FACE OF NAVAL BATTLE, THE

Sea Power, Sep 2004 by Munns, David W

Also Received:

THE FACE OF NAVAL BATTLE Edited by John Reeve and David Stevens, Chicago: Independent Publishers Group, June 2004. 384 pp. $24.95 ISBN: 1-8650-8667-3

Naval history is often written as a catalog of the structure, endurance and ingenuity of battleships. But The Face of Naval Battle portrays the human element - the personnel working on the ships and bringing them to life - as an essential component to understanding past and present naval battles.

The book utilizes narratives, journal excerpts and academic analyses to assert that the source of true naval strength is found in the actions of naval personnel. Edited by experts John Reeve and David Stevens, the human experience of 20th-century naval battle comes to life through heroic deeds of the soldiers profiled in the book. The book shares the stories of life on the sea during wartime, featuring great milestones in history and naval traditions. It explores the foresight and consequences behind naval power, and is a rare examination into the brilliant composition of present military life and future naval battles.