Bird (Chancellor of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System) has produced the first book-length scholarly biography of the career Admiral Erich Raeder, who led the German navy from 1938 to 1943. His treatment connects Raeder's strategic and operational views towards German naval doctrine with the evolution of his political views, revealing a more activist and political figure than found in Raeder's autobiography, in which he sought to distance himself from Hitler. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)