German Heavy Cruisers vs Royal Navy Heavy Cruisers: 1939-42

Description

This superbly illustrated study explores the epic clashes of British and German heavy cruisers at the beginning of World War II. The opposing heavy cruisers of the German Kriegsmarine and the Royal Navy engaged in a global game of cat and mouse during the opening years of World War II. This was a period in which the heavy cruiser still reigned supreme in open waters, with the opposing sides reluctant to risk their battleships, and aircraft yet to dominate the seas. These swift vessels fought each other in the South Atlantic, North Atlantic, the frigid waters of the Denmark Strait and the Arctic approaches to Russia, capturing the public imagination in the process. This fascinating and beautifully illustrated book examines the design, development and technical performance of these opposing warships, and explores the clashes between them at the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939, the Christmas Day Battle 1940 and the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941. The ships examined include the Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe and Admiral Hipper-class cruisers, and the Royal Navy County- and York-class heavy cruisers.

Mark Lardas was educated as a naval architect, and worked for over 30 years as an engineer, space navigator and technical writer in the space, aviation and energy industries. He has an abiding interest in maritime, naval and military history, with an emphasis on ship construction and engineering from the 9th to the 21st centuries. He is the author of over 30 published books on these subjects.

This fascinating and well-illustrated book examines the design, development and technical performance of the Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe and Hipper-class cruisers with the Royal Navy County and York-class heavy cruisers. The book assesses the impact of the key clashes between the two Navies at the Battle of the River Plate, the Christmas Day Battle of 1940 and the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941. -- SIMON HAILL * The Naval Review *