This dissertation is a strategic and operational history of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet in the Second World War. Its primary focus is on the mission of the Home Fleet under Allied strategy: to protect the UK; to prevent the deployment of German Navy surface ships into the Atlantic; to enforce a blockade of Germany; after 1941, to fight through the convoys to north Russian ports. These themes are explicated against the backdrop of a shifting set of strategic priorities and the needs of other theatres. They are placed in the context of the ships available, the building program of the 1930s, and the Anns Control diplomacy that dictated the shape of both. Significant attention is given to the actions of the Home Fleet's four Commanders-in-Chief: Sir Charles Forbes, Sir John Tovey, Lord Fraser of North Cape, and Sir Henry Moore. Their interaction with the top political and military leadership in Britain, most crucially with Winston Churchill and Dudley Pound, is discussed, and their individual tenures in command evaluated. Certain minor commanders are also discussed and their performance critiqued. The dissertation highlights such tactical operations as the First and Second Battles of Narvik, the loss of the carrier Glorious, the Bismarck chase, and the battles of the Barents Sea and North Cape. Attention is given to the Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union, and their place in the overall Allied war effort. The above is based on a thorough review of Admiralty records and other primary sources plus readings in the secondary literature.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:493885 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Levy, James |
| Publisher | Swansea University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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