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The Longest Battle: The War at Sea 1939-1945
This is the story of the greatest naval conflict in history
‘The Second World War demanded more of its sailors than any other war in history, in endurance and unremitting need to face danger - danger from increasingly lethal weapons and an ever-increasing need for vigilance by day and night.'
The war at sea - the longest battle of the Second World War - never ceased. From the Arctic Circle to the Pacific, the enemy threat was ever-present, on the surface, in the skies, and lurking beneath the waves.
In this comprehensive and compelling history, Richard Hough brings the titanic struggle to life. Using personal accounts from veterans of all sides, his book tells the story of the Second World War at sea, including the Battle of the Atlantic and the U-boat menace, the infamy of Pearl Harbor, the American triumph at Midway, naval operations in support of D-Day, and the greatest naval battle of all time, Leyte Gulf.
The definitive book about naval power in the Second World War, Richard Hough’s masterpiece is essential reading for followers of Max Hastings and James Holland.
‘We are in Richard Hough’s debt’ New York Times
‘Utterly absorbing’ Financial Times
‘The Second World War demanded more of its sailors than any other war in history, in endurance and unremitting need to face danger - danger from increasingly lethal weapons and an ever-increasing need for vigilance by day and night.'
The war at sea - the longest battle of the Second World War - never ceased. From the Arctic Circle to the Pacific, the enemy threat was ever-present, on the surface, in the skies, and lurking beneath the waves.
In this comprehensive and compelling history, Richard Hough brings the titanic struggle to life. Using personal accounts from veterans of all sides, his book tells the story of the Second World War at sea, including the Battle of the Atlantic and the U-boat menace, the infamy of Pearl Harbor, the American triumph at Midway, naval operations in support of D-Day, and the greatest naval battle of all time, Leyte Gulf.
The definitive book about naval power in the Second World War, Richard Hough’s masterpiece is essential reading for followers of Max Hastings and James Holland.
‘We are in Richard Hough’s debt’ New York Times
‘Utterly absorbing’ Financial Times
587 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1986
23 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Richard Hough
140 books24 followersRichard 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 6, 2020
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.
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.
August 22, 2023
You sunk my battleship
January 20, 2026
This one took me a bit to hit a groove. Keeping Admirals and vessels straight doesn’t some naturally to me but the stories told by Hough are captivating. Experiencing the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific across different periods of the war gives the reader plenty of fodder for further reading.
Hough does a great job using first hand accounts of showing the reader the jubilant and gruesome experiences felt by sailors.
Enjoyed the book for a great baseline on the naval conflict of WW2.
Hough does a great job using first hand accounts of showing the reader the jubilant and gruesome experiences felt by sailors.
Enjoyed the book for a great baseline on the naval conflict of WW2.
April 26, 2024
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.
November 2, 2023
War at sea WW2
An absorbing read of naval warfare revealing the terror at sea under fire and cost to humans. truly great read.
An absorbing read of naval warfare revealing the terror at sea under fire and cost to humans. truly great read.
February 1, 2016
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.
January 23, 2017
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!
July 17, 2011
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.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews