expansion, thence into its first faltering operational steps. From these less than stellar beginnings we see how contrary to belief the Royal Navy could adapt quickly and indeed improve on the experience and information provided by the USN. The all important logistical tail and fleet train are given due credence & gravitas, as we see the zone of operations for the BPF grow in both size and importance. The political dimension is duly covered and a warts n all narrative leaves the reader in no doubt how the BPF leadership rose to the challenges placed before it by a rather sceptical and even at times hostile USN. From this honest approach by both primary nations we can see how finally the BPF was forged into an effective Task Force serving alongside the powerful USN.
As one would expect with such a book it is suitably furnished with plenty of B/W photographs and maps, with an equally well furnished appendices and bibliography to boot.
This new pinnacle book by David Hobbs paints a picture that will enrapture its reader through its sheer detail and narrative eloquence. Whereas in the past students have reached for copies of H P Willmot and P Smith, they will now seek out this work by David Hobbs.
Regards
Published by Seaforth, ISBN 978184320482
Many of us are now well acquainted with the term ‘The Forgotten Army’ and how this relates to the rather neglected topic of the British 14th Army and its campaigns and battles in Burma, India and beyond. The British naval equivalent is the ‘British Pacific Fleet’ (BPF) of late 1944 and up to the end of the war against Japan. The BPF like the British 14th Army was the most powerful/largest force of its type that this country had put together in WW2.
Hobbs manages with ease to tell the tale of the BPF’s rather runt like birth and the huge challenges it faced just to be accepted as an equal by the battle hardened USN in the Pacific theatre. The often overlooked part played by the Commonwealth nations is given due credit, for without its logistical contribution above all else, the BPF would have remained but an ideal at best or a shadow of its reality at worst.
The book is broken down into some 16 easily definable chapters, from its background through to its evolution and expansion, thence into its first faltering operational steps. From these less than stellar beginnings we see how contrary to belief the Royal Navy could adapt quickly and indeed improve on the experience and information provided by the USN. The all important logistical tail and fleet train are given due credence & gravitas, as we see the zone of operations for the BPF grow in both size and importance. The political dimension is duly covered and a warts n all narrative leaves the reader in no doubt how the BPF leadership rose to the challenges placed before it by a rather sceptical and even at times hostile USN. From this honest approach by both primary nations we can see how finally the BPF was forged into an effective Task Force serving alongside the powerful USN.
As one would expect with such a book it is suitably furnished with plenty of B/W photographs and maps, with an equally well furnished appendices and bibliography to boot.
This new pinnacle book by David Hobbs paints a picture that will enrapture its reader through its sheer detail and narrative eloquence. Whereas in the past students have reached for copies of H P Willmot and P Smith, they will now seek out this work by David Hobbs.
Regards