Alan Raven builds on his previous work on British battleships and cruisers to analyze the experience of British cruisers as a weapon system in the Second World War.[1] He emphasizes the operational and tactical employment of cruisers and focuses on the early war years since “most of the significant lessons of the naval fighting were
In May 1941, after having sunk the HMS Hood, one of Britain’s most advanced warships, in spectacular fashion, the mighty German battleship Bismarck was put to the bottom of the sea only five months after being launched. Robert Ballard’s discovery of the wreck in 1989 triggered a surge of interest among the public, including the
By Robert J. Winklareth, Casemate Publishers, Philadelphia, PA. (2012). Reviewed by Richard P. Hallion, Ph.D The fateful encounter between the Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Hood, and Prince of Wales at 0600 on the morning of 24 May 1941 midway between Iceland and Greenland has drawn the attention of numerous authors and analysts. It even inspired a now-classic
By Patrick Bishop, Regnery History, Washington, DC, (2013) Reviewed by Stephen Phillips The very presence of a capital ship can often create strategic importance. Today, aircraft carriers exert this influence, but prior to the Second World War, it was battleships that were known by name that caused concern or even fear. The Hunt for Hitler’s
