First published in 1968 and 1976, the two volumes of this work still constitute the only authoritative study of the broad geo-political, economic and strategic factors behind the inter-war development of the Royal Navy and, to a great extent, that of its principal rival, the United States Navy. Stephen Roskill conceived Naval Policy Between the Wars as a peacetime equivalent of the official naval histories, filling the gap between the First World War volumes and his own study of the Navy in the Second World War. As such, it is marked by the extensive use of British and American sources, from which Roskill extracted shrewd and balanced conclusions that have stood the test of time.
The main themes of the first volume are: the after-effects of the Armistice; the struggle to prevent a renewed naval arms race, despite the challenge from the U.S. and Japan, which culminated in the Washington Naval Treaty; and the broader attempts at peacekeeping through diplomacy and the fragile vehicle of the League of Nations. On a technical level, the primacy of big-gun battleships was increasingly challenged by air power, and the Navy fought an internal battle with the Air Force to obtain sufficient aviation assets for the fleet. Although the 1920s is largely ignored in naval history, this volume demonstrates that the period is key to understanding the development of the Navy that fought the Second World War.

Naval Policy Between the Wars: I: The Period of Anglo-American Antagonism 1919-1929

History

Roskill, Estate of Stephen

Military

Naval_Institute_Press

First published in 1968 and 1976, the two volumes of this work still constitute the only authoritative study of the broad geo-political, economic and strategic factors behind the inter-war development of the Royal Navy and, to a great extent, that of its principal rival, the United States Navy. Stephen Roskill conceived Naval Policy Between the Wars as a peacetime equivalent of the official naval histories, filling the gap between the First World War volumes and his own study of the Navy in the Second World War. As such, it is marked by the extensive use of British and American sources, from which Roskill extracted shrewd and balanced conclusions that have stood the test of time.
Picking up the story in 1930, this volume covers the rise of the European dictatorships alongside continuing attempts at controlling arms expenditure through diplomacy and treaties. Eventually, Italian, German, and indeed Japanese aggression diminished the prospects for peace, to the point where Britain felt forced to rearm. The Navy's use of the precious few years leading up to the outbreak of war is a crucial section of the book and forms a fitting conclusion to this important study of the inter-war years.

Naval Policy Between the Wars: II: The Period of Reluctant Rearmament, 1930-1939

Stephen Roskill's magnificent biography explains why Admiral David Beatty has come to be seen as Britain's last naval hero. His early promise led to fast promotion and he became the youngest admiral since Nelson.But that is only one part of the story and there are aspects of his character that were not entirely admirable. There were, and still remain, questions over his handling of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron at Jutland at which his highly aggressive approach was contrasted with the prudence of his commander, Sir John Jellicoe. His turbulent marriage and his extra-marital liaisons were to be suppressed in his official biography but in some ways, these aspects are as significant to our understanding of him as Nelson and Emma Hamilton's great affair is to our reading of the Napoleonic era at sea.Roskill deals with all these issues and in doing so brilliantly reassesses Beatty's place in history. Access to new material at the time of writing allowed Roskill to write a balanced and wholly credible account of an extraordinary life, and this wonderfully readable and intimate biography will appeal to a whole new generation of readers.

Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty: The Last Naval Hero: An Intimate Biography

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Long after the war s end, official World War II records listed the German submarine U-110 as sunk on 9 May 1941 by a British convoy a deliberate deception that hid the actual capture of a submarine that contained a working Enigma machine, codebooks, charts, and ciphers. As the official British historian of the naval war, Stephen Roskill did not reveal the secret in his authorized account. When this book was first published in 1959, the author set the record straight about the sinking but continued to hold back details of Ultra. Now, a new introduction puts the capture of U-110 into context and makes clear its vital importance to the code-breaking program of the Allies in World War II. Roskill's work is based on both documentary and eyewitness evidence and provides the most authoritative history of how the Enigma machine became a key instrument of the war effort.

Secret Capture: U-110 and the Enigma Story

Europe

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Roskill, Estate of Stephen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Roskill, Estate of Stephen

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Roskill, Estate of Stephen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Naval Policy Between the Wars: I: The Period of Anglo-American Antagonism 1919-1929

Naval Policy Between the Wars: II: The Period of Reluctant Rearmament, 1930-1939

Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty: The Last Naval Hero: An Intimate Biography

Secret Capture: U-110 and the Enigma Story