Naval forces and warfare Books
The University Press of Kentucky Surface and Destroy The Submarine Gun War in the
Book SynopsisExplores the nature of submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean during World War II and investigates the challenges of facing the enemy on the surface. This is a thorough analysis of the submariner experience and the effects of surface attacks on the war in the Pacific, offering a compelling study of the battles that became “intolerably personal”.
£34.20
The University Press of Kentucky Surface and Destroy The Submarine Gun War in the
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£23.00
The University Press of Kentucky Jutland World War Is Greatest Naval Battle
Book SynopsisDuring the first two years of World War I, Germany struggled to overcome a crippling British blockade of its mercantile shipping lanes. With only sixteen dreadnought-class battleships compared to the renowned British Royal Navy's twenty-eight, the German High Seas Fleet stood little chance of winning a direct fight. The Germans staged raids in the North Sea and bombarded English coasts in an attempt to lure small British squadrons into open water where they could be destroyed by submarines and surface boats. After months of skirmishes, conflict erupted on May 31, 1916, in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark, in what would become the most formidable battle in the history of the Royal Navy. In Jutland, international scholars reassess the strategies and tactics employed by the combatants as well as the political and military consequences of their actions. Most previous English-language military analysis has focused on British admiral Sir John Jellicoe, who was widely criticized for exc
£51.30
The University Press of Kentucky Bluejackets and Contrabands
Book SynopsisThe only in-depth study of the relationship between the Union Navy and African Americans during the Civil War.Table of ContentsIntroduction Union Navy Policy toward Contrabands Going to Freedom Contraband Camps Informants Contributing to Victory Contraband Pilots Contraband Sailors Joint Army-Navy Operations The Final Months
£27.00
The University Press of Kentucky A Strange Whim of the Sea
Book SynopsisHighlighting the underreported role auxiliary vessels played in the war, A Strange Whim of the Sea: The Wreck of the USS Macaw should engage the military historian and lay reader alike with the previously untold story it tells of struggle, sacrifice, death and survival in the Pacific in World War II.Table of ContentsRough Start On the Rocks Troubled Waters Off to War Perilous Passage South Pacific The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner Midway Emergency Exit Business on Great Waters Aftermath
£35.57
The University of Alabama Press From Torpedoes to Aviation Washington Irving
Book SynopsisThe career of Washington Irving Chambers spans a formative period in the development of the United States Navy. This work covers Chambers' early naval career, his work at the new Office of Naval Intelligence, his participation in the Greeley Relief Expedition, and a survey for the projected isthmian canal through Nicaragua.Trade ReviewAn excellent biographical study.... Dr. Stein's book is the result of exhaustive research in Captain Chambers's personal papers at the Library of Congress, supplemented by thorough research in Navy materials at the National Archives. He has succeeded in providing a comprehensive and accurate picture of the difficulties of early naval aviation and has also given us an outstanding discussion of the efforts to modernize naval administration, technology, and strategy in the pre-World War I era. - Herbert A. Johnson, author of Wingless Eagle: U.S. Army Aviation through World War 1
£999.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Navigators Notebook A Workbook for Marine
Book SynopsisThis guide is intended for professional mariners and for those studying for the US Coast Guard license examinations. The result of the author''s experience teaching these subjects for many years, it addresses every major navigation problem with a short, accurate description, definitions of terms, and worked out examples. To help the reader the author has implemented real handouts from his classes, intended for students, as references, including worksheets for celestial and tide calculations. Vital information of all types is provided here, including a crash course in celestial and terrestrial navigation, magnetic deviation tables for calculating compass error, formulas for determining leeway, and tips for navigating close to home and across the oceans. Professor Palmiotti''s expertise, earned through his vast experience as mate and captain, is now available, here, in compact form, for both veteran seamen and officers in training.
£19.54
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Pocket Battleship The Admiral Graf Spree
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£12.59
Formac Publishing Company Limited Bold Privateers Terror Plunder and Profit on
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£23.96
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Naval Eyewitnesses
Book SynopsisLife at sea as it was experienced by naval and merchant seamen during the Second World War.
£31.97
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Disasters of the Deep
Book SynopsisAn authoritative yet dramatic account of the world's great submarine disasters.
£21.01
Johns Hopkins University Press Information at Sea
Book SynopsisHe argues that the human-machine systems used to coordinate forces were as critical to naval successes in World War II as the ships and commanders more familiar to historians.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent and important book. The author, a U.S. Navy Reserve officer, is well qualified to point to the distinction between the visible side of sea power, as reflected in ships and in naval weapons, and the much less visible but absolutely essential side involving the use of information. -- Norman Friedman Proceedings Wolter's familiarity with naval minutiae and procedures leads to a lively and procedures leads to a lively, highly readable narrative that also maintains scholarly depth and thoroughness. Choice Information at Sea is a wonderful book, contributing to our understanding of the evolution of human-machine integration... a 'must read'! -- Mark Hagerott International Journal of Maritime History Both author and publisher have made this an appealing book. Illustrations of key personalities and equipment not only bring the subject to life, but are all the more helpful in understanding the core issues... This book is a must for any serious student of naval operations, platform design and in particular of the USN. Despite its specialised subject matter it will be valuable to military historians in general, especially those looking at the development and problems associated with command in the twentieth century. -- Dr. Marcus Faulkner British Journal of Military History This book will appeal to a broad cross-section of readers with an interest in naval matters and in particular those officers and sailors of the war-fighting community... Wolters has done a fine job in researching and writing this book and the astute reader will recognise that there are important lessons to be learned in it. -- John Perryman Great Circle The reader interested in a broad history of command and control design and innovation aboard US warships from the Civil War to World War II will be well rewarded. Wolters has mastered the sources surrounding this topic and writes in an easy style... This book is most highly recommended. -- John T. Kuehn International Journal of Naval History An outstanding history of the US Navy from the Civil War through the Second World War... Information at Sea has four particular strengths. First, it reveals the connective tissues and nervous system of shipboard command and control across an eighty-year period through extensive pioneering archival research. Second, its well written chronicle of technological investigation, adaptation, innovation, and combat applications will appeal to experts and general readers alike. Third, it seamlessly interweaves bureaucratic decision-making with matters of laboratory research and development, field experimentation, adjustments in training and education, and the new command and control systems; Wolters explains how, why, and to what effect the Navy made changes to improve its combat efficiency. Fourth, the book challenges the longstanding notion that entrenched naval conservatism time and again retarded innovation. Wolters makes abundantly clear that, on the contrary, the Navy regularly listened, learned, and made intelligent decisions about integrating new communications and detection systems... For all these reasons, Information at Sea should stand as a landmark work of military history. -- Branden Little Michigan War Studies ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Flags, Flares, and Lights: A World before Wireless2. Sparks and Arcs: The Navy Adopts Radio3. War and Peace: Coordinating Naval Forces4. A Most Complex Problem: Demanding Information5. Creating the Brain of a Warship: Radar and the CICConclusionAbbreviationsNotesEssay on SourcesArchives and Manuscript CollectionsIndex
£50.00
Johns Hopkins University Press Privateering
Book SynopsisFascinating, unfamiliar, and full of surprises, this book will appeal to historians and general readers alike.Trade ReviewKert has accomplished a great deal in a short space. Her notes, tables, and charts are jewels in themselves...[her] book points the way forward, providing a wealth of information that will guide future scholars navigating privateer waters. H-Net Reviews ...a fine study... Journal of America's Military Past A prodigious body of empirical research is distilled into a concise and pointed account that will appeal to scholars, military professionals, and educated laymen alike. Canadian Military History Kert noted that there hasve been more than 400 books published on the maritime War of 1812. Do we need yet another?... The answer is yes. Kert's work, Privateering: Patriots and Profits in the War of 1912, capably fills the gap and adds a valuable chapter to the literature of the war. Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society News Kert's work has opened an invaluable window into the lives of the entrepreneurial warriors who played a critical, yet poorly understood, role during the War of 1812. Solidifying the importance of her work, Kert added a valuable essay on the archival and secondary sources of privateering during the War of 1812 and has published her database of ships and individuals involved in privateering on the website of her publisher, allowing future scholars to build upon her scholarship. New England QuarterlyTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction. "A Ruinous and Unnecessary War"1. In Flagrante BelloAn Unwelcome WarManaging Private Armed WarfareAnnoying the EnemyUnderwriting the Cost of WarStratagems of WarKeeping the PrizeStrict and Rigorous BlockadeLong-range PrivateeringThe "Mud-Clipper" TradeCompulsory ConvoyWin, Lose, or Draw?2. "True, Publick and Notorious"The Origins of PrivateeringThe Rise of Prize LawInternational Law and Neutral RightsColonial Vice-Admiralty CourtsThe Marquis de SomeruelesA Southern Prize CourtThe Admiralty Court Process3. No Prey, No PayThe Cost of WarCommercial WarfareEconomic OptionsAtlantic Canada's PrivateersAmerican PrivateersEyes on the PrizePrivateering out of New YorkThe Balance Sheet4. The Misfortunes of WarTaking the RiskThe Perils of PrivateeringDrink, Discipline, and DutyCombat, Capture, and RecapturePrisoners of WarDeath and DestructionConclusion5. The PrizewinnersLiverpool PacketYankeeCometAmericaSaucy JackTrue Blooded YankeeSurpriseFoxRetaliationSir John SherbrookeGeneral ArmstrongConclusion. The Final TallyAppendix. Prize Makers and PrizesNotesEssay on SourcesIndex
£42.75
Johns Hopkins University Press From Captives to Consuls
Book SynopsisHow three white, non-elite American sailors turned their experiences of captivity into diverse career opportunitiesand influenced America's physical, commercial, ideological, and diplomatic development. Winner of the John Lyman Book Award by the North American Society for Oceanic HistoryFrom 1784 to 1815, hundreds of American sailors were held as white slaves in the North African Barbary States. In From Captives to Consuls, Brett Goodin vividly traces the lives of three of these menRichard O'Brien, James Cathcart, and James Rileyfrom the Atlantic coast during the American Revolution to North Africa, from Philadelphia to the Louisiana Territories, and finally to the western frontier. This first scholarly biography of American captives in Barbary sifts through their highly curated writings to reveal how ordinary individuals in extraordinary circumstances could maneuver through and contribute to nation building in early America, all the while advancing their own interests. The three subTrade ReviewGoodin's book is a contribution to American cultural history, especially of the dynamic and fluid period of the early republic, more than about cultural interchange between North Africa and the United States. His subjects are idiosyncratic, making it hard to draw too many conclusions about their lives and importance to America history.—History AustraliaTable of ContentsSeries Editor's ForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroduction. Victims of American Independence?Chapter One. Farmers, Privateers, and Prisoners of the RevolutionChapter Two. Diaries of Barbary Orientalism and American Masculinity in AlgiersChapter Three. Captivity by CorrespondenceChapter Four. From Captives to Consuls and Coup-MakersChapter Five. Accidentally Useful and Interesting to the WorldChapter Six. Sailing the Inland SeaConclusion. Opportunities of Empire EpilogueNotesEssay on SourcesIndex
£43.00
Amberley Publishing 1917 The First World War at Sea in Photographs
Book Synopsis1917, the fourth year of the war to end all wars, is documented in archive photographs in this series covering the naval war in detail.
£18.99
Amberley Publishing HMS Li Wo
Book SynopsisThe almost unbelievable story of the most decorated small ship in the Navy.
£11.07
Amberley Publishing Desperate Victories
Book SynopsisThe first-hand accounts from key British commanders of some of the most desperate moments in the Second World War when Britain's survival was at stake
£20.00
Arcadia Publishing Normans Navy Years 19421959 Images of America
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£21.24
Arcadia Publishing The Wreck of the Naval Airship USS Shenandoah
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£19.99
Arcadia Publishing Sandy Bay National Harbor of Refuge and the Navy
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£19.99
Arcadia Publishing (SC) Marinship
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£21.24
Arcadia Publishing The Virginia Navy in the Revolution Hamptons
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£18.69
History Press New England Coast Guard Stories Remarkable
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£18.69
History Press The Daring Exploits of Pirate Black Sam Bellamy
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£20.39
Arcadia Publishing (SC) The United States Naval Academy
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£21.24
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC When the Shooting Stopped
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA superb achievement. This fast-paced and riveting account of the final weeks of the Pacific War is filled with fresh material, including personal stories and vivid historical detail. Another Barrett Tillman triumph. * Robert J. Mrazek, award-winning author of 'The Indomitable Florence Finch: The Untold Story of a War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POW's' *[A] shrewd, fast-paced, and wide-angle account exploring one of the most intriguing but seldom pursued topics about all of World War II: the ragged ending of the Asia Pacific War. There was no neat finale on the decks of the Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This work musters the full panorama of days, weeks, and longer that shaped the fates of nations and peoples, but colors it brightly with well-chosen stories of individuals in combat, in liberation, in defeat, in tragedy, and in joy. * Richard B. Frank, author of Downfall: The End of the Japanese Empire *It's all here in this excellent account of the last month of WWII. * The Armourer *This is an excellent study of the last few weeks of the Second World War, showing that the surrender of Japan was a rather more complex and confused affair than the earlier collapse of Nazi Germany.” -- John Rickard * Historyofwar.org *It's a complex story, very well told here. - New York Journal of BooksOnly an author of Tillman’s experience, breadth and skill could pull off such a work: a multi-layered, nuanced and compelling book… . When the Shooting Stopped is a fine work, worthy of the author’s reputation. Readable, informative, and compelling, it is deserving of the time to contemplate and absorb. - Naval Historical FoundationTable of ContentsPrologue: August 1945 List of Illustrations Introduction 1. War or Peace? 2. August Storm 3. The Day the Shooting Stopped 4. Around the World 5. Uneasy Peace 6. Tokyo Bay 7. Downstream from VJ Day Acknowledgments Endnotes Bibliography Index
£14.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The War With Hitler's Navy
Book SynopsisAs this well researched work reveals, Hitler's handling the German Navy during the Second World War was full of contradictions. The seriousness of the U-boat threat was never in doubt and in the dark days of 1940 - 1942, the Donitz's daring strategy coupled with the courage and determined actions of the captains and crews became perilously close to starving Britain into submission. But, despite having built and nurtured a surface fleet with capital ships of formidable power, Hitler was uncharacteristically cautious of employing them aggressively. Examination of the reasons for this make for fascinating reading, possibly stemming from the early loss of the Graf Spee and the fact that, whenever possible, the Royal Navy threw all its weight regardless of cost at the Nazi threat; the loss of the Hood in the pursuit of the Bismarck being one example. Even Goebbels could not 'spin' the loss of a battleship. The War against Hitler's Navy describes in fascinating detail the many fronts on which the adversaries faced each other and analyses the reasons for the ultimate outcome.
£23.83
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Royal Navy 1793-1800: Birth of a Superpower
Book SynopsisFrance declared war upon the British in 1793\. The burden to conduct a long conflict proved heavy for that island nation. Poverty increased. Liberties and freedoms were sometimes taken away. Thousands of men had to leave their families, and disease, desertion and death meant that many never returned. At first the Royal Navy barely had enough warships to cope, but eight years later she had more than enough. By that time a threat of invasion towards Ireland prompted Parliament to enact a new nation, christened The United Kingdom of Great Britain. As such, 1800 became the final year of the old Kingdom of Great Britain. As she passed away, many of her men and women might have wondered as to what had made her navy a true Neptune. What had assisted the slow birth of a naval 'superpower'? This book seeks to answer that very question.
£23.94
Pen & Sword Books Ltd United States Navy Destroyers: Rare Photographs
Book SynopsisThis classic Images of War book traces the key role played by destroyers of the United States Navy since the first order for 16 in 1898\. Prior to the USA's entry into the First World War a further 63 destroyers were commissioned and, due to the U-boat threat, 267 more were authorised by Congress once hostilities were joined. Between 1932 and Pearl Harbor ten new classes totalling 169 destroyers came into service. During the war years American shipyards turned out a further 334 vessels. Of the three classes, the 175 Fletcher-class were judged the most successful. The Cold War years saw the development of seven more classes. More recently 82 of the stealth shaped Arleigh Burke class have been ordered but the futuristic Zumwalt-class programme has been curtailed for cost reasons. Expert author Michael Green is to be commended for compiling this comprehensive account of the USN's impressive destroyer programme with its authoritative text and superb images.
£16.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd From Hunter to Hunted: The U-Boat in the
Book SynopsisIn the early stages of the Second World War, Donitz's U-boats generally adhered to Prize Rules, surfacing before attacking and making every effort to preserve the lives of their victims' crews. But, with the arming of merchantmen and greater risk of damage or worse, they increasingly attacked without warning. So successful was the U-boat campaign that Churchill saw it as the gravest threat the Nation faced. The low point was the March 1943 attack on convoys SC122 and HX229 when 44 U-boats sank 22 loaded ships. The pendulum miraculously swung with improved tactics and technology. In May 1943 out of a force of over 50 U-boats that challenged ONS5, eight were sunk and 18 were damaged, some seriously. Such losses were unsustainable and, with allied yards turning out ships at ever increasing rates, Donitz withdrew his wolf packs from the North Atlantic. Expert naval author and historian Bernard Edwards traces the course of the battle of the Atlantic through a series of thrilling engagement case studies.
£23.83
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Hitler's Attack U-Boats: The Kriegsmarine's WWII
Book SynopsisThe success of German submarines during the First World War in almost cutting off Britain's vital imports had not been forgotten by Adolf Hitler and when, in March 1935, he repudiated the Treaty of Versailles, Britain, magnanimously, signed up to an Anglo-German Naval Agreement. This allowed the Germans to build their submarine strength up to one third of the British Royal Navy's tonnage. When war broke out in 1939, German U-boats went quickly into action, but with only four years of production and development, the main armament of these submarines was considerably weaker than equivalent boats in other navies and many of the other main features, such as living and the fighting conditions, were also significantly inferior. Nevertheless, the German U-boat onslaught against British merchant ships during the autumn of 1940 was highly successful because the attacks were made on the surface at night and from such close range that a single torpedo would sink a ship. Soon, though, Allied technology was able to detect U-boats at night, and new convoy techniques, combined with powerfully-armed, fast modern aircraft searching the seas, meant that by 1941 it was clear that Germany was losing the war at sea. Something had to be done. The new generation of attack U-boats that had been introduced since Hitler came to power needed urgent improvement. This is the story of the Types II, VII and IX that had already become the workhorse' of the Kriegsmarine's submarine fleet and continued to put out to sea to attack Allied shipping right up to the end of the war. The Type II was a small coastal boat that struggled to reach the Atlantic; the Type VII was perfectly at home there, but lacked the technology to tackle well protected convoys; whilst the Type IX was a long-range variety that was modified so that it could operate in the Indian Ocean. In this latest book by the renowned Kriegsmarine historian Jak Mallmann Showell, these attack U-boats are explored at length. This includes details of their armament, capabilities, crew facilities, and just what is was like to operate such a vessel, and of course the story of their development and operational history.
£23.75
PublicAffairs The Blue Age: How the US Navy Created Global
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£24.00
Pelican Publishing Co USS Midway: America's Shield
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£17.99
Arcadia Publishing The Navy Capital of the World Hampton Roads
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£21.24
University of New Orleans Press The Greek Genocide in American Naval War Diaries:
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£21.21
Savas Beatie Hunt and Kill: U-505 and the U-Boat War in the
Book SynopsisOne of WWII’s pivotal events was the capture of U-505 on June 4, 1944. The top secret seizure of this massive Type IX submarine provided the Allies with priceless information on German technology and innovation. After the war, U-505 was transported to Chicago, where today several hundred thousand visitors a year pass through its well-preserved hull at the Museum of Science and Industry. Now in paperback, Hunt and Kill offers the first definitive study of U-505. Chapters include her construction, crew and commanders, combat history, an assessment of Type IX operations, naval intelligence, the eight fatal German mistakes that doomed the ill-fated boat, her capture, and final transportation and restoration for posterity. The contributors to this fascinating volume - a Who’s Who of U-boat historians - include: Erich Topp (U-552, Odyssey of a U-boat Commander); Eric Rust (Naval Officers Under Hitler); Timothy Mulligan (Neither Sharks Nor Wolves); Jak Mallmann Showell (Hitler’s U-boat Bases); Jordan Vause (Wolf); Lawrence Patterson (First U-boat Flotilla); Mark Wise (Enigma and the Battle of the Atlantic); Keith R. Gill (former Curator, U-505, Museum of Science and Industry), and Theodore P. Savas (editor, Silent Hunters: German U-boat Commanders of World War II; author, Nazi Millionaires).
£15.80
Savas Beatie The Marine Corps Way of War: The Evolution of the
Book SynopsisThe Marine Corps Way of War examines the evolving doctrine, weapons, and capability of the United States Marine Corps during the four decades since our last great conflict in Asia. As author Anthony Piscitelli demonstrates, the USMC has maintained its position as the nation’s foremost striking force while shifting its thrust from a reliance upon attrition to a return to maneuver warfare. In Indochina, for example, the Marines not only held territory but engaged in now-legendary confrontational battles at Hue, Khe Sanh. As a percentage of those engaged, the Marines suffered higher casualties than any other branch of the service. In the post-Vietnam assessment, however, the USMC ingrained aspects of Asian warfare as offered by Sun Tzu, and returned to its historical DNA in fighting “small wars” to evolve a superior alternative to the battlefield. The institutionalization of maneuver philosophy began with the Marine Corps’ educational system, analyzing the actual battle-space of warfare—be it humanitarian assistance, regular set-piece battles, or irregular guerrilla war—and the role that the leadership cadre of the Marine Corps played in this evolutionary transition from attrition to maneuver. Author Piscatelli explains the evolution by using traditional and first-person accounts by the prime movers of this paradigm shift. This change has sometimes been misportrayed, including by the Congressional Military Reform Caucus, as a disruptive or forced evolution. This is simply not the case, as the analyses by individuals from high-level commanders to junior officers on the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, demonstrate. The ability of the Marines to impact the battlefield—and help achieve our strategic goals—has only increased during the post-Cold War era. Throughout The Marine Corps Way of War: The Evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps from Attrition to Maneuver Warfare in the Post-Vietnam Era, one thing remains clear: the voices of the Marines themselves, in action or through analysis, describing how “the few, the proud” will continue to be America’s cutting-edge in the future as we move through the 21st Century. This new work is must-reading for not only every Marine, but for everyone interested in the evolution of the world’s finest military force.
£21.38
Casemate Publishers Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany’s Greatest
Book Synopsis“...essential background and new historical insights make otherwise inexplicable elements of the Bismarck story much clearer, without diminishing the drama of the epic sea chase and its vivid, human details.” – World War II MagazineThe sinking of the German battleship Bismarck – a masterpiece of engineering, well-armoured with a main artillery of eight 15-inch guns – was one of the most dramatic events of World War II. She left the port of Gotenhafen for her first operation on the night of 18 May 1941, yet was almost immediately discovered by Norwegian resistance and Allied air reconnaissance. British battle cruiser Hood was quickly dispatched from Scapa Flow to intercept the Bismarck, together with new battleship Prince of Wales. They were ordered to find the ship quickly because, on their way from the USA, several large convoys were heading for Britain.On 24 May, Bismarck was found off the coast of Greenland, but the ensuing battle was disastrous for the British. The Hood was totally destroyed within minutes (only 3 crewmen surviving), and Prince of Wales was badly damaged. The chase resumed until the German behemoth was finally caught, this time by four British capital ships supported by torpedo-bombers from the carrier Ark Royal. The icy North Atlantic roiled from the crash of shellfire and bursting explosions until finally the Bismarck collapsed, sending nearly 2,000 German sailors to a watery grave.Zetterling and Tamelander’s work rests on stories from survivors and the latest historical discoveries. The book starts with a thorough account of maritime developments from 1871 up to the era of the giant battleship, and ends with a vivid account, hour by hour, of the dramatic and fateful hunt for the mighty Bismarck, Nazi-Germany’s last hope to pose a powerful surface threat to Allied convoys.Trade Review…a thorough treatment, including material from interviews with survivors of their sinkings and the impact they had on the naval war in the Atlantic. * SEAPOWER *A fresh look at the life and death of the most famous German warship of World War II. * NYMAS *outstanding book about naval warfare…real time, you are there style that conveys all of the anxiety of actual combat at sea. * WWII HISTORY MAGAZINE *essential background and new historical insights make otherwise inexplicable elements of the Bismarck story much clearer, without diminishing the drama of the epic sea chase and its vivid, human details. * WORLD WAR II MAGAZINE *…unable to put it down…I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes the study of naval battles or just wants to read about an action-packed sea battle. * IPMS *... a very interesting and useful history …once you start… you will be very hard pressed to stop until the smoke has cleared and the ship is sunk. * INTERNET MODELER *Beautifully written, exhaustively researched and a mine of thought provoking insight...this is not just the best military history book I’ve read for a many a year but the best book full-stop. Essential. Buy it. * ModelArmour November *…a thorough treatment, including material from interviews with survivors of their sinkings and the impact they had on the naval war in the Atlantic. * Seapower *A fresh look at the life and death of the most famous German warship of World War II…a very good read… * STRATEGY PAGE *
£18.04
Casemate Publishers Strangling the Confederacy: Coastal Operations in
Book SynopsisWhile the Civil War is mainly remembered for its epic battles between the Northern and Southern armies, the Union was simultaneously waging another campaign, dubbed “Anaconda”, that was gradually depriving the South of industry and commerce. When an independent Dixie finally met its end, it was the North’s coastal campaign that was responsible.Strangling the Confederacy examines the various naval actions and land incursions the Union waged from Virginia down the Atlantic Coast and through the Gulf of Mexico to methodically close down every Confederate port that could bring in weapons or supplies. The Union’s Navy Board, a unique institution at the time, undertook the correct strategy. Its original decision to focus on ten seaports that had rail or water connections with the Confederate interior shows that it understood the concept of decisive points. In a number of battles the Federals were able to leverage their superior technology, including steam power and rifled artillery, in a way that made the Confederate coastal defences highly vulnerable, if not obsolete. On the other hand, when the Federals encountered Confederate resistance at close-quarters they often experienced difficulties, as in the failures at Fort Fisher, and the debacle at Battery Wagner.What makes Strangling the Confederacy particularly unique is its use of modern military doctrine to assess and analyse the campaigns. Kevin Dougherty, an accomplished historian and former career Army officer, concludes that, without knowing it, the Navy Board did an excellent job at following modern strategic doctrine. While the multitude of small battles that flared along the Rebel coast throughout the Civil War have heretofore not been as well known as the more titanic inland battles, in a cumulative sense Anaconda, the most prolonged of the Union campaigns, spelled doom for the Confederacy.Trade Reviewa volume to inspire the naval modeller to look at subjects away from Napoleonic galleons and 20th Century behemoths. Well researched, accurate and easy to follow, it is recommended to naval modellers, wargamers and historians alike. * www.scaleplasticandrail.com *General readers interested in the US Civil War will find this book a useful entry into a complex subject. Scholars and students who need access to a good survey of academic literature on military operations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts may also find the work useful. Recommended. * Choice Magazine *Strangling the Confederacy is an excellent short history of the blockade... highly recommended * Civil War News *... displays evidence of scholarly research and is supported by half-a-dozen quite useful maps … * Military Illustrated *
£999.99
Casemate Publishers Zeebrugge: The Greatest Raid of All
Book SynopsisThe combined forces invasion of the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on 23 April 1918 remains one of Britain’s most glorious military undertakings; not quite as epic a failure as the charge of the Light Brigade, or as well publicised as the Dam Busters raid, but with many of the same basic ingredients.A force drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines set out on ships and submarines to try to block the key strategic port, in a bold attempt to stem the catastrophic losses being inflicted on British shipping by German submarines. It meant attacking a heavily fortified German naval base. The tide, calm weather and the right wind direction for a smoke screen were crucial to the plan.Judged purely on results, it can only be considered a partial strategic success. Casualties were high and the base only partially blocked. Nonetheless, it came to represent the embodiment of the bulldog spirit, the peculiarly British fighting élan, the belief that anything was possible with enough dash and daring.The essential story of the Zeebrugge mission has been told before, but never through the direct, first-hand accounts of its survivors – including that of Lieutenant Richard Sandford, VC, the acknowledged hero of the day, and the author’s great uncle. The fire and bloodshed of the occasion is the book’s centrepiece, but there is also room for the family and private lives of the men who volunteered in their hundreds for what they knew effectively to be a suicide mission.Zeebrugge gives a very real sense of the existence of the ordinary British men and women of 100 years ago – made extraordinary by their role in what Winston Churchill called the ‘most intrepid and heroic single armed adventure of the Great War.’Trade ReviewThe use of first hand accounts is what brings the book vividly and grippingly to life as action is eventually joined and the cruelly depleted marines and seamen storm the Mole...Here we have a cracking read, very different from some more pedestrian analyses. * Army Rumour Service *Listed in Military History Monthly's round up of the best military history titles for June 2018. * Military History Matters (Reviewer) *This is an important story, well-told and Sandford has given us a deeply satisfying and highly recommended book. * Warships International 30/04/2019 *An extraordinary account of something quite extraordinary… * Books Monthly *Zeebrugge 1918: The Greatest Raid of All provides an easily accessible narrative of a high-risk and high-casualty operation. It is a worthy additon to any book shelf. * Naval Review *
£19.99
Casemate Publishers Heaven High, Ocean Deep: Naval Fighter Wing at
Book SynopsisIn 1944, with the invasion of Europe underway and Battles in the Atlantic and Mediterranean all but won, the Royal Navy`s strength could be focussed on the Far East and the Pacific where the Japanese were still a long way from defeat. Since the Battle of Midway, in June 1942, the United States had been slowly forcing the Japanese back, but it was a long, bloody process. The Allies needed to combine their forces more effectively if they were to bring the war to an end quickly. In response the Royal Navy massed its ships to add weight to the US Navy. With an attack force of four fleet carriers, and two more on the way, the RN`s role would be significant, but would take time to work up to the state of preparedness of their American cousins. And so a fleet was born for use in the Indian Ocean and, later, the Pacific.From April 1944 to August 1945 they would successfully fight many long, intensive battles. In this time each carrier would contribute greatly to victory, none more so than HMS Indomitable with her 5th Fighter Wing. They would be in thick of the fighting, achieve success and live perilously for a prolonged period, losing many men along the way. It was a war of attrition, which allowed little room for compassion or benevolence.The story told in this book is about the exceptional group of young men, from Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Holland and South Africa who joined the Fleet Air Arm as pilots. With their American-built Hellcats they were in the thick of the action, providing a hard, professional core to this fighting fleet that few would equal. Although its operational history is second to none, this was only achieved by the sacrifice and endurance of the men who flew many dangerous missions and daily lived with the spectre of a searing death. And so the book is about them, with war providing a back drop that broods and eviscerates in turn. How did these men come to be fighting as pilots with the Fleet Air Arm, how were they trained, how did they live, how did they prepare themselves to kill or be killed, what sustained them and what did they feel about their extremely dangerous experiences? Luckily some survived to record their thoughts and others left poignant memories for the curious to follow and explore. And here the author was lucky to meet or correspond with nearly all the survivors and be privileged to hear their stories. He follows the young pilots lives from selection, through training to operations. The 5th Wing went to sea in 1944 and were in continuous action, in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from then until the last days of the war. They participated in strikes on Sumatra with the aim of destroying its highly important oil refineries, then they joined in the battles for Leyte and Okinawa, before moving with the British Fleet to begin the invasion Japan itself.Trade ReviewThis is a first-rate contribution to our naval history, focusing on a part of the greatest and most powerful Fleet we ever put to sea. But, as above, it is also a long-deserved memorial to some of the youngsters who helped make victory happen. * Army Rumour Service 04/03/2019 *This badly neglected story needed to be told. The author and his publisher have done a first rate job. * Baird Maritime 26/06/2019 *This book provides a detailed and compelling narrative of aircraft operations against a determined and ultimately suicidal enemy; but it is much more than this. Hillier-Graves puts the activities of the BPF into a broader historical context and also gives a rounded picture of the young men who fought and (many of them) died in the actions of what John Winton memorably named “The Forgotten Fleet”. * Fleet Air Arm Association 18/02/2019 *This is a beautifully produced book from Casemate. A book on the subject was incredibly welcome and, considering some of the recent attention and study directed at the British Pacific Fleet, would bring some of the ‘forgotten’ men of ‘the forgotten fleet’ into focus. * Aircrew Book Review *As with the Far East campaign on land and in the air, the Pacific Fleet appears to have been forgotten… This book will hopefully address this […] to keep those who fought and died in our thoughts… * Britmodeller.com 05/07/2019 *For giving a voice to these remarkable young men, and chronicling their experiences, this book is highly recommended. * Naval Review *This is a beautifully produced book from Casemate. * Flightpath Magazine *...can be thoroughly recommended to anyone interested in the Forgotten Fleet. * The Aviation Historian Magazine *
£19.99
Casemate Publishers Sighted Sub, Sank Same: The United States Navy’s
Book SynopsisSighted Sub, Sank Same examines the United States Naval air campaign against German U-boats prowling for allied merchant shipping traversing the waters of the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean; an economic war waged to cut the lifeline of food and armaments sailing across the Atlantic from North America. This battle of the Atlantic evolved into a far-ranging conflict beyond the North Atlantic and the eastern seaboard of the United States. It covered the frigid waters off Iceland down to the warm waters of Florida, through the Caribbean Sea, across the ocean to the Bay of Biscay, the Mediterranean Sea, down to Africa, and across the South Atlantic to Brazil’s southern tip. Nazi Germany’s efforts to deny supplies from reaching Europe came at a high price, losing 783 U-boats and approximately 30,000 men between 1939 and 1945 with land and carrier-based naval air units sinking 83 German submarines of the 159 sunk by American aircraft. German allies saw their submarines targeted as well in the Atlantic with Imperial Japanese submarine I-52 and the Italian Archimede falling victim to American naval aircraft armed with depth bombs or acoustic homing torpedoes.This story of the United States Navy’s use of air power to hunt down and destroy German submarines unfolds in dramatic detail in Sighted Sub, Sank Same. The book contains over 200 colour and black and white photographs allowing for a visual imagery of the campaign while personal interviews, interrogation reports, personal correspondence, and after-action reports weave a fascinating history about the naval air campaign in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean Theaters during World War II.Trade ReviewThis is a must have book for anyone with an interest in World War Two aviation and is highly recommended. * Flypast Magazine *This very well-illustrated … book gives the reader a real feeling of that relentless hunt. * Baird Maritime *
£23.75
WW Norton & Co Battleship Yamato: Of War, Beauty and Irony
Book SynopsisThe battleship Yamato, of the Imperial Japanese Navy, was the most powerful warship of World War II and represented the climax, as it were, of the Japanese warrior traditions of the samurai—the ideals of honor, discipline, and self-sacrifice that had immemorially ennobled the Japanese national consciousness. Stoically poised for battle in the spring of 1945—when even Japan’s last desperate technique of arms, the kamikaze, was running short—Yamato arose as the last magnificent arrow in the imperial quiver of Emperor Hirohito. Here, Jan Morris not only tells the dramatic story of the magnificent ship itself—from secret wartime launch to futile sacrifice at Okinawa—but, more fundamentally, interprets the ship as an allegorical figure of war itself, in its splendor and its squalor, its heroism and its waste. Drawing on rich naval history and rhapsodic metaphors from international music and art, Battleship Yamato is a work of grand ironic elegy.Trade Review"The short, illustrated book Morris has written about the Yamato is what she calls 'a reverie' on the varied emotions that war summons up…I think it's safe to say that Morris has also written a reverie on accepting the inevitability of death….This book itself signals yet another end: Certainly, it will be one of the very last books written about World War II by an author who saw active service in that war. That sobering fact only adds to the elegiac resonance of this magnificent little book." -- Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air
£12.99
Fonthill Media LLc Naval Air Station Oceana
Book Synopsis
£21.24
Casemate Publishers Dreadnoughts and Super-Dreadnoughts
Book SynopsisWhen HMS Dreadnought was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1906 this revolutionary new class of big-gun iron-clad warship immediately changed the face of naval warfare, rendering all other battleships worldwide obsolete. The Admiralty realised that as soon as the ship was revealed to the global naval community Britain would be a in race to stay ahead, and so the first dreadnoughts were built in record time. While there were those who regarded the vessel as a triumphant revolution in naval design, the dreadnought initially had its critics, including those who thought its slower, heavier guns left it vulnerable to the secondary armament of other warships. Nevertheless, other countries, notably Germany, and the United States soon began to lay down dreadnoughts. The culmination of this arms race would be the confrontation of the British and German fleets at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 - the greatest clash of naval firepower in history. This book gives detailed insights into the design, operation and combat history of these incredible vessels.Trade ReviewWhen you pick up a Casemate book in this series, you expect to open a door on what the back cover describes as 'unparalleled detail into the weapons, equipment, and machinery of war,' and the author delivers all this in a satisfying, fine-grained read. Most engrossing, however, is his presentation of the thought work behind the design of the Dreadnought, as well as the gradual recognition of the technological evolutions that eventually made this potent machine possible. * The NYMAS Review 04/01/2023 *The history of the dreadnought is well told this extensively illustrated volume. The book contains more than 200 illustration, technical drawings, and photographs of various ships and their equipment, armament, and crews. * Military Heritage *Offers an overview of a time of rapid, tumultuous change in naval technology. It is lavishly illustrated; there are hundreds of photographs, technical drawings, paintings, and diagrams. The text is tightly focused, readable, and free from jargon … As an introduction to a complex and fascinating subject … McNabb has done an admirable job. * Nautical Research Journal 28/09/2022 *Table of ContentsIntroduction Layout Firepower Propulsion and Electrical Systems Crew In War and Peace Appendix Bibliography Index
£35.99
Casemate Tanker War
Book SynopsisThe Tanker War was a successful U.S. military intervention in the Middle East, and forms a blueprint for an effective approach to future military and political global challenges.
£26.96
Naval Institute Press Chinas Mahan
£999.99
Allen & Unwin No Pleasure Cruise: The story of the Royal
Book SynopsisIn 1901 Australia's fledgling Federal Government assumed the responsibility for the new nation's defence. Their first task was to take the aged and obsolete remnants of the colonies' navies and create a national navy to defend our island's coastal waters and overseas trade routes. For the first 40 years the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) was designed to serve alongside the Royal Navy, and resembled it in everything but scale. After the Second World War the RAN developed along US lines but, despite these overseas ties, the RAN has developed its own proud character and tradition and has entered the twenty-first century as a confident and independent force in its own right.In No Pleasure Cruise, Australia's best-known naval historian, Dr Tom Frame, charts the RAN's emergence as one of the world's strongest and most respected navies, and its evolving relationship with the Australian public, press and parliament.Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction1 Strategic sea base? 1770-852 Pax Britannica, 1786-18553 Colonial navies, 1856-19004 National navy, 1901-135 First test, 1914-196 Trials and tribulations, 1920-387 Global war, 1939-418 The continent under threat, 1942-459 Wars and rumours of wars, 1946-6410 Up Top, 1965-7211 Finding a niche, 1973-8912 Across the seas, 1990-200313 The new millenniumFurther readingIndex
£28.49
