Hunt-Class Destroyers in Polish Navy Service

Mariusz Borowiak
Hunt-Class Destroyers in Polish Navy Service

Author: Mariusz Borowiak

Publisher: Kagero

ISBN: 8366148106

Category:

Page: 240

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The late 1930s saw a rapid development and modernization of the Royal Navy. His Majesty's government decided to build new classes of battleships, aircraft carriers, light cruisers which were distinctly better suited for fighting surface combatants than escorting merchants or hunting down and sinking submarines. The destroyers were no exception and by the outbreak of the war in 1939, the British navy had commissioned subsequent medium and large-size destroyers of: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J and K classes, as well as those of the Tribal class. Sloops of the Grimsby, Bittern, Egret and Black Swan classes had also been built. The British needed a large number of universal destroyers of a smaller displacement, but versatile enough to perform various wartime duties. A new type of destroyer, according to its design's creators would perform the "fleet work" duties, which included escorting task forces of larger ships and offensive gunnery and torpedo missions. However, that concept soon became obsolete.

British Escort Destroyers of the Second World War

Les BrownHistory
British Escort Destroyers of the Second World War

Author: Les Brown

Publisher: Seaforth Publishing

ISBN: 9781399081788

Category: History

Page: 64

View: 958

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The ‘ShipCraft’ series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject, highlighting differences between ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring color profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the subjects, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references – books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. This volume covers the many variations of Royal Navy wartime escort destroyers, both the purpose-built ‘Hunt’ class and the conversions from older fleet destroyers. The ‘Hunts’ were built in four groups (Types I to IV), while the old ‘V&W’ classes were modified to Long Range Escort, Short Range Escort and ‘Wair’ (anti-aircraft) variants. Also included are the fifty ex-US ‘flush-deckers’ that became the ‘Town’ class. With its unparalleled level of visual information – paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs – this book is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build any of these numerous escort types.

Dieppe

Henry BucktonHistory
Dieppe

Author: Henry Buckton

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

ISBN: 9781398103870

Category: History

Page: 211

View: 275

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On the eightieth anniversary of the disastrous raid on Dieppe, this is the compelling story of the failures in its planning and execution and the bitter lessons learned in advance of D-Day.

Never a Dull Moment

George E. PlawskiBiography & Autobiography
Never a Dull Moment

Author: George E. Plawski

Publisher: FriesenPress

ISBN: 9781525560866

Category: Biography & Autobiography

Page: 397

View: 160

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George Plawski was born in Gdynia, Poland, in 1934. His father, Eugene, was a senior naval officer who fought in both World Wars in the capacities of pilot, and as the commander of surface ships as well as submarines. Before the war, he lived with his wife Maria in Warsaw. Never a Dull Moment lives up to its title as George takes us back to his youth under the Nazis in WW2, describes his and his mother’s separate escapes from Communist occupied Poland to join his father who spent the war years in the Polish Navy in England, and their subsequent immigration to Canada in 1948. This colorful memoir traces the family’s unusual history, and recalls the severe hardships which faced his parents in starting their lives anew in this beautiful and free, yet in the in the immediate post-war years, a thoroughly challenging land. In a series of humorously recalled anecdotes, the author portrays the process leading to his commission in the Royal Canadian Navy, to obtaining his wings, and to becoming a pilot flying off the aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure. After leaving the service in 1964, Plawski returned to UBC to finish his BA, then completed three years of post-graduate studies in theatre, specialising in directing, which was funded by his summer job flying air tankers on forest fires. The book continues with suspenseful accounts of Plawski’s founding of Vancouver’s City Stage, the thrilling saga of the often hair-raising pioneering days of firebombing in California and in Canada, and of the hilarious aerial circus of budworm spraying in New Brunswick. This story is embellished with a telling of his meeting with a beautiful and cultured girl from Paris whose name is Rita; of their unconventional romance, their travels around the world, of her loving and essential collaboration in the author’s idiosyncratic lifestyle, and of their eventual marriage which is happily doomed to continue to the end of this grand adventure.

Combined Operations; The Official Story of The Commandos

Hilary St. George Saunders MCHistory
Combined Operations; The Official Story of The Commandos

Author: Hilary St. George Saunders MC

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

ISBN: 9781786259301

Category: History

Page: 208

View: 694

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This is an astonishing, absolutely absorbing account of the accomplishments of those picked men from the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force, who work with U.S. Rangers and others of the United Nations in what is known officially as Combined Operations—or, more popularly, the Commandos. So far as possible, without giving aid to the enemy, it is the complete story of the Commandos since the very beginning of their activities, commencing with the experimental attacks on Norwegian islands, and proceeding with more ambitious attempts on the Continent. In quick succession follow highly dramatic accounts of the assault on southern Italy, the evacuation of Crete, the defeat of the French in Syria, the daring penetration of the enemy’s line in Libya—culminating in the suspenseful stalking of Rommel’s headquarters—the assault on St. Nazaire, the capture of Madagascar, the Dieppe raid, the invasion of North Africa. The book is utterly without heroics, and yet is all heroism. The reader marvels at the terrible efficiency, the terrible simplicity, the terrible courage and the awesome nonchalance of the British Royal Navy and Army and R.A.F. men who participate in these raids. The author has the true narrator’s gift—a style which is direct, authentic, episodic in a high degree, and stirring from beginning to end. The inspiring scenes he describes keep recurring to the reader long after the book has been laid aside.

Ships of the Royal Navy

Ben WarlowHistory
Ships of the Royal Navy

Author: Ben Warlow

Publisher: Seaforth Publishing

ISBN: 9781526793300

Category: History

Page: 521

View: 109

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This is the fifth fully revised edition of a book first published in 1970. This longevity is testimony to its enduring value as a reference work – indeed, ‘Colledge’ (as it is universally known) is still the first stop for anyone wanting more information on any British warship from the fifteenth century to the present day when only the name is known. Each entry gives concise details of dimensions, armament and service dates, and its alphabetical and chronological arrangement makes it easy to track down the right ship (otherwise the Royal Navy’s tradition of re-using the same names can be misleading). This new 5th edition contains some 200 new entries and revisions to many older entries. These reflect the demise of the post-Cold War ships as the Royal Navy was shrunk down as part of the peace dividend, and successive defence reviews saw the loss of significant ships classes such as the Type 42 destroyers, Type 22 frigates and the Illustrious class carriers. It is now being re-equipped in the face of new global challenges and has seen the introduction of the Queen Elizabeth class carriers, the largest ships ever built for the RN; the Type 45 destroyers; and Type 26 frigates and new patrol ships which will take on more global policing roles. Submarines should not be forgotten and the Cold War S class and T class are being replaced by the Astute class submarines, and the deterrent role, presently undertaken by the Vanguard class, is to be carried forward by the Dreadnought class submarines. Also included are the new RFAs which are increasingly taking on frontline operations to release the small number of escorts to more combative roles. In addition, there are updates to the Royal Australian, Canadian and New Zealand navies which have programmes to introduce new destroyers, Arctic patrol vessels, submarines and support ships. Since the death of Jim Colledge, who was widely respected for his pioneering research on the technical details of warships, his magnum opus has been updated, corrected and expanded with similar enthusiasm and attention to detail by Ben Warlow, a retired naval officer and author of a number of books in the field. Some press comments: “A unique reference book which is the automatic starting point of research on Royal Navy ships.” – Lloyd’s List “This quite invaluable reference tool ” – The Mariner’s Mirror “The book is absolutely essential in every naval historian’s library.” – Warship World

The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 2

H. P. WillmottHistory
The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 2

Author: H. P. Willmott

Publisher: Indiana University Press

ISBN: 9780253004093

Category: History

Page: 1099

View: 674

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“An important contribution . . . a thoughtful account of the years preceding the Second World War and, at much greater length, of the war itself.” —History In this second volume of his history of naval power in the 20th century, H. P. Willmott follows the fortunes of the established seafaring nations of Europe along with two upstarts—the United States and Japan. Emerging from World War I in command of the seas, Great Britain saw its supremacy weakened through neglect and in the face of more committed rivals. Britain’s grand Coronation Review of 1937 marked the apotheosis of a sea power slipping into decline. Meanwhile, Britain’s rivals and soon-to-be enemies were embarking on significant naval building programs that would soon change the nature of war at sea in ways that neither they nor their rivals anticipated. By the end of a new world war, the United States had taken command of two oceans, having placed its industrial might behind technologies that further defined the arena of naval power above and below the waves, where stealth and the ability to strike at great distance would soon rewrite the rules of war and of peace. This splendid volume further enhances Willmott’s stature as the dean of naval historians. Praise for The Last Century of Sea Power series “The author, dean of naval historians, provides a sweeping look at, and analysis of, the transformation of naval power . . . Wilmott is fearless in his judgments.” —Seapower “H. P. Willmott is the finest naval historian and among the finest historians of any discipline writing today.” —Bernard D. Cole, author of The Great Wall at Sea