For the first time in naval warfare submarines played a major role in the war at sea in the years 1939–45, and this major reference book describes all the classes of vessel that were deployed by the eighteen combatant nations during those years. They were responsible for the sinking of 33 million tons of merchant shipping with the German and US navies achieving the greatest advantage with this devastating strategic weapon.
Most of the countless books about submarines in WWII confine themselves to the boats of one particular navy or another: in this book every class of boat, from midgets to the large U-cruisers, of all the nations is covered in detail – more than 2,500 boats – and projected and experimental designs are also included. This furnishes the reader with an overall picture that allows for comparison between the technical and operational aspects of all the submarines that took part in the War. This is further helped by the inclusion of more than 400 illustrations. The author also outlines the evolution of the submarine and submarine warfare – including the interplay of wartime experience, design improvement and tactical innovation – thereby placing the subject in its true historical perspective.
SUBMARINES OF WORLD WAR TWO
RRP: £40.00
Winter Sale: £11.99
This new edition (2018) of a classic work has been completely redesigned and overhauled to make the most of the author’s superb collection of photographs. Over 2,500 submarines saw action during WWII from all combatant nations, and for the first time all classes and types of submarines are covered in a single book. From midgets to large U-cruisers, along with projected and experimental designs, a mass of detail records technical characteristics for each class of submarine. Exhaustive charts and hundreds of valuable photos tell the facts and figures about construction, displacement, dimensions, speed, range, operational depth, fuel load, armament, and complement. Each submarine’s performance is chronicled, including the fate of each member of the class. An outline of the evolution of the submarine and the development of submarine warfare offers a rare view of the role of design improvement in the outcome of the war.
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