The definitive biography of a brilliant, yet often-overlooked naval commander who shaped the course of World War Two.
About the Book
Just days after the French armistice with Germany, Winston Churchill gave Somerville a crucial task: neutralise the French battle fleet and deny the Axis total control of the Mediterranean. Leading his ships to Mers El Kébir, he launched an assault that crippled the fleet, solidifying his reputation as a decisive commander.
The reputation of his fleet, Force H, was cemented at the Battle of Cape Spartivento, the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck, and the defence of Malta, laying the foundations for Allied naval control of the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
In 1942, Somerville was transferred away from the European Theatre to the East, where he became Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet. Facing stiff opposition from the aggressive Imperial Japanese Navy, he managed to protect the Indian Ocean while safeguarding his ships. Only with reinforcements was he able to go on the offensive, launching a series of powerful strikes against Japanese forces in the Dutch East Indies.
Donald Macintyre’s thoroughly researched and engagingly written biography of Sir James Somerville brings this fascinating man to life. As well as covering his most famous fighting actions during World War II, Macintyre highlights Somerville’s service as head of the British naval delegation to Washington, D.C., where he coordinated the final war effort with the Americans during the last year of World War II.
“Offers a wealth of information on such events as Mers-el-Kébir, the Malta convoys, the Japanese thrust into the Indian Ocean in April 1942, etc.” — Robert M. Langdon, U.S. Naval Institute
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