Seaforth Publishing has produced a book of a very high quality; certainly worthy of the comprehensive and detailed account of one of the lesser known but significant theatres of World War Two. Dedicated historians and casual dabblers alike will find elements of this book to their taste. Grooss may add his name to a growing list of regional authors who have done justice to the memory of those who came before.

Canadian Naval Review - Volume 17, 2021

Overall, this is a valuable addition to the literature on the Second World War in the English language. This book brings a topic otherwise poorly covered in English to a wider audience, in what in many ways is a very accessible form. Seaforth Publishing – a division of Pen and Sword – is to be commended for bringing this at times fascinating and often informative book to a new readership.

Overall, I certainly recommend this book to those with an interest in naval aspects of the Second World War, and indeed to those with an interest in the Baltic region during the period.

International Journal of Maritime History, May 2018: reviewed by Alexander Hill - University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

This book is one I will return to many times in the future I think. For the naval historian, the wargamer and the general reader, it is well worth waiting for this re-release and grabbing a copy.

Read the complete review online here.

Thomo's Hole - Reviewed by Ian Thompson

It includes fascinating insights into Swedish cooperation with Germany, the use of the Baltic to train U-boat crews for the Battle of the Atlantic, secret weapons trials in Peenemunde, and the threat of new and revolutionary German submarine technology.

Ships Monthly, March 2018

Meticulously researched and supported by good maps, and by numerous photographs most readers will have not seen previously, this is an excellent book that makes an important contribution to the naval history of the Second World War.

RUSI Victoria

This book makes an important contribution to our understanding of the Second World War and I have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending it.
An outstanding contribution to the literature.

Marine News

Meticulously researched and supported by good maps, and by numerous photographs most readers will not have seen previously, this is an excellent book that makes an important contribution to the naval history of the Second World War.

RUSI Victoria

There are fascinating insights into many other aspects of how the naval war in the Baltic shaped World War II. A superbly researched book that is a major contribution to the naval history of this era.

Read the complete review here.

Julian Stockwin action-adventure historical fiction

★★★★★ This book has been a remarkable contribution to my education and I fully endorse it to a general, as well as a professional, readership. There are quite a lot of surprises. I have also hugely enjoyed it, if that is the right verb to use regarding reading about a colossal human catastrophe.

Read the complete review here.

Robert Griffiths, Seaweed

Poul Grooss' The Naval War in the Baltic 1939-1945 is a comprehensive combined operations view of a little-studied subject. Prior to the publication of this work, trying to gain a cohesive view of this region has been a frustrating, piecemeal affair for the interested reader.

Whilst the main focus of the book concerns naval events, there is plenty of detail to engage those seeking more information on the Siege of Leningrad and Kronstadt. Throughout, sections outline the course of the war in broader perspective, for context. The Author set out to explain the war in this region to the non-military reader, and in this he succeeds admirably.

Grooss covers naval tactics and technology, the history of the region prior to WWII and the role of Sweden in supporting Germany. This comprehensive study succeeds in welding together a disparate series of separate histories into a cohesive whole. The eleven chapters of the book are laid out chronologically, and by topic, so that the narrative flows in a logical order.

It was a revelation to this reviewer just how extensive mine-laying was by all sides, and how many sinkings were attributable to this activity. Naval enthusiasts need not worry that the book is a pot boiler – it has been some 40 years in the making and presents as a detailed and authoritative account of the war.

This title will be of interest to naval enthusiasts, and students of the Eastern Front alike. Wargamers too will find inspiration in accounts of little-known engagements, such as the attack on Bengtskär. It is highly recommended.

Chris Kemp, Freelance

The author followed a long career in the Danish Navy, as a torpedo boat skipper, missile corvette captain, intelligence officer and Soviet analyst, with a post as a teacher of naval warfare at the Royal Danish Navy Academy. – This is a well researched, and nicely illustrated book covering the much neglected conflict in the Baltic during WWII – Highly Recommended.

Read the full review here.

Firetrench - Julian Stockwin

The author taps into many unfamiliar sources, illuminates many little-known and unknown corners of the war, integrates many aspects usually treated separately (if at all), and ties together into one useful package the full range of events on and adjacent to the Baltic during the war years. Not perfect, but quite a good job and quite a valuable book, especially from someone who is neither professional historian nor professional writer.

Stone & Stone