Amphibious operations have always been an important element of warfare,
but they reached their climax during the Second World War when they were
carried out on a large scale in every theater of the conflict. That is
why this wide-ranging, highly illustrated history of amphibious warfare
1939-1945 by Simon and Jonathan Forty is of such value.
Their book gives graphic accounts of the main amphibious assaults
launched by the major combatants, in particular the British, American,
German and Japanese - not just large-scale landings like those in North
Africa, Normandy, the Philippines and Okinawa, but also raids such as
Dieppe and St Nazaire and evacuations like Dunkirk and Kerch.
The rapid development of amphibious tactics and equipment is an
essential element of the story, as are the vital roles played by the
navies, air forces, armies and special forces in each complex combined
operation. There is also a section on amphibious operations that were
planned but didn't happen, such as the German invasion of Britain and
the Italian and German operation against Malta.