Ronnie Weedle's Reviews > Rules of Game: Jutland and British Naval Command

Where to start with this book? If you're looking for a history of the Battle of Jutland then this book certainly has much to recommend it. The author gives a detailed account of the before, during and after of the battle. If he had adhered rigidly to that, then this book would be outstanding. Alas he didn't. About a quarter of the way into the book he veers off on a completely different tangent to describe the social mores which dictated why the Royal Navy fought as it did. We're then treated to at times a plodding account of English society and how it shaped those officers who fought at Jutland. The author gives the impression of half heartedly blaming that for the outcome of the battle but he doesn't seem to believe his own arguments. Too often he repeatedly veers off course to explore some small detail, which is at time irrelevant and at worst infuriating. The final chapter in the book must also be criticized. Its out of place even in this book and is more suitable to a naval college.
To sum up, a good account of a major battle but let down by poor structure and excessive content.