The
Naval War in the Mediterranean Remembered
May 1999
There is a renewed interest in the Mediterranean naval war
with three important new books which have come out or are coming out in 98 and 99. They
are - The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940 - 1943 by Jack Greene and Alessandro
Massignani by Chatham Press, UK, ISBN 1-86176-057-4. 98 and also Sarpendon Publishers,
USA, ISBN 1-885119-61-5, 99; Cunningham, The greatest admiral since Nelson by John Winton,
John Murray, UK, ISBN 0-7195-5765-8, 98 and The Cunningham Papers, Vol 1, the
Mediterranean Fleet, 1939 - 1942; Selection from the Private and Official Correspondence
of an Admiral of the Fleet by Andrew Browne Cunningham and Michael Simpson, The Navy
Records Society, UK, ISBN 18401-46222, coming out in 99.
The Naval War in the Mediterranean book is a very well researched book with well over
200 published and unpublished British and Italian sources. It is unique in that it has so
many Italian references. We get a balanced view of the war from both sides. It is an
important book for the future study of the Mediterranean WW2 naval war.
The Cunningham book is an excellent read and has new material about the life of the
great admiral. From it, we learn that there were a few minor flaws in his character. The
book goes a long way in explaining all aspects of his life. He is shown as a man of
action, always thinking ahead of things and thus was able to quickly react to changing
situations. He was very particular about being informed of everything, as I saw from
personal experience.
We learn that he had strong views yet had an optimistic disposition and a sense of
humour. He could be tough but only when absolutely necessary. He tended to see the best in
people. There was a soft side to him. Thus his officers and men respected him greatly and
they felt safe with him as their leader. He made his presence felt by his aggressive
spirit and sensible actions.
One wonders whether the British nation fully understand what a great man he was,
winning through, during some extremely critical and difficult times.
Andrew Lambert in a brilliant review in the London Times Literary Supplement gave the
book very good marks. In a couple of instances he might have gone a tad too far. In the
Crete battle when we were all worn out, he writes, "the men were pushed to
insurrection." The only thing that I was told was that one watch from the famous
destroyer Hotspur went ashore and didn't come back. The shore patrol was told to get them
back which they did, and nothing was said of it.
I was delighted to see that my book was listed in the bibliography along with many
great names. Someone recently wrote me," I liked the way you mixed personal
experiences with a detailed background of events. It gave me a sense of being there,
rather than just reading a history book."
The Cunningham Papers, when they soon come out, will, I'm sure,
tell us more about the admiral's life.
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