This is a really good read. Together with a companion volume every major naval action of the Second World war is covered. Necessarily the coverage is brief for example the battle of the Atlantic has five pages of text, but every entry is supported with photographs and a map. The author’s intention was to produce a basic guide and in this he has succeeded superbly. For those whose appetites have been whetted the selected bibliography guides them to more extensive descriptions of the battles. This is a perfect introduction for anyone new to this field but the ‘old hands’ can still get a lot from it. We highly recommend Leo Marriott’s book. Read the full review [link=https://www.clash-of-steel.co.uk/reviews/view/317]here[/link]
Clash of Steel

"The Eastern Fleet is relatively unknown today since the operations in the Indian Ocean receive little coverage beyond the loss of the Prince of Wales and Repulse at the beginning of the war. This book addresses that imbalance with a thoroughly researched and detailed narrative. The author brings Eastern Fleet activities to the fore with good descriptions of its personalities, ships, and actions."
WWII History Reviews June 2022

"The humility and dedication that John shows throughout the book is indicative of the many men and women serving in the armed forces today. It is a great tribute to the rotary branches in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and John was integral part of developing them into what they are today."
Todd Shugart - Aviation News

Featured by
Australian Naval Institute

Marriott also includes a helpful appendix listing the ships involved in all these operations, though his bibliography could have been significantly beefed up. But quibbles aside, I enjoyed my evening reading about World War II naval battles, and I look forward to reading Marriott’s volume on the Pacific theatre. Read the full review [link=https://hamsterwrangler.com/beating-tsundoku/the-cruel-seas/]here[/link]
Beating Tsundoku