Naval Warfare in the English Channel, 1939–1945

Naval Warfare in the English Channel, 1939–1945
Author: Peter C. Smith
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 526
Release: 2007-11-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1781596352

This WWII history examines how the Royal Navy defended the English Channel from the first Dover Patrols to the liberation of the Channel Islands. The English Channel has always provided Great Britain with a natural defensive barrier, but it was never more vital than in the early days of World War Two. This book relates how the Royal Navy maintained control of that vital seaway throughout the war. Military historian Peter Smith takes readers from the early days of the Dover Patrols, through the traumas of the Dunkirk evacuation and the battles of the Channel convoys; the war against the E-boats and U-boats; the tragic raids at Dieppe and St Nazaire; the escape of the German battle-fleet; coastal convoys; the Normandy landings and the final liberation of the Channel Islands. Many wartime photographs, charts and tables add to this superb account of this bitterly contested narrow sea.

Europe at War 1939-1945

Europe at War 1939-1945
Author: Norman Davies
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Total Pages: 596
Release: 2008-09-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 0330472291

The conventional narrative of the Second World War is well known: after six years of brutal fighting on land, sea and in the air, the Allied Powers prevailed and the Nazi regime was defeated. But as in so many things, the truth is somewhat different. Bringing a fresh eye to bear on a story we think we know, Norman Davies.Davies forces us to look again at those six years and to discard the usual narrative of Allied good versus Nazi evil, reminding us that the war in Europe was dominated by two evil monsters - Hitler and Stalin - whose fight for supremacy consumed the best people in Germany and in the USSR . The outcome of the war was at best ambiguous, the victory of the West was only partial, its moral reputation severely tarnished and, for the greater part of the continent of Europe, ‘liberation’ was only the beginning of more than fifty years of totalitarian oppression. ‘Davies writes with real knowledge and passion.’ Michael Burleigh, Evening Standard ‘Punchy and compelling' Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph

A Photographic History of Amphibious Warfare 1939–1945

A Photographic History of Amphibious Warfare 1939–1945
Author: Simon Forty
Publisher: Pen and Sword Maritime
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2023-04-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 139908268X

"...contains a plethora of after-action reports, diagrams and text which makes the work a thorough and engaging study of amphibious landings during the war." —WWII History Magazine Amphibious operations have always been an important element of warfare, but they reached their climax during the Second World War when they were carried out on a large scale in every theater of the conflict. That is why this wide-ranging, highly illustrated history of amphibious warfare 1939–1945 by Simon and Jonathan Forty is of such value. Their book gives graphic accounts of the main amphibious assaults launched by the major combatants, in particular the British, American, German and Japanese – not just large-scale landings like those in North Africa, Normandy, the Philippines and Okinawa, but also raids such as Dieppe and St Nazaire and evacuations like Dunkirk and Kerch. The rapid development of amphibious tactics and equipment is an essential element of the story, as are the vital roles played by the navies, air forces, armies and special forces in each complex combined operation. There is also a section on amphibious operations that were planned but didn’t happen, such as the German invasion of Britain and the Italian and German operation against Malta.

Mission Reports

Mission Reports
Author: Patti Graham
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 92
Release: 2011
Genre:
ISBN: 1257984985

The German Fleet at War, 1939-1945

The German Fleet at War, 1939-1945
Author: Vincent O'Hara
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2011-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1612513972

The German Fleet at War relates the little-known history of the Kriegsmarine's surface fleet with a focus on the sixty-nine surface naval battles fought by Germany's major warships against the large warships of the British, French, American, Polish, Soviet, Norwegian and Greek navies. It emphasizes operational details but also paints a broad overview of the naval war. The book addresses the lack of information about the specifics of naval engagements in World War II and provides a database of naval engagements for comparison and analysis, but unlike most reference works, it has a continuous narrative and a theme. The result is a unique overview of the German and Allied navies at war that provides new appreciation of their activities and accomplishments.