Hitler vs. Roosevelt: The Undeclared Naval War

by Thomas A. Bailey, Paul B. Ryan

Here is the first blow-by-blow account of the undeclared German-American Naval War of 1939-1941: the dramatic story of naval blockades and encounters between German U-boats and American destroyers…and the burning personal hatred between Hitler and Roosevelt that lay behind these clashes. "Hitler vs. Roosevelt" traces the deterioration of German-American relations from as early as 1933, when both leaders assumed power, and provides a revealing account of the implacable hostility that festered between these two strong personalities. Authors Bailey and Ryan have combed documents recently declassified by the British government, as well as previously unused material from the Roosevelt Library at Hyde Park. They have also consulted the logs of the German U-boats and the testimony of American naval officers who took part in this lethal game of hunter versus hunted in the strategic waters of the North Atlantic, where German submarines torpedoed American destroyers and supply ships, and U.S. vessels returned the fire – with neither side really wanting a formally declared war. Together, Bailey and Ryan have written the compelling story of the many ramifications of this historic clash between these two dominant world leaders.

Genres: American, World War II

302 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1979

Reviews

[Joel Connealy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a high four star, but I’m giving it five because it’s an important book.

It’s a true history book, and it is focused on a very specific topic and it sticks to this topic extraordinarily well. For 250 pages, there is information, dates, encounters, political intrigue, incidents, etc.
This is one of the more important WWII history books, and it’s written by a war college type guy. For an older history book, it holds up pretty well, though some of the last 20 pages has not aged well in the 50 years since it was published. But MOST of it is superb. I would recommend this to any student of WWII history and it is a book I would include in any list of important books on that war.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering it’s age, this is still a pretty good book. History books written a while ago tend to show their age, and this one being almost 50 years old definitely has its shortfalls when it comes to sourcing and it’s arguments. However, this book provides a good baseline about Roosevelt’s political positioning leading to ww2. The authors also being alive at the time of the war provides the modern day reader with an interesting perspective on opinions before, during, and after the war. This isn’t a groundbreaking history book anymore, but it certainly is a solid read.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up in a share books pile. Very interesting. Learned a lot. Written very much from "the winners" point of view. Will be interesting to read more about Roosevelt to learn if he was as conniving as these authors imply.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history of the lead-up to America's involvement in the Second World War, and the steadily escalating naval conflicts between the U.S. and the Third Reich. This book taught me a lot of the history of the period between the world wars, and the early history of WWII.

[John Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book.