New Books, Old Subjects--Better, Expanded Coverage.

AuthorSilbergeld, David LL.
PositionNew books on military history - Review

How many times have you gone to the bookstores, scanned titles, and thought, "Already read that!" Maybe so, but if you had looked more closely, you might have seen that many of the newest books covering key historical events have so much more in them, even though the subject seems to have been covered quite nicely before.

Take a look at "U-Boats: The illustrated History of the Raiders of the Deep," by David Miller. (Dulles, Va., Brassey's, $27.95) Classify this as an excellent source of information, drawings and photos (black and white), with just about everything you wanted to know about U-boats in a single, not-too-expensive book.

Many of the photos and diagrams are new. They cover not only the boats--by class, design and a host of technical specs--but also the weapons and equipment, including some that never got off the drawing board. There is excellent coverage of the Enigma machines, with a diagram explaining how they worked.

A section of the book covers U-boat operations, explaining their deployment, as well as the famous U-boat map-grid reference system. Key commanders, training, decorations and missions are all included. This is a "must-acquire" for naval historians.

Since we are brushing across Enigma, code breaking and their importance to the outcome of World War II, consider: "Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Code Breaking in World War II" by Stephen Budiansky (New York, Free Press, $27.50). This is an excellent explanation of a highly technical military capability, developed under wartime pressure.

The book focuses on the unique individuals who broke into the secret world of codes and ciphers, affecting the very outcome of the war. From the Battle of Midway to the very end of the conflict, we were able to read the intentions of the enemy. The urgency of the task is depicted vividly.

The author provides considerable insight into the creativity of the cryptographer's mathematical schemes and permutations that yielded the secrets of the "unbreakable" codes. Maps, diagrams, appendices and photos show how, why and where the secret war was won. This book is loaded with new material.

Round this subject off with "Decoding History: The Battle of the Atlantic and Ultra," by W.J.R. Gardner (Annapolis, Md., Naval Institute Press, $34.95). This is more of a text book than an-easy-to-read story, with chapters titled "Case-Study I: 1941" and "Case-Study II: Mid-1942-1943." Nevertheless, the impact of Allied code breaking on the Battle of...

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