The Longest Battle: The War at Sea 1939-45

by Richard Hough

For those who fought at sea in World War II, the battle never ceased. Danger lurked twenty-four hours a day; the threat from the skies, from beneath the ocean and from the more traditional warship’s gun was always present. It was a war that demanded more of its sailors than any other war in history, in endurance and the unremitting need to face danger—danger from increasingly lethal weapons and an ever increasing need for vigilance by night and day. The battles themselves proved to be the most grueling in naval history. Written by a highly qualified naval historian, The Longest Battle is a succinct and lively one volume history of the strategies and the actions in which the navies of the Allied and Axis powers were involved in World War II. Presented as a continuous, world-embracing narrative, it includes every category of naval conflict and views the war in personal, individual terms as experienced by those who planned and participated in the naval actions. Covering all the major confrontations fought on every ocean on earth as well as many lesser-known but important battles, including U-boat warfare in the Atlantic and bitter sea battles in the Mediterranean, The Longest Battle provides new insights into these engagements from German and Japanese records. With special emphasis placed upon the United States Navy and its significance in the global strategy of the war at sea, The Longest Battle is sure to appeal to American sailors as well as historians and all those interested in naval history and World War II. A lively one-volume history of the strategies and actions in which the navies of the Allied and Axis powers were involved in World War II, covering every category of naval conflict and presenting views of the war that will help veterans understand the meaning of campaigns in which they served. 32 pages of black-and-white photographs.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Naval History, Military History, Military Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

About the author

Richard Alexander Hough was a British author and historian specializing in naval history. As a child, he was obsessed with making model warships and collecting information about navies around the world. In 1941, he joined the Royal Air Force and trained at a flying school near Los Angeles. He flew Hurricanes and Typhoons and was wounded in action.

After World War II, Hough worked as a part-time delivery driver for a wine shop, while looking for employment involving books. He finally joined the publishing house Bodley Head, and then Hamish Hamilton, where he eventually headed the children’s book division.

His work as a publisher inspired him to turn to writing himself in 1950, and he went on to write more than ninety books over a long and successful career. Best-known for his works of naval history and his biographies, he also wrote war novels and books for children (under the pseudonym Bruce Carter), all of which sold in huge numbers around the world. His works include The Longest Battle: The War at Sea 1939-45, Naval Battles of the Twentieth Century and best-selling biographies of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Captain James Cook. Captain Bligh and Mr Christian, his 1972 account of the mutiny on the Bounty, was the basis of the 1984 film The Bounty, starring Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson.

Hough was the official historian of the Mountbatten family and a longtime student of Churchill. Winston Churchill figures prominently in nine of his books, including Former Naval Person: Churchill and the Wars at Sea. He won the Daily Express Best Book of the Sea Award in 1972.

Reviews

[John Humber · Rating 2 out of 5]

My 2-star rating may seem a little mean-spirited, and it is. This book covers a subject and a period of history that interests me and Hough does a very good job, as others have said here, of compressing a complex subject and story into 380 pages, although his writing is perhaps just a touch dry for the casual reader, the serious student will not, I think, experience any difficulty with that.

My biggest difficulty with this book, as with other books by Cassell (an imprint of Octopus Books) is the very poor production quality. Paperbacks don’t last forever but in all of the Cassell paperbacks I’ve bought, pages fall out at the first reading. The inner (back) margins are so very parsimonious that it is sometimes necessary to break the back just to read the thing. It’s a great shame because not only does it spoil the reading, it also makes one feel cheated—yes it’s that bad. I find it difficult to believe that anyone at Octopus has actually looked at a Cassell book and not thought this will not do.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

You sunk my battleship

[Matthew Culley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful history of the main naval battles of World War 2. It is a good achievement to encompass this is a single volume. We learn something about the navies of all the main combatants of the war. Recommended.

[B Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

War at sea WW2

An absorbing read of naval warfare revealing the terror at sea under fire and cost to humans. truly great read.

[Julian Cribb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent history of the naval war, combining great overviews of the strategy, the tactics and the human dimension. The subject is so large that it would need many volumes, but Hough somehow manages to compress it into this high-readable medium-sized tome. Well-written, lively, informative, dramatic and well-balanced. An excellent read for those who want to understand more about this complex yet critical five-year battle. Most histories put Stalingrad and the Eastern Front as the fulcrum of WWII, but this, I think, confirms the Atlantic and Pacific were no less critical.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best account of WW2 at sea in a single volume, and I have read quite a few books on the subject. Manages the trick of giving good insight into the big picture of the war, while at the same time highlighting some individual destinies. Even with broad scope, I picked up some information I hadn't seen anywhere else. It is also very well written, reading like a page-turner of a thriller. Very highly recommended!

[Adam Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

thrilling approach to what can often be a rather dull subject, this however is a real pageturner, well written,and reserched, couldn,t wish to read a better book on this subject.