The Battle of Trafalgar

1805. Off the Cape of Trafalgar, an epic sea battle was taking place which will be remembered throughout history. The battle of Trafalgar has now passed into national mythology. The expertise, courage and determination and confidence which gave Britain a victory of spectacular finality in October 1805 also provided her with one of her great legendary figures – a naval hero in life but much more like a national, if secular, saint in death. However like the noise and smoke of battle, legends have a habit of obscuring facts and having lodged into the popular imagination are transcribed to history books. In this masterly history, Geoffrey Bennett sets the battle in the context of the world-wide struggle of Napoleon, describes the ships, their crews and the tactics of the action. In his scholarly but immensely readable account of the battle he discusses the preparatory manoeuvres and the mechanics of naval warfare in the age of sail. 'Excellent balanced accounts and judgements' Richard Hough, author of 'The Great War at Sea: 1914-18'. Captain Geoffrey Bennett RN (1909-1983) served in the Royal Navy from 1923 until 1958, during which time he was for three years Naval Attache in Moscow. He is the author of several distinguished books on the history of naval warfare, including ‘The Battle of Jutland’, ‘Coronel and the Falklands’ and ‘Naval Battles of the First World War’. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.