Get a free audiobook
-
Castles of Steel
- Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 40 hrs and 23 mins
- Categories: History, Military
People who bought this also bought...
-
Peter the Great
- His Life and World
- Written by: Robert K. Massie
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 43 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.
-
-
Peter the great
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-08-19
-
Twilight of the Gods
- War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945
- Written by: Ian Toll
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 36 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the harrowing last year of World War II in the Pacific, when the US Navy won the largest naval battle in history; MacArthur made good his pledge to return to the Philippines; waves of kamikazes attacked the Allied fleets; the Japanese fought to the last man on one island after another; B-29 bombers burned down Japanese cities; and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were vaporized. Toll's narratives of combat in the air, at sea, and on the beaches are gripping, but he also takes the listener into the halls of power in Washington and Tokyo.
-
-
thumbs up way up
- By Tyler enge on 2020-12-02
-
World War II at Sea
- A Global History
- Written by: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
World War II at Sea offers a global perspective, focusing on the major engagements and personalities and revealing both their scale and their interconnection: the U-boat attack on Scapa Flow and the Battle of the Atlantic; the "miracle" evacuation from Dunkirk and the pitched battles for control of Norway fjords; Mussolini's Regia Marina - at the start of the war the fourth-largest navy in the world - and the dominance of the Kidö Butai and Japanese naval power in the Pacific; Pearl Harbor then Midway; and much more.
-
Neptune's Inferno
- The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
- Written by: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 18 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors and Ship of Ghosts, James D. Hornfischer created essential and enduring narratives about America’s World War II Navy, works of unique immediacy distinguished by rich portraits of ordinary men in extremis and exclusive new information. Now he does the same for the deadliest, most pivotal naval campaign of the Pacific war: Guadalcanal.
-
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
- The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
- Written by: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told from the point of view of the men who waged this steel-shattering battle, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors captures Navy pilots attacking enemy battleships with makeshift weapons and sacrificial valor, a veteran commander improvising tactics never taught in Annapolis, and young crews from across America rising to an impossible challenge.
-
-
Easily one of the best books on The Battle of Leyte Gulf.
- By Dustin Waters on 2019-10-29
-
The Conquering Tide
- War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944
- Written by: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 27 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The devastation of Pearl Harbor and the American victory at Midway were prelude to a greater challenge: rolling back the vast Japanese Pacific empire island by island. This masterful history encompasses the heart of the Pacific War - the period between mid-1942 and mid-1944 - when parallel Allied counteroffensives north and south of the equator washed over Japan's far-flung island empire like a "conquering tide", concluding with Japan's irreversible strategic defeat in the Marianas.
-
-
The best and most detailed timeline
- By Anonymous User on 2021-01-12
-
Peter the Great
- His Life and World
- Written by: Robert K. Massie
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 43 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.
-
-
Peter the great
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-08-19
-
Twilight of the Gods
- War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945
- Written by: Ian Toll
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 36 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the harrowing last year of World War II in the Pacific, when the US Navy won the largest naval battle in history; MacArthur made good his pledge to return to the Philippines; waves of kamikazes attacked the Allied fleets; the Japanese fought to the last man on one island after another; B-29 bombers burned down Japanese cities; and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were vaporized. Toll's narratives of combat in the air, at sea, and on the beaches are gripping, but he also takes the listener into the halls of power in Washington and Tokyo.
-
-
thumbs up way up
- By Tyler enge on 2020-12-02
-
World War II at Sea
- A Global History
- Written by: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
World War II at Sea offers a global perspective, focusing on the major engagements and personalities and revealing both their scale and their interconnection: the U-boat attack on Scapa Flow and the Battle of the Atlantic; the "miracle" evacuation from Dunkirk and the pitched battles for control of Norway fjords; Mussolini's Regia Marina - at the start of the war the fourth-largest navy in the world - and the dominance of the Kidö Butai and Japanese naval power in the Pacific; Pearl Harbor then Midway; and much more.
-
Neptune's Inferno
- The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
- Written by: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 18 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors and Ship of Ghosts, James D. Hornfischer created essential and enduring narratives about America’s World War II Navy, works of unique immediacy distinguished by rich portraits of ordinary men in extremis and exclusive new information. Now he does the same for the deadliest, most pivotal naval campaign of the Pacific war: Guadalcanal.
-
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
- The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
- Written by: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told from the point of view of the men who waged this steel-shattering battle, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors captures Navy pilots attacking enemy battleships with makeshift weapons and sacrificial valor, a veteran commander improvising tactics never taught in Annapolis, and young crews from across America rising to an impossible challenge.
-
-
Easily one of the best books on The Battle of Leyte Gulf.
- By Dustin Waters on 2019-10-29
-
The Conquering Tide
- War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944
- Written by: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 27 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The devastation of Pearl Harbor and the American victory at Midway were prelude to a greater challenge: rolling back the vast Japanese Pacific empire island by island. This masterful history encompasses the heart of the Pacific War - the period between mid-1942 and mid-1944 - when parallel Allied counteroffensives north and south of the equator washed over Japan's far-flung island empire like a "conquering tide", concluding with Japan's irreversible strategic defeat in the Marianas.
-
-
The best and most detailed timeline
- By Anonymous User on 2021-01-12
-
The Second World War
- Written by: Antony Beevor
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 39 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past two decades, Antony Beevor has established himself as one of the world's premier historians of World War II. His multi-award winning books have included Stalingrad and The Fall of Berlin 1945. Now, in his newest and most ambitious book, he turns his focus to one of the bloodiest and most tragic events of the twentieth century, The Second World War. Thrillingly written and brilliantly researched, Beevor's provocative account is destined to become the definitive work on World War II.
-
-
Spectacular Book
- By silvercity on 2019-02-09
-
The Winter King
- The Warlord Chronicles, Book 1
- Written by: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade. Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade.
-
-
Pretty brutal depiction of post roman Britain.
- By Andrew77 on 2018-09-11
-
The Guns at Last Light
- The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945
- Written by: Rick Atkinson
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 32 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the 20th century's unrivaled epic: At a staggering price, the United States and its allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. In the first two volumes of his best-selling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted the history of how the American-led coalition fought its way from North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now he tells the most dramatic story of all - the titanic battle in Western Europe. D-Day marked the commencement of the war's final campaign, and Atkinson's astonishingly fresh account of that enormous gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows.
-
-
May the earth lie lightly on their bones...
- By J on 2018-04-17
-
The Day of Battle
- The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944
- Written by: Rick Atkinson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 32 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In An Army at Dawn - winner of the Pulitzer Prize - Rick Atkinson provided a dramatic and authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa. Now, in The Day of Battle, he follows the American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943, attack Italy two months later, and then fight their way, mile by bloody mile, north toward Rome. The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and their military advisors bitterly debated whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even wise.
-
Thrawn: Treason
- Star Wars: Thrawn, Book 3
- Written by: Timothy Zahn
- Narrated by: Marc Thompson
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Grand Admiral Thrawn faces the ultimate test of his loyalty to the Empire in this epic Star Wars novel from best-selling author Timothy Zahn.
-
-
Timothy Zahn, what are we here for?
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-07-30
-
Battle for the Falklands
- Written by: Max Hastings
- Narrated by: Cameron Stewart
- Length: 16 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Falklands War was one of the strangest in British history - 28,000 men sent to fight for a tiny relic of empire 8,000 miles from home. At the time, many Britons saw it as a tragic absurdity, but the British victory confirmed the quality of British arms and boosted the political fortunes of the Conservative government.
-
-
Detailed walkthrough of the Falklands War.
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-10-14
Publisher's Summary
In a work of extraordinary narrative power, filled with brilliant personalities and vivid scenes of dramatic action, Robert K. Massie, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and Dreadnought, elevates to its proper historical importance the role of sea power in the winning of the Great War.
The predominant image of this first world war is of mud and trenches, barbed wire, machine guns, poison gas, and slaughter. A generation of European manhood was massacred, and a wound was inflicted on European civilization that required the remainder of the twentieth century to heal.
But with all its sacrifice, trench warfare did not win the war for one side or lose it for the other. Over the course of four years, the lines on the Western Front moved scarcely at all; attempts to break through led only to the lengthening of the already unbearably long casualty lists.
For the true story of military upheaval, we must look to the sea. On the eve of the war in August 1914, Great Britain and Germany possessed the two greatest navies the world had ever seen. When war came, these two fleets of dreadnoughts - gigantic floating castles of steel able to hurl massive shells at an enemy miles away - were ready to test their terrible power against each other.
Their struggles took place in the North Sea and the Pacific, at the Falkland Islands and the Dardanelles. They reached their climax when Germany, suffocated by an implacable naval blockade, decided to strike against the British ring of steel. The result was Jutland, a titanic clash of fifty-eight dreadnoughts, each the home of a thousand men.
When the German High Seas Fleet retreated, the kaiser unleashed unrestricted U-boat warfare, which, in its indiscriminate violence, brought a reluctant America into the war. In this way, the German effort to “seize the trident” by defeating the British navy led to the fall of the German empire.
Ultimately, the distinguishing feature of Castles of Steel is the author himself. The knowledge, understanding, and literary power Massie brings to this story are unparalleled. His portrayals of Winston Churchill, the British admirals Fisher, Jellicoe, and Beatty, and the Germans Scheer, Hipper, and Tirpitz are stunning in their veracity and artistry.
Castles of Steel is about war at sea, leadership and command, courage, genius, and folly. All these elements are given magnificent scope by Robert K. Massie’s special and widely hailed literary mastery.
From the Hardcover edition.
What the critics say
“Dreadnought is history in the grand manner, as most people prefer it: how people shaped, or were shaped by, events.” ( Time)
More from the same
Narrator:
What listeners say about Castles of Steel
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jeff olasz
- 2019-02-03
excellent book
an excellent book anybody interested in history should own. the naval war of world war one is often second on the list and this book wonderfully fills that Gap. I did take one star away due to the unfortunate glitching that occurred which often-repeated sentences on this recording.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matt
- 2012-09-22
Stick With It!
I'm glad I did. I stopped listening a few different times, went on to other newer books, but always returned once complete. I flew through the second half of this book....once Massie gets the main characters introduced it really picks up. I am a history enthusiast, but admittedly knew next to nothing about WWI naval engagements aside from the famous sinking of Louisitania and perhaps one other. This book is the "soup to nuts" overview of WWI naval power, ship types, war strategies, key players and specific battles. I have read one other Massie book (Peter the Great), though I had not read Dreadnought prior to this (I’m not sure if that would have made the experience better or worse, but I have heard excellent reviews of that book as well). Like with Peter the Great, Massie finds a way to take what would normally be dry textbook type material and bring it to life so it reads like an extremely well written piece of fiction. The narration for Castles of Steel was some of the best I have heard; I am well over 50 audiobooks and this was near the top. He does a masterful job with all three main accents- British, German and American. If you find this subject matter even remotely interesting, give it a try-- you won't be disappointed!
24 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael Moore
- 2013-11-17
A Riveting Account!
Robert Massie served a tour of duty onboard a US aircraft carrier. That may account in part for his remarkable ability to describe in vivid and insightful detail the weather conditions, shipboard activity, and battle capabilities of the naval vessels that took part in World War I. His eye for insightful detail extends to his descriptions of the high level strategic debates that took place in the British and German war cabinets and admirals’ councils that made the crucial decisions which in the end determined the outcome of the war. In particular, the German decision finally endorsed by the Kaiser in 1917 to authorize unrestricted submarine warfare against all neutral merchant shipping in an effort to bring Britain to its knees through lack of supplies and foodstuffs instead led to the decisive entry of the US into the war that year.
Most interesting throughout the book are the decisive roles played by minor incidents of incompetence, hesitation, miscommunication, or misjudgment based on human foibles or the confusion and fog of war. These include Admiral Milne’s failure to block the battle cruiser Goebben from escaping to the Dardanelles; Captain Thompson’s careless handling of critical intelligence that could have turned the tide in the Battle of Jutland; the failure of Admiral Beatty’s flag officer to assure clear and proper signaling of the Admiral’s orders; the British Admiralty’s failure to immediately pass on critical intelligence during the Battle of Jutland to Jellicoe because the communication room was left in the hands of a clueless low level officer.
All in all, a very interesting account that will provide a rich source of lessons on the critical decisions made by the naval leaders in World War I.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Paul
- 2015-04-27
A bit of overload
What did you love best about Castles of Steel?
Battleships in their golden age, titans of the sea going head to head. What's not to like?
Any additional comments?
Take note: this book is well worth the listen. It's long. It's technical in many places and it's slow developing. It's like a grand chess match. This book takes patience. It's worth it.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E. Idenmill
- 2015-06-27
Very good book, but has production issues.
This is a very good book, with lots of details on the operations of the British and German navies. It tends to focus a lot on the politics and personalities of each. The narrator is superb, and is able to use distinct voices when quoting different people. My one major issue is that this book has some serious production issues. In a lot of places, the audio repeats the same sentence twice. At one spot, the audio skipped, although it did not greatly impact the narrative.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
- Judith
- 2015-02-08
Long but interesting
The narrator is great. Although listed as Richard Matthews, I recognize the inimitable Simon Vance, one of my favorites. Lots of detail about naval tactics and personalities, especially British.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dan McGrew
- 2013-02-25
Great History on the British and German Navies
Where does Castles of Steel rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the Best
What was one of the most memorable moments of Castles of Steel?
The narrator does a wonderful job with bringing Winston Churchill to life.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This book keep me interested in the events discribed
Any additional comments?
This is one of the best books you'll find on the subject
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rory
- 2016-07-23
Audible should remaster but story worth a listen
1. Production--Not only are there various spots where sentence is annoyingly repeated, but in Chapter 21, during a naval battle scene, it skips frustratingly past a key scene. Audible needs to re-master the book to fix this.
2. Narrator---Richard Matthews does a good job narrating and keeps story flowing despite the headaches described above and even the dry parts. Tis only reason I give performance 4 stars
3. Massie and his story:
A. My knowledge of this area was very little--knew a little about Goeben from Guns of August but he goes into more detail, especially with regards to the subsequent courtmartial...loved Milne's quote! Rest I knew of WWI focused more on diplomacy, air battles, tanks, and the trench warfare. Knew very little of WWI naval history -subs and Jutland. This is why I picked this up.
B. Massie starts off in great detail on the personalities...I have a feeling I missed out on more of the leadup and creation of the fleets as I didn't read Dreadnought(would be great if Audible adds it). He puts in quite a bit of extraneous material and I can see why someone said he needed an editor--trying too hard to be Tuchman. However...that said, later chapters go into his personal views/biases of these men so the early character backgrounds lend some support to his views. For example, describing Beatty as a browbeaten cuckold whose Lady MacBeth wife pushes his career comes across harsh until you get to chapter 34 and he lays out even harsher criticism making it clear his distaste for the Admiral.
C. His battle scenes are a bit drawn out, nowhere near as exciting as Neptune's Inferno(if you haven't listened, pick it up!) but he goes into great detail of the decision making.
D. If you are interested in leadership, like I am, this is why he is worth a listen. The actions themselves are overall very unimportant in history of WWI, but he explains each choice the commanders on both sides faced, all their options based on what they knew.
His analysis is spot on, if a little biased.
E, For one thing while he could have done some cutting, glad he included Churchill's complete response to one of Fisher's threats to resign. Beautiful prose that could be included in any business writing course!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joe
- 2020-11-28
Highly repetitive
The narrator is great the story strong and highly interesting. The issue is the edit. The book is over 40 hours long so obviously the narrator took breaks. The editor didn’t provide a smooth transition where literal paragraphs were repeated. Not the narrators fault, not the writer’s fault, not histories fault. Its recorded books and Audibles fault. This is a history which should be remembered and a poor copy of the history is an embarrassment. Totally great book disappointing sound edit
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Galen Martin
- 2020-08-31
Don't let the editing dissuade you
This is a fantastic book about an incredibly complex time written by someone who clearly knows the subject, read with enthusiasm by a quality narrator. The single biggest downfall of this title is whatever happened on the editing floor post production. More times than I could count lines would be read, paused, then read again. I understand that in recording booths this is common practice but generally when that happens, one of the two takes is cut, which seems to be the step left out by the behind the scenes crew. Again, as the title says, please don't let this detail keep you from this book. If its a subject that you're truly interested in, it can easilly be overlooked.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- S. Lev-Ami
- 2018-08-07
Excellent Story, Production Needs Work
The story of the British and German navies in WWI is fascinating, and Simon Vance [as Richard Mathews] does his usual excellent performance, but the editing is not good -- sentences which obviously end/begin recording sessions are simply repeated. But otherwise, thoroughly enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful