The Royal Navy in the Mediterranean 1900-1915

 
 

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The "Straits" Trilogy by Geoffrey Miller

 

 

The Straits Trilogy : Superior Force, Straits, The Millstone by Geoffrey Miller

 

THE ROYAL NAVY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 1900 - 1915


The "Straits Trilogy" by Geoffrey Miller
 

  • Volume I: Superior Force : the conspiracy behind the escape of Goeben and Breslau
  • Volume II: Straits : British Policy towards the Ottoman Empire and the Origins of the Dardanelles Campaign
  • Volume III: The Millstone : British Naval Policy in the Mediterranean, 1900-1914, the Commitment to France and British Intervention in the War
     

These books provide a comprehensive account of British naval and diplomatic policy in the two decades prior to the Great War, focusing in particular on the escape of the German ships Goeben and Breslau [Superior Force], the origins of the Dardanelles Campaign [Straits], and the political and diplomatic imperatives behind the British decision to enter the war in August 1914 [The Millstone].

 

Please note that, in addition to this site, each book has its own, dedicated, web-site.
At two of these sites, the full text is available on-line:
www.superiorforce.co.uk  [Superior Force first eight chapters]
www.dardanelles.co.uk  [Straits complete text]
www.the-millstone.co.uk  [The Millstone complete text]

 

 

 

 

 
EXCERPTS FROM REVIEWS of SUPERIOR FORCE


THE [AMERICAN] JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY
One may not always follow the author to the full extent of his interpretation, but at the very least he has demonstrated that [Admiral] Kerr would have had some difficult questions to answer … Miller is so skilful in analyzing the numerous errors on the British and French side that facilitated the escape of the Germans … this first volume on the Goeben episode will be indispensable for future naval historians

THE GALLIPOLIAN
Geoffrey Miller, whose research for his trilogy has been monumental, reveals a tale even more fascinating than previously imagined. Nowhere more so than his revelations concerning the role played by Rear-Admiral Mark Kerr, Head of the British Naval Mission to Greece … This is a work of fine scholarship …

WARSHIP WORLD
Can anything new be said about the German battle cruiser Goeben , the ship which brought Turkey into the Great War and changed the world? Yes it can — and this book says it. Geoffrey Miller draws together and evaluates previously published accounts in the light of more recently available evidence, which itself provides a great deal of new information. Particular emphasis is given to the part played by Greece and that country’s British naval C-in-C (Rear-Admiral Mark Kerr) … Author and publisher are to be congratulated on producing a worthy contribution, not just to naval history, but to world history … a large, readable and significant work.

UNITED STATES NAVAL INSTITUTE PROCEEDINGS
Besides the new information on the conspiracy, this is a comprehensive account of the whole affair, encompassing the political, diplomatic, and naval implications and providing a great deal of insight into the world-shattering events of World War I.

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GREAT WAR SOCIETY
Fine as Miller’s account is of the events at sea, the book’s meat lies in the allegation in the subtitle, which advances a contention so novel that revisionistic is too mild a term for it. This is that three highly-placed individuals in Athens connived, directly or indirectly, to abet the escape … Miller’s version of events seems confirmed by his highly impressive research in primary sources … a valuable contribution to Great War naval literature.

CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY JOURNAL
…an impressive book, and Miller is to be commended for his diligence in piecing together occasionally fragmentary evidence into a convincing argument. Furthermore, he has provided much new grist for people interested in debating the "what might have beens" of the Dardanelles expedition.

THE NAVAL REVIEW
The story of the ‘escape’ of Goeben and Breslau in August 1914 from the pursuing Mediterranean Fleet and their arrival in Constantinople has been told many times. It exerts a fascination because, without these powerful reinforcements, Turkey might have remained neutral in the First World War. Russian trade through the Dardanelles might have continued and the fate of the Russian Empire and of the whole of the Middle East might have been different. Geoffrey Miller not only knows how to make the familiar story exciting, he also reminds his readers of aspects of the escape which other accounts sometimes overlook … Superior Force is a valuable and readable contribution to naval and diplomatic history.


THE BOOKWATCH
Straits is a masterpiece of historical scholarship. Also highly recommended is Geoffrey Miller’s Superior Force tracing the escape of the German battle cruiser Goeben and her consort Breslau in the first days of the war into the Dardanelles.

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
Superior Force is an important, informative, authoritative work of scholarship and an asset to any military history collection on the First World War.
 

 

 

The Links Page :

As the range of our activities is so diverse, we have a number of different websites. The site you are currently viewing concentrates on the three non-fiction books written by Geoffrey Miller, dealing with British Naval Policy in the Mediterranean from 1900 to 1915. The main Flamborough Manor site focuses primarily on accommodation but has brief details of all our other activities. To allow for more information to be presented on these other activities, there are other self-contained web-sites. All our web-sites have a LINKS page in common, which allows for easy navigation between the various sites. To find out where you are, or to return to the main site, simply go to the LINKS page.

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HMS Berwick : Original artwork © 2004 Geoffrey Miller
HMS Berwick
[Original artwork © 2004 Geoffrey Miller]

 

Geoffrey Miller can be contacted by:

Telephone or FAX
01262 850943  [International: +44 1262 850943]
 
Postal address

The Manor House,
Flamborough,
Bridlington,
East Riding of Yorkshire, YO15 1PD
United Kingdom.
 

E-mail
gm@navalhistory.co.uk
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Please note that all rights are reserved and that no part of this publication may be further reproduced by any means without the prior permission of the author, Geoffrey Miller, who has asserted his right in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

 

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