"The history of how the Luftwaffe planned to knock out Holland in a surgical, lightning campaign, but instead suffered wounds against the outnumbered but effective Dutch that would come to haunt them in the Battle of Britain."
This authoritative study examines the French Navy's last battleships, using detailed color plates and historical photographs, taking them from their inception before World War I, through their service in World War II including the scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon in 1943, and the service of Richelieu in the war against Japan. On September 1, 1910, France became the last great naval power to lay down a dreadnought battleship, the Courbet. The ensuing Courbet and Bretagne-class dreadnoughts had a relatively quiet World War I, spending most of it at anchor off the entrance to the Adriatic, keeping watch over the Austro-Hungarian fleet. The constraints of the Washington Naval Treaty prevented new battleships being built until the 1930s, with the innovative Dunkerque-class and excellent Richelieu-class of battleships designed to counter new German designs. After the fall of France in 1940, the dreadnoughts and fast battleships of the Marine Nationale had the unique experience of firing against German, Italian, British, and American targets during the war.
A new history of the development of the Dutch fleet in the early 20th century, and the role these warships played in World War II, from the defense of Rotterdam to the Battle of the Java Sea and beyond.
Drawing on technical illustrations and exhaustive research, this book tells the story of Germany's commerce raiders of World War I, the surface ships that were supposed to starve the British Isles of the vast cargoes of vital resources being shipped from the furthest reaches of the Empire.
Presents an appraisal of the technical aspects and operations of the warships of the Ottoman Navy in World War I. Packed with technical specifications, revealing illustrations and exhaustive research, this book deals with the Aegean arms race. číst celé
"In 1940, the strategically vital island of Malta was Britain's last toehold in the central Mediterranean, wreaking havoc among Axis shipping. Launching an air campaign to knock Malta out of the war, first Italy and then Germany sought to force a surrender or reduce the defences enough to allow an invasion. Drawing on original documents, multilingual aviation analyst Ryan Noppen explains how technical and tactical problems caused the original Italian air campaign of 1940 41 to fail, and then how the German intervention came close to knocking Malta out of the war. Using stunning full colour artwork, this fascinating book explains why the attempt by the Axis powers to take the British colony of Malta ultimately failed."--Publisher's description
Austria-Hungary did not have an overseas empire. The 1890s saw the beginning of a series of naval building programs that would create a well-balanced modern fleet. This book details the five classes of Austro-Hungarian battleships in service during World War I.
The development of the US Navy's dreadnought battleships was a pivotal part of America's evolution into a true world power. This title covers the technical characteristics and combat record of the US dreadnoughts throughout their long careers.
An expert in the field, Ryan Noppen examines Austro-Hungarian cruisers and destroyers in this fascinating study that will appeal to those with an interest in naval history and World War I.
Austro-Węgry nie posiadały zamorskiego imperium; Cesarstwo znajdowało się na kontynencie, a do początku XX wieku głównym zadaniem jego marynarki wojennej była obrona linii wybrzeża. Jako że jego flota handlowa ogromnie się rozrosła, admirałowie uznali, że marynarka powinna zastosować bardziej aktywną politykę obronną. Lata 90. XIX wieku były świadkiem rozpoczęcia szeregu programów okrętownictwa, które miały stworzyć dobrze zbalansowaną, nowoczesną flotę. W celu ochrony handlu dalekomorskiego i prezentowania obecności Austro-Węgier na morzach budowano krążowniki, ale najważniejszym przejawem dążeń Cesarstwa do panowania na Adriatyku była budowa zgrupowania nowoczesnych pancerników. Pomimo że w Europie trwał wówczas wyścig zbrojeń morskich, marynarka miała problemy z pozyskaniem pieniędzy na nowe jednostki. Niemniej jednak w sierpniu 1914 r. dysponowała już flotą pancerników. Niniejsza książka opisuje szczegółowo pięć typów austro-węgierskich pancerników, które pełniły służbę w latach I wojny światowej.