Fully illustrated, this study examines World War II's most dramatic single-ship action, in which Stephen Hopkins fought a heavily armed German auxiliary cruiser, Stier.When the United States entered World War II, the Battle of the Atlantic was already raging. The so-called 'Liberty Ships', built at breakneck speed and in huge numbers during 1941–45, were crucial to the Allied war effort. While the greatest successes of Germany's auxiliary cruisers...

Alongside full-colour artwork, this book reveals why glamorous but bloody single-ship duels between Britain and France have been immortalized in film and literature, from Horatio Hornblower to Jack Aubrey.In the Age of Fighting Sail (1650–1820), ambitious officers of the navies of many nations sought command of a frigate. Speedy, nimble and formidably armed, frigates often operated independently, unlike the larger ships of the line. Legendary sailors such as Edward...

This insightful illustrated study investigates how the Royal Navy lost two battleships and three aircraft carriers to German U-boats during 1939–42.During World War II, over half of Britain's capital ship losses were due to U-boats, as Germany's submarines sought to deplete the Royal Navy's powerful surface fleet. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and mapping alongside archive photographs, this study explains how Germany's submarines sank fi...

A detailed, illustrated account of the Army of the Shenandoah's campaign against the Army of the Valley, which led to President Lincoln's re-election in 1864.For three years of war the Union and the Confederacy had battled over the picturesque Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians to the west, the valley served as the granary for the Army of Northern Virginia. It provided bread and ...

A comprehensively illustrated history and analysis of 'The Hump' campaign in World War II**, the huge and treacherous airlift** over the Himalayas to keep China fighting.In World War II, the war in China tied down much of the Japanese Army, and it was crucial to keep China fighting and supplied. But when the Burma Road fell, the only way left was by air, in piston-engined transports, over the Himalayas from India. ...

The Space Shuttle is one of the oldest and most famous manned launch systems – the only launch vehicle used for a longer period of time is the Russian R-7 booster.By the start of the third millennium, the Space Shuttle had carried crews into space over 85 times. Although not a military structure, the Shuttle had been sold as an all-purpose launch system to be used jointly for military and civilian purposes.Featuring full-colour photos throughout, this book ...

Despite his lack of formal military training, George Washington may be one of history's must underrated commanders.Building an army virtually from scratch, he defeated the pre-eminent military power of his day. Although, he made mistakes, especially early in the war when he composed over-complicated plans that proved beyond the ability of his army to fulfil, he learned from them. He learned how to utilize the strength of his army and strike where the British were w...

People may associate Texas with cattle drives and oil derricks, but the sea has shaped the state's history as dramatically as it has delineated its coastline. Some of that history has vanished into the Gulf, whether it is an abandoned port town or a gale-tossed treasure fleet. Revisit the shipwreck that put Texas on the map. Add La Salle's lost colony, the Texas Navy's forgotten steamship and Galveston's overlooked 1915 hurricane to the navigational charts. From the submarines of Seawolf P...

A comprehensively illustrated account of the Atlanta-class cruisers, warships that found a surprising key role in the Pacific War as the US Navy's superb antiaircraft warships.In the late 1930s, the US Navy created a class of small, light cruisers intended as a versatile destroyer leader. The Atlantas could provide antiaircraft support, lead and launch torpedo attacks, serve as antisubmarine vessels, and outgun other light warships in a surface engagement. The wart...

With ship profiles and original artwork, this study explores the warships that fought World War II's last pure surface battle, the battle itself, and why the outnumbered US Navy prevailed.The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was unique among World War II naval battles. It was the last daytime naval surface battle of World War II where aircraft played no role, and saw a squadron of US Navy cruisers and destroyers engage their Japanese counterparts over a convoy to ...

A new history of the most crucial few months of the Arctic Convoys, when Germany's air power forced the Allies to retreat to the cover of winter.Between spring and autumn 1942, Germany was winning the battle of the Arctic Convoys. Half of PQ-15 was sunk in May, PQ-17 was virtually obliterated in July, and in September 30 percent of PQ-18 was sunk. The Allies were forced to suspend the convoys until December, when the long Arctic nights would shield them.Mar...

**A fully illustrated history of how the US Navy destroyed Truk, t****he greatest Japanese naval and air base in the Pacific,**with Operation Hailstone, and how B-29 units and the carriers of the British Pacific Fleet kept the base suppressed until VJ-Day.In early 1944, the island base of Truk was a Japanese Pearl Harbor; a powerful naval and air base that needed to be neutralized before the Allies could fight their way any further towards...