Battleship
Bismarck : A Survivor's Story
by Burkard, Freiherr Von Mullenheim-Rechberg, et al (Hardcover -
December 1990)
Battleship Bismarck: A Survivor's Story is a
master piece of naval history. I have read this book several times and
each time I have come away with more knowledge about Operation Rhine.
The book is complete with details of the launch of the Bismarck at the
Blohm & Voss Ship yards to its final destruction in the north
Atlantic. The author has been very objective in his account of the
Bismarck's maiden and final voyage. I also recommend the book
"Pursuit" by Ludovick Kennedy which details the British side
of this naval hunt.
The
Grand Fleet : Warship Design and Development 1906-1922 by David
K. Brown
In this book, the sequel to the highly-acclaimed Warrior to
Dreadnought, David Brown brings his knowledge and experience as a
warship designer to the story of the Royal Navy's development of World
War I warships and the influence of that conflict on future warship
design. The building of the new Dreadnought battleships and the
controversial battlecruisers are covered in this book, as well as
developments in the design of cruisers and smaller craft, and the new
weapons of naval warfare--submarines and aircraft carriers. Brown
provides a full analysis of the experience of battle damage along with
an examination of the effect that damage had on post-World War I designs
to the Washington Naval Treaty of 1923.
Heavily illustrated with 200 contemporary
photographs and line drawings of the most significant ships, this book
will be a vital addition to the collections of naval historians and
enthusiasts.
Battleship
Musashi : The Making and Sinking of the World's Biggest Battleship by
Akira Yoshimura, Vincent Murphy (Translator) (Paperback - November 1999)
History is presented in many forms. I still
remember my 6th grade history class test, with a list of dates on the
right, and historical events on the left. My task was to draw lines
between the two. I succeeded in drawing the lines, but I didn't make the
connection. Battleship Musashi transends a "list of
dates"; launch, displacement, number of guns (it's all there too).
I am presented with the flesh and blood of the ship and it's crew, in a
way that I have not experienced before from historical essays. The
writer shows me the minds of the people and government involved with the
ship, and though I know the final outcome for Musashi, I was rivited to
the account. In my opinion, this is a must-read book for
those interested in history, Japan, political science, or simply want a
good spy story to curl up with!
Reviewer: Eric Scott
from Fort Lauderdale, Florida November
22, 1999
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