[WWI] J.R.'s Dreadnought Review

[Douglas Anderson]

Naval history, and in fact, military history during and just preceeding teh great war is fascinating because this was the time during which new ideas were being tried out, and out dated strategies were still being used. With hind site we can accuse teh French of extreme stupidity senduing their soldiers into battle in the uniforms that they wore, but that  idea dated from Napoleons time, and the technology to kill had moved on.
   
  Still, it is rather interesting to see them persist with an idea that should have been shelved. Mind you, I don't think our contempory governments have improved much either.

Mark Shannon <shingend at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
        The problem with the battlecruiser concept was the addition of the "battle" in the name.  These were really large cruisers, and should have been used as such -- as in the Falkland Islands, for example.  They should have been used to project sea power in faraway parts of the Empire, scout for the fleet, hunt down enemy merchant raiders, act as merchant raiders, themselves, and all the other tasks that 'heavy" or "protected" cruisers did.  They should never have stood in line of battle.
   
  The problem with 'niche' type ships, though, is that they get outmoded by the designs in response to them.  The ot example is the pocket battleship, Dunkerque-class, fast battleship escalation.  In the case of the battlecruisers, once the "Invincibles" became the "Splendid Cats" and then odd-ball designs like the Repulse and Renown, and the Germans responded with the Lutzow (and eventually the Hindenberg, if I remember correctly), it had gone beyond the original concept and taken on a surreal life of its own.  Battlecruisers, like battleships, were being built to counter specific designs by the prospective enemy, or for specific stratagems.   Then it was a matter of the only reason to have battlecruisers was because the other guy did -- hence the unbalanced Lexington-class in American plans.  The Americans ended up getting their Large Heavy Cruisers at the end of WWI round two, and the two co! mpleted examples were some of the youngest ships we ever scrapped.
   
    Mark Shannon
  shingend at ix.netcom.com
   
   


   
    ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Douglas Anderson 
  To: World War I Modeling Mailing List
  Sent: 9/24/2007 2:08:20 AM 
  Subject: Re: [WWI] J.R.'s Dreadnought Review
  

  High all. 
   
  I have read "Castles of Steel" and have to agree with Mr. Boyes' comments as this book is truly fascinating. The one thing that does come through is how short-sighted the British were in both deployment and developement, and the debacle of the battle-cruiser. I suppose one could say that the pinacle of that stupidity was the Hood. Another point that comes through is very controversial; namely that the Admiralty was scandalous in forcing many of their dated and incorrect or ven prejudicial ideas and fears onto the Royal Navy, notabley the lack of convoys in the face of the German submarine menace. It comes through in this book that it was the bravery of the British seamen, and the willingness of the Admiralty to deploy, as well as German concerns and fears that actually one the day for the Royal Navy. I won't spoil it by telling you who the chief culprit was, but I am sure you could all guess.
   
  One other book that I would definately recommend is "Naval Blunders" by Geoffrey Regan. In this case the author is less diplomatic, but does spell out the reason for each blunder. And in many of the examples of blunders dating from the Great War, he lays the blame firmly at the door of one individual, apart from Fisher who must take all the blame for the Battlecruiser, and that man is the same man in the previous paragraph.

"J.R. Boye" <hopeandmercy at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
            I just finished reading "Dreadnought" last week, Jan.
   I was actually sad to finish it because I wanted it to keep going. A part of my life for the summer was suddenly missing. I need to get a copy of "Castles of Steel". I don't care that it's not as excellent as "Dreadnought". I need more!
       Massie makes you understand the Kaiser and his personality, and how that was influenced by his family ties in England, by Bismarck and by Tirpitz.
You also come to know the Royal Navy and its traditions, and how Admiral Fisher's insight prepared it for the war to come. And now I know what made the Dreadnought different from every ship before it and what an advantage it had.
       Massie even makes the British politics interesting, and the parts played by Asquith, LLoyd George, Grey and Churchill are outstanding! ly clear.
       Finally I have a real grasp on why the war was inevitable and all the events that led to it are clearer. It is so distressing at the end of the story when a few heroic efforts are made to stop the mobilisation, with so many "if onlys" defeating those efforts.
        I've always been fascinated by the stories of people who seem to be put on the earth for a specific moment in history. They are there for a critical crossroads in time, and their lives are generally unremarkable otherwise. Some examples are George Patton, Reginald Mitchell and Abraham Lincoln. They usually have a spiritual side, a tremendous sense of purpose and often die or fade away after their task is complete. Churchill is obviously on the list, and I think Fischer can also be added.
       Plus the turn of the century is such a fascinating time in itself. I think I understand those peopl! e better than the people at the current turn of the century!

&n bsp;                                            J.R. Boye

     P.S. I'm waiting for the Von Trapp sub kit to arrive and am getting ready to dress up the Emden with those PE parts.

  ----- Original Message ----
From: Jan Vihonen <jan.vihonen at helsinki.fi>
To: World War I Modeling Mailing List <wwi at wwi-models.org>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2007 1:52:27 AM
Subject: Re: [WWI] Dreadnought book?

  A big thank you to all who took time to answer my question. This list is 
really a great source of information.

Jan







    
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