Mussolini's Navy
Mussolini's Navy

Author: Maurizio Brescia

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2012-09-30

Total Pages: 561

ISBN-13: 1473816505

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“A simply magnificent book describing the Italian Navy of the Second World War, profiling all classes of vessels, from battleships . . . [to] submarines.” —Pegasus Archive This book is a complete guide to the Regia Marina, the navy with which Italy fought the Second World War. Starting with the historical background, it describes how the navy developed, how it was organized, the facilities that supported it, and the operations it conducted both before and after the armistice in 1943. It also details all its ships, with full technical particulars, plans and photos. Furthermore, there are chapters on special topics like camouflage; uniforms, decorations and insignia; and a “who’s who” of important naval personalities; and the reference value of the book is enhanced by a comprehensive bibliography and guide to sources. The illustration is a noteworthy feature of the book as the author’s collection of naval photographs is one of the best in Italy. He is also a fine draughtsman, and his ship plans and color illustrations are both detailed and accurate, adding a particular appeal for modelmakers. Of all the main combatant navies of this era, the Italian is probably the most poorly represented in English publications, so this comprehensive handbook will be especially welcomed by the naval community. “An overview of the wartime Italian Navy, including its bases and organization, ships and aircraft . . . an enjoyable book.” —Warships International Fleet Review “A major achievement and a milestone in the renaissance of Italian Naval history . . . [the] book is a gem and is thoroughly recommended.” —The Navy Vol 75

Cold War Submarines
Cold War Submarines

Author: Norman Polmar

Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.

Published: 2014-05-14

Total Pages: 649

ISBN-13: 159797319X

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Submarines had a vital, if often unheralded, role in the superpower navies during the Cold War. Their crews carried out intelligence-collection operations, sought out and stood ready to destroy opposing submarines, and, from the early 1960s, threatened missile attacks on their adversary's homeland, providing in many respects the most survivable nuclear deterrent of the Cold War. For both East and West, the modern submarine originated in German U-boat designs obtained at the end of World War II. Although enjoying a similar technology base, by the 1990s the superpowers had created submarine fleets of radically different designs and capabilities. Written in collaboration with the former Soviet submarine design bureaus, Norman Polmar and K. J. Moore authoritatively demonstrate in this landmark study how differing submarine missions, antisubmarine priorities, levels of technical competence, and approaches to submarine design organizations and management caused the divergence.

Russian and Soviet Battleships
Russian and Soviet Battleships

Author: Stephen Mclaughlin

Publisher: US Naval Institute Press

Published: 2021-09-15

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 9781682477267

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Russian and Soviet Battleships is the definitive English language overview of Russian and Soviet battleships, from the ironclad Petr Velikii of 1869 to Stalin's final projects. Meticulously researched, this work describes and illustrates the design histories, technical details, characteristics, and service histories of the forty seagoing battleships that served in the Russian and Soviet Navies. This is the first book about Russian battleships to draw from Russian language materials, including books and articles published since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some one hundred drawings of ships and design studies, many specially commissioned for this book, are showcased, as well as one hundred photographs, many of them never published in the west. The author, Stephen McLaughlin, analyzes all aspects of battleship design, from the policy decisions behind their construction to details of fire control and gunnery. He evaluates their strengths and weaknesses compared with foreign contemporaries. In addition, McLaughlin outlines numerous projected battleships and conjectural studies. As he examines the active--and often tragic--careers of these ships, he reassesses many of the myths and misconceptions associated with Russian ships and the Russian navy.

Navies in Modern World History
Navies in Modern World History

Author: Lawrence Sondhaus

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2004-05-04

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 9781861892027

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"Navies in Modern World History traces the role of navies in world history from the early nineteenth century, through both World Wars, to the onset of the twenty-first century. Lawrence Sondhaus examines the navies of Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Chile and the Soviet Union, demonstrating the variety of ways in which these countries have made decisive use of naval power, and the challenges these navies faced when assembling equipment and stores, training sailors, and undertaking various missions, and shows in what ways the results helped change the course of modern world history." "This book also deals with aircraft carrier design and naval aviation in the second half of the twentieth century, and the leading role of navies and shipbuilders in key technological innovations of the nineteenth century and early twentieth, including advances in steam power, armour, guns and torpedoes. Today, technological break-throughs are centred around naval stealth and maritime propulsion systems. Special attention is devoted to the evolving state of naval technology, showing how the relative industrial capabilities of seafaring countries have been reflected in their maritime building programmes, providing an important link between the evolution of modern national fleets and the broader history of the period." Editeur

Raising the Red Banner
Raising the Red Banner

Author: Vladimir Yakubov

Publisher: Spellmount, Limited Publishers

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781862274501

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This is the extraordinary story of the foundation of what would become the major threat to the West during the Cold War--built by the Bolsheviks from nothing. There are more than 200 photographs, most previously unpublished. It includes all classes of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and other surface vessels, with full specifications including builders, tonnage, speed, and armament. There is no other book available for the naval enthusiast on this subject, because the information was buried--despite the fact that, for example, the Soviet Union had more submarines than the Germans and the Americans put together at the start of World War II. This is a truly unique volume on a neglected area of military history. At the revolution, the Tsar's navy, such as it was, was obsolete and scattered, much of it never to return home. From a standing start a huge fleet was built by the Bolsheviks, who were obliged to deal with the West: engines from Italy, warship plans and gun turrets from Germany (in exchange for 3.5 million tons of food and material as late as February 1940). Stalin himself took a deadly, keen interest, insisting for example that at the last moment the boilers on a new Soviet destroyer class were repositioned. It was done! The pictorial content alone of Raising the Red Banner is of immense interest to naval enthusiasts and students of WWII.

Russian Battleships and Cruisers of the Russo-Japanese War
Russian Battleships and Cruisers of the Russo-Japanese War

Author: Mark Lardas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-10-31

Total Pages: 49

ISBN-13: 1472835077

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This book examines the major warships of the Imperial Russian Navy which participated in the Russo-Japanese War. The focus is on the battleships, coastal defence warships, and cruisers of the Pacific Squadron and Baltic Squadron that fought during the war. It discusses in detail their design and development between the years of 1885 and 1905, concentrating particularly on battleships and cruisers. The book explores, in depth, the mutually influential relationship between Russian and foreign warship design, as Russia progressed from a reliance on foreign designs and shipyards towards an ability to produce its own influential ships, such as the Novik. The title also outlines the gripping operational history of the Russian warships which participated in the Russo-Japanese war, tracing their activity before and during the combat, as well as the post-war fate of those ships which were bombarded, scuttled, captured, or salvaged. Packed with contemporary photography and full-colour illustrations, this title offers a detailed and definitive guide to the design, development, and destiny of the Russian warships which battled the Japanese in the Eastern seas.