THE GERMAN NAVY IN WORLD WAR II by Jackson, Robert

Brown Books, London, 1999. UK edition, hard bound in dj, 8 1/2 x 11 1/2, FINE/FINE CONDITION, 160 pages, prof illustrated with B&W photos, plus a few color profiles, index.----------------------------------The German Navy, the Kriegsmarine, of the Third Reich fought a valiant campaign in World War II, both on the surface and under the waves. The Navy lost her fleet after World War I, so in the 1920s and 1930s, a new generation of vessels was constructed in Germany's shipyards, under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Admiral Erich Raeder, and, from 1933, Adolf Hitler, Nazi Chancellor of Germany. These vessels included pocket battleships, battlecruisers, U-boats and heavy cruisers and, though Germany's surface fleet was small, her ships such as the Graf Spee, Bismarck and Tirpitz, tied down a substantial amount of Allied naval resources when World War II broke out in September 1939 and the U-boat fleet almost starved Britain into surrender. The German Navy in World War II is a thorough examination of Hitler's Navy, ranging from the small coastal vessels to the giant battleships.-----------------------------------------------Fully illustrated throughout with colour and black and white photographs and stunning colour artworks, The German Navy in World War II covers each class of German naval vessel - commerce raiders, battleships, battlecruisers, cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats, S-boats and U-boats. Detailed information is given on each class of ship, including design and development history, deployment and tactics at sea. In addition, comprehensive specification tables provide details on individual vessels: armament, armour, dimensions, machinery and complement, with all measurements in both metric and imperial.