The book covers six years of war in a compact format, although that scale can let details slip. It is useful as an overview rather than as the final authority on every operation. The Force Z passage raises questions about both the familiar claim that Indomitable was definitively assigned to the force and the description of Tom Phillips as a rear admiral. The example shows how a useful synthesis can still require readers to check compressed details against specialist work.
Chapter · 47:57-53:08
A broad guide to the Royal Navy's war
Total Germany is recommended as an overview of the Royal Navy against the Axis, with a useful warning about the compromises of compression.