Angus Konstam Livres

From renowned author and naval historian Angus Konstam, this is a gripping account of one of the Royal Navy's bloodiest and most dramatic mutinies.

Reveals the truth behind our myths, fairy tales, and Hollywood-inspired images. The reality is, unbelievably, even more intriguing than the flashing swords, talking parrots, and mysterious eye patches portrayed in the movies. In this lavishly illustrated tour through history, you can explore the lives of real pirates, such as Blackbeard, Thomas Tew, and Captain Kidd. Find out how, even today, pirates regularly attack and plunder ships. Discover their motivations, diverse backgrounds, daily lives, and codes of conduct. Peek inside pirate ships, trace their journeys on the map, see their bloody battle, and thrill at the daring, brutal ways in which they live and die. From prehistory to the twenty-first century, whenever trade takes to the sea, the predators are close behind. This new authoritative history details the derring-do of pirate through the ages, analyzing our fascination for the actions of menand some womenwho were, after all, vicious criminals. Packed with illustrations, this volume is the essential companion for every armchair swashbuckler

The 7th U-Boat Flotilla - 'Wegener' - was formed in Kiel in June 1938 with six boats, only one of which survived operationally to the end of the war. Early war action from Kiel changed completely after the fall of France when the flotilla moved to St Nazaire, where it would remain until the Allied advances led its remaining boats to move to Norway.Some 114 boats saw service with the flotilla and most of them served in the North Atlantic where their operations almost brought Britain to its knees. The story of the flotilla starts with the story of the convoy predators; through the grim realities of the convoy system whose escorts benefited from Ultra decrypting of the Kriegsmarine's codes; the massacre of the U-boats attempting to halt the invasion of Europe; to the final coda as 14 boats escaped from St. Nazaire to Norway.Ian Westwell spent five years in the Royal Navy before becoming Curator of Weapons at the Royal Armouries. After a spell as a marine archaeologist he became Chief Curator at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West. He moved back to England to write full time in 2001.

A history and analysis of one of the most dramatic moments in both air power and naval history. With the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse, no battleship was safe on the open ocean, and the aircraft took its crown as the most powerful maritime weapon. In late 1941, war was looming with Japan, and Britain's empire in southeast Asia was at risk. The British government decided to send Force Z, which included the state-of-the-art battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse, to bolster the naval defenses of Singapore, and provide a mighty naval deterrent to Japanese aggression. These two powerful ships arrived in Singapore on 2 December--five days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But crucially, they lacked air cover. On 9 December Japanese scout planes detected Force Z's approach in the Gulf of Thailand. Unlike at Pearl Harbor, battleships at sea could maneuver, and their anti-aircraft defenses were ready. But it did no good. The Japanese dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers were the most advanced in the world, and the battle was one-sided. Strategically, the loss of Force Z was a colossal disaster for the British, and one that effectively marked the end of its empire in the East. But even more importantly, the sinking marked the last time that battleships were considered to be the masters of the ocean. From that day on, air power rather than big guns would be the deciding factor in naval warfare.

Using a narrative approach, Jutland 1916 - Twelve Hours that Decided the War tells the story of the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval clash of the First World War.

This second volume (see MAA 297) by Angus Konstam on the Russian Army of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) concentrates on the cavalry, both the regular troops and irregular forces, considering their composition, nature and effectiveness. It also outlines the state of the Russian train of artillery, which was seen as the premier branch of the army and dominated Russian military doctrine throughout the 18th century. As a result of reforms, the Russians entered the war with Prussia somewhat wrong footed. The ability of the army to recover from this in the crucible of war is a major part of this story.

Tells the dramatic story of how the Royal Navy transformed ordinary citizens into first-rate sailors and navy personnel during the Second World War. This book reveals what it was like to be a sailor navigating, patrolling, and fighting in the largest theatre of the war - the vast oceans.

"From the launching of La Gloire to the emergence of modern turreted battleships in 1875, this book offers ... insight into Continental Europe's innovative and powerful ironclads"-- Amazon.ca

"A fascinating look at the British naval intervention in the Baltic in 1918-20, and at the British, Soviet and Baltic nationalist fleets that fought. Following the Russian Revolution of October 1917, the Baltic states became a battleground between Russian Reds and Whites, German troops and emerging Baltic independence forces. In November 1918, the British government decided to intervene, to protect British interests and to support the emerging Baltic states. This initial small force of cruisers and destroyers was eventually augmented by other British warships, including aircraft carriers, a monitor, as well as a handful of submarines and torpedo boats. Opposing them was the far more powerful Russian Baltic Fleet, now controlled by the Bolsheviks. The campaign that followed involved naval clashes between the two sides, the most spectacular of which was an attack on the Soviet naval base of Kronstadt in June 1919 by a force of small British torpedo boats. They torpedoed and sunk the Russian cruiser Oleg, an action which effectively bottled the Baltic fleet up in port for the remainder of the campaign. Finally, in early 1920, the British squadron was withdrawn, following Soviet recognition of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This New Vanguard title explores the naval side of this little-known but strategically crucial campaign fought by the war-weary navies of Britain and Russia and by warships of the emerging Baltic states. Describing the political background to the conflict, and the key points of the naval campaign as well as the warships involved, this is a concise and fascinating account of an overlooked naval campaign that helped reshape the map of Europe."--Amazon.ca