Taranto
Taranto

Author: David Hobbs

Publisher: Seaforth Publishing

Published: 2020-11-30

Total Pages: 426

ISBN-13: 1526793849

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“If you only read one book on the development of the Fleet Air Arm and Naval air warfare in the Mediterranean during World War 2 then this should be it.” —Military Historical Society After the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, the Royal Navy found itself facing a larger and better-equipped Italian surface fleet, large Italian and German air forces equipped with modern aircraft and both Italian and German submarines. Its own aircraft were a critical element of an unprecedented fight on, over and under the sea surface. The best-known action was the crippling of the Italian fleet at Taranto, which demonstrated how aircraft carriers and their aircraft had replaced the dominance of battleships, but every subsequent operation is covered from the perspective of naval aviation. Some of these, like Matapan or the defense of the “Pedestal” convoy to Malta, are famous but others in support of land campaigns and in the Aegean after the Italian surrender are less well recorded. In all these, the ingenuity and innovation of the Fleet Air Arm shines through—Taranto pointed the way to what the Japanese would achieve at Pearl Harbor, while air cover for the Salerno landings demonstrated the effectiveness of carrier-borne fighters in amphibious operations, a tactic adopted by the US Navy. The author’s years of archival research together with his experience as a carrier pilot allow him to describe and analyze the operations of naval aircraft in the Mediterranean with unprecedented authority. This provides the book with novel insights into many familiar facets of the Mediterranean war while for the first time doing full justice to the Fleet Air Arm’s lesser known achievements. “A full and fascinating story.” —Clash of Steel

Attack on Taranto
Attack on Taranto

Author: Thomas P. Lowry

Publisher: Stackpole Books

Published: 2017-09-15

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 0811766780

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

On November 11, 1940, 21 slow, canvas-covered British warplanes, launched from the carrier Illustrious, attacked the harbor at the Italian port of Taranto and put most of the Italian navy out of commission. This all-but-forgotten operation, the authors argue, deserves historical recognition as an inspirational precedent for the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor 13 months later. Taranto demonstrated that battleships in a shallow, heavily defended harbor could be sunk by a handful of torpedo-bombers. That lesson Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of the Japanese fleet, learned well-while the American military virtually ignored it. “By this single stroke the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean was decisively altered.” –Winston S. Churchill

The Littorio Class
The Littorio Class

Author: Ermingo Bagnasco

Publisher: Seaforth Publishing

Published: 2011-07-18

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 1848321058

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

For its final battleship design Italy ignored all treaty restrictions on tonnage, and produced one of Europe’s largest and most powerful capital ships, comparable with Germany’s Bismarck class, similarly built in defiance of international agreements. The three ships of the Littorio class were typical of Italian design, being fast and elegant, but also boasting a revolutionary protective scheme – which was tested to the limits, as all three were to be heavily damaged in the hard-fought naval war in the Mediterranean; Roma had the unfortunate distinction of being the first capital ship sunk by guided missile. These important ships have never been covered in depth in English-language publications, but the need is now satisfied in this comprehensive and convincing study by two of Italy’s leading naval historians. The book combines a detailed analysis of the design with an operational history, evaluating how the ships stood up to combat. It is illustrated with an amazing collection of photographs, many fine-line plans, and coloured artwork of camouflage schemes, adding up to as complete a monograph on a single class ever published. Among warship enthusiasts battleships enjoy a unique status. As the great success of Seaforth’s recent book on French battleships proves, that interest transcends national boundaries, and this superbly executed study is certain to become another classic in the field.

Italian Battleships
Italian Battleships

Author: Erminio Bagnasco

Publisher: Seaforth Publishing

Published: 2021-06-30

Total Pages: 658

ISBN-13: 152679988X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

With the publication of their previous book on the battleships of the Littorio class, the authors set new standards for the detailed coverage and sophisticated analysis of Italian warship design. Inspired by its success, both critically and commercially, the authors were inspired to follow up with a similar study of the earlier Italian battleships that were built in the First World War but survived to fight in the Second. Given the level of new research required, this has taken a decade to achieve but the result is a similarly comprehensive coverage. Originally comprising five ships in two related classes, they entered service at the beginning of the Great War. As designed, they were powerful examples of the second generation of dreadnoughts, with a combination of twin and triple turrets producing a unique main armament of thirteen 12-inch guns. One ship, Leonardo da Vinci, was sunk by an internal explosion at Taranto in 1916, and although the hull was raised post-war, the plan to rebuild the ship was abandoned as it was not deemed cost-effective. However, the remaining four ships were to undergo one of the most radical reconstructions of any battleship class during the 1930s, emerging with an entirely new profile, more powerful machinery and all the characteristics of a modern fast battleship. In this form they became an important element in the Italian fleet that opposed the British after 1940\. This book covers all the technical details of the ships, both as built and as rebuilt, but also provides an extended history of their active service, including battle plans and track charts. Thoroughly illustrated with photographs, ship and armament plans, detail drawings and colour camouflage schemes, the book is a fitting companion to The Littorio Class.

Italian Heavy Cruisers
Italian Heavy Cruisers

Author: Maurizio Brescia

Publisher: Seaforth Publishing

Published: 2022-12-31

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 1399098888

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 effectively banned the building of battleships, competition between the major navies concentrated on the next most powerful category, heavy cruisers limited to 10,000 tons displacement and 8-inch guns. Italy followed this trend, the first design for what became Trento and Trieste being ordered in 1924. These were the fastest of the first generation ‘Treaty’ cruisers but were very lightly armored, and the succeeding Zara class of four ships were slower but better protected. However, before the final ship of this class (Pola) had been completed, there was a return to the earlier fast, lightly protected concept with the Bolzano, although this ship also incorporated aspects of the Zara design. The political background, design history and technical features of these classes are covered in great depth in this volume. They were important ships, subject to incremental improvement so no two were identical, and modelmakers in particular will appreciate the space devoted to the variations in appearance, using both description and illustration. As major units of the Italian battlefleet, they were more active than most during the war and their careers are fully detailed, including analyzes of damage suffered. Tragically, they were all sunk and the full circumstances of each loss is explored. As befits a technical history, the book is thoroughly illustrated with ship and armament plans, detail drawings and color camouflage schemes, as well as an outstanding collection of photographs. Translated from the same series that produced the highly successful Italian Battleships, this volume is a fitting companion.

Stringbags in Action
Stringbags in Action

Author: B.B. Schofield

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2011-06-13

Total Pages: 165

ISBN-13: 1781596395

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Admiral Schofields accounts of the Taranto and Bismarck battles make for unforgettable reading.The author traces the development of British naval aviation from its early beginnings in 1912, through the First World War and the frustrations of the inter-war years. The November 1940 attack on the Italian fleet in its strongly defended base at Taranto demonstrated for the first time the battle-winning capability of carrier-borne aircraft from HMS Illustrious. The lesson was quickly learnt by the Japanese who just over a year later inflicted such devastating losses on the American Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. In the second part the Author recounts the legendary action that culminated in the sinking of the Bismarck. While this action involved large numbers of Royal Navy ships, not least the battle cruiser Hood sunk with terrible loss of life, the Rodney, Prince of Wales and numerous cruisers, aircraft from Ark Royal and Victorious played a pivotal role.No two naval actions better demonstrate the early use of air power.

Battles and Honours of the Royal Navy
Battles and Honours of the Royal Navy

Author: David Thomas

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 1998-12-17

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 085052623X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An invaluable and up-to-date reference book listing every battle honour awarded to ships of the Royal Navy. Although the honours go back to the Spanish Armada in 1588, surprisingly the system was not officially sanctioned until 1954.

Our World This Century
Our World This Century

Author: Derek Benjamin Heater

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1987-04-23

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9780199133246

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Our World This Century covers events up to 1995 in a simple and direct text, illustrated with cartoons, photographs, charts and diagrams which aid understanding.