German Commerce Raider vs British Cruiser

German Commerce Raider vs British Cruiser PDF Author: Robert Forczyk
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782008446
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
The history of one of the greatest acts of deception as Kriegsmarine raiders disguised as merchant ships wrecked havoc on Allied shipping and the Allied cruisers who finally destroyed them. During World War II, the Kriegsmarine armed a number of merchant vessels with concealed guns and torpedo tubes for surprise attacks against Allied shipping. To counter this deadly threat, the Royal Navy employed cruisers and their intelligence-gathering apparatus to find and destroy the disguised German commerce raiders. This highly-illustrated Duel title covers the deadly game of cat and mouse, fought by these surface vessels during World War II.

German Commerce Raider vs British Cruiser

German Commerce Raider vs British Cruiser PDF Author: Robert Forczyk
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782008446
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Get Book Here

Book Description
The history of one of the greatest acts of deception as Kriegsmarine raiders disguised as merchant ships wrecked havoc on Allied shipping and the Allied cruisers who finally destroyed them. During World War II, the Kriegsmarine armed a number of merchant vessels with concealed guns and torpedo tubes for surprise attacks against Allied shipping. To counter this deadly threat, the Royal Navy employed cruisers and their intelligence-gathering apparatus to find and destroy the disguised German commerce raiders. This highly-illustrated Duel title covers the deadly game of cat and mouse, fought by these surface vessels during World War II.

German Commerce Raiders 1914–18

German Commerce Raiders 1914–18 PDF Author: Ryan K. Noppen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472809513
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
This is 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. To that end pre-war German naval strategists allocated a number of cruisers and armed, fast ocean liners, as well as a complex and globe-spanning supply network to support them – known as the Etappe network. This book, drawing on technical illustrations and the author's exhaustive research, explains the often overlooked role that the commerce raiders played in World War I. Whilst exploring the design and development of the ships, it also describes their operational history, how they tied up a disproportionate amount of the British fleet on lengthy pursuits, and how certain raiders such as the SMS Emden were able to wreak havoc across the oceans.

British Frigate vs French Frigate

British Frigate vs French Frigate PDF Author: Mark Lardas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780961332
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
In the Age of Fighting Sail (1650–1820), ambitious officers of the navies of many nations sought command of a frigate. Speedy, nimble and formidably armed, frigates often operated independently, unlike the larger ships of the line. Legendary sailors such as Edward Pellew and Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linoise, found that commanding such a ship offered numerous opportunities for wealth. In this book, four representative frigate duels are examined: first, a battle fought between two closely matched ships (HMS Nymphe (36) vs La Cléopâtre (32); second, a victory won by an inferior British frigate over a superior French frigate (HMS Pallas (32) vs Minerve (40); third, a victory – the only one – by an inferior French frigate over a superior British frigate (HMS Ambuscade (32) vs Baïonnaise (24), and fourth, victory of a superior British frigate over an inferior French frigate (HMS Indefatigable (44) of Hornblower fame vs La Virginie (40). Featuring specially commissioned artwork and offering expert analysis, this study provides a vivid account of the bloody combats fought by the most romantic warship of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era – the frigate.

Bf 110 vs Lancaster

Bf 110 vs Lancaster PDF Author: Robert Forczyk
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780963173
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
The RAF introduced the Avro Lancaster in 1942 and used it to spearhead this aerial offensive. In response, the Luftwaffe created an elite nightfighter force based primarily upon the Bf 110. The Luftwaffe was quick to equip it with airborne radar that allowed it to intercept and destroy Lancasters over Germany. In turn, the RAF adopted countermeasures such as the Monica rearward-looking radar to alert Lancaster crews to the approach of nightfighters. In May 1943 the Luftwaffe suddenly developed a novel technical and tactical approach to attacking RAF bombers. The new tactic proved amazingly successful, and British bombers could be attacked from below with no warning. For its part, the RAF failed to detect the new German tactic for six crucial months, during which time its Lancaster bombers were almost defenceless against this new threat. In time, however, the German advantage of surprise was lost and the RAF developed countermeasures to deal with the new threat. The duel between upgraded Bf 110s and Lancasters in the night skies over Germany became increasingly dominated by cutting-edge technology, which would determine the efficacy of strategic bombing. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this is the gripping story of the struggle between the British Commonwealth's mighty four-engined Avro Lancaster heavy bomber and Nazi Germany's Bf 110 nightfighter, equipped with airborne radar and innovative weaponry.

F4F Wildcat vs A6M Zero-sen

F4F Wildcat vs A6M Zero-sen PDF Author: Edward M. Young
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780963238
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
The duel between Japan's superb Mitsubishi A6M Zero and the USA's rugged Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1942 represented the clash of two contrasting design philosophies and naval fighter doctrines. The Grumman F4F Wildcat and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen were contemporaries, although designed to very different requirements. The Wildcat, ruggedly built to survive the rigors of carrier operations, was the best carrier fighter the US Navy had available when the USA entered World War II, and it remained the principal fighter for the US Navy and the US Marine Corps until 1942–43. With a speed greater than 300mph, exceptional manoeuvrability, long range, and an impressive armament the slick Zero-sen could out-perform any Allied fighter in 1941–42. This fully illustrated account of the battles between the Wildcat and the Zero-sen during 1942 represent a classic duel in which pilots flying a nominally inferior fighter successfully developed air-combat tactics that negated the strengths of their opponent.

F-86 Sabre vs MiG-15

F-86 Sabre vs MiG-15 PDF Author: Douglas C. Dildy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780963203
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
As the routed North Korean People's Army (NKPA) withdrew into the mountainous reaches of their country and the People's Republic of China (PRC) funneled in its massive infantry formations in preparation for a momentous counter-offensive, both lacked adequate air power to challenge US and UN. Reluctantly, Josef Stalin agreed to provide the requisite air cover, introducing the superior swept-wing MiG-15 to counter the American's straight-wing F-80 jets. This in turn prompted the USAF to deploy its very best – the F-86A Sabre – to counter this threat. Thus began a two-and-a-half-year struggle in the skies known as “MiG Alley.” In this period, the unrelenting campaign for aerial superiority witnessed the introduction of successive models of these two revolutionary jets into combat. This meticulously researched study not only provides technical descriptions of the two types and their improved variants, complete with a “fighter pilot's assessment” of these aircraft, but also chronicles the entire scope of their aerial duel in “MiG Alley” by employing the recollections of the surviving combatants – including Russian, Chinese, and North Korean pilots – who participated.

F-4 Phantom II vs MiG-21

F-4 Phantom II vs MiG-21 PDF Author: Peter E. Davies
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1846037816
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
This book draws us into the dangerous world braved by American and North Vietnamese airmen in the skies over Vietnam. Influential leaders and tacticians are profiled to provide a comparative evaluation of their contrasting skills. This book also reveals the technical specifications of each jet with an analysis of the weaponry, avionics and survival devices of the F-4 Phantom II as flown by the USAF and the MiG-21. The fighters' strengths and weaknesses are also compared, including turn radius, performance at altitude, range and structural integrity. First-person extracts reflect on the dangers of these aerial duels, as USAF pilots and their counterparts struggled to overcome each plane's shortcomings.

Russian Battleship vs Japanese Battleship

Russian Battleship vs Japanese Battleship PDF Author: Robert Forczyk
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472806344
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
The first major clash between a European and Asian state in the modern era signalled the beginning of Japan's rise as a major power on the world stage. Watched by the rest of the world's superpowers, this incredibly violent war was disastrous for the Russians who, despite their superior numbers, were defeated by the Japanese underdogs in a spectacular fashion.The key technical elements of firepower, protection, maneuverability and communications for each side are covered in detail and accompanied by first-hand accounts and specially commissioned artwork to explain and illustrate this historically significant duel.

Hitler's Navy

Hitler's Navy PDF Author: Gordon Williamson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472847946
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
A complete illustrated study of the German Kriegsmarine throughout World War II. Hamstrung at first by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, during the 1930s, the German Navy underwent a programme of rearmament in defiance of the restrictions, building modern warships under limitations which forced technological innovation. Submarines were strictly prohibited by the treaty, and yet, following years of covert development, they became one of the Kriegsmarine's most deadly weapons. Blooded in the Spanish Civil War, the surface ships of the Kriegsmarine went on to play a crucial role in the opening salvoes of World War II during the invasions of Poland and Norway, although serious losses here set back plans for the invasion of Britain, and by the end of the war, only a handful of surface vessels remained to be divided up among the Allies. From the beginning of the war, but especially after the fall of France, the dreaded and extraordinarily successful U-boats stalked the Atlantic, threatening vital British shipping convoys and choking off the lifeline of munitions and supply from the US. Once Italy and Japan entered the war, German naval operations expanded to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. This highly illustrated volume is a comprehensive study of the German Navy throughout the war, from pocket battleships to torpedo boats.

Atlas of the Blitzkrieg

Atlas of the Blitzkrieg PDF Author: Robert Kirchubel
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472834984
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
In September 1939, Nazi Germany launched its infamous Blitzkrieg invasion of Poland, bringing about the outbreak of World War II. Faced with highly tactical and accelerated attacks aimed at disrupting the line of defence and encircling vulnerable troops, Allied forces broke under pressure. Within the space of a year, France had been invaded and occupied, while the forces of Great Britain had retreated headlong back across the Channel. Further campaigns in the air and at sea sought to subdue the British Isles, while more lightning-fast attacks in 1941 overran Yugoslavia and Greece, leaving the bulk of Continental Europe under Nazi control. Though the dominance of the Blitzkrieg method was to be challenged in the latter part of the war, as Allied forces found methods of disrupting the attacks and dominating the battlefields, its unparalleled success in the early years of the conflict brought Europe to its knees. Featuring 98 detailed maps, this impressive atlas shows, in intricate detail, the fighting and physical challenges faced by the German attackers and Allied defenders. This will be a treasure for World War II enthusiasts and collectors alike.