The Eclipse of the Big Gun PDF Download

Author: David K. Brown
Publisher: Conway Maritime Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
'The Eclipse of the Big Gun' covers the history of the warship from 1906 to 1945. The chronology spans both of the 20th century's world wars. This was an era of rapid transition, as well as considerable operational experience, thanks to a series of major technological developments.

Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472845978
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
At the outbreak of World War II the German Kriegsmarine still had a relatively small U-boat arm. To reach Britain's convoy routes in the North Atlantic, these boats had to pass around the top of the British Isles - a long and dangerous voyage to their "hunting grounds". Germany's larger surface warships were much better suited to this kind of long-range operation. So, during late 1939 the armoured cruiser Deutschland, and later the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were used as commerce raiders, to strike at Allied convoys in the North Atlantic. These sorties met with mixed results, but for Germany's naval high command they showed that this kind of operation had potential. Then, the fall of France, Denmark and Norway in early 1940 dramatically altered the strategic situation. The Atlantic was now far easier to reach, and to escape from. During 1940, further moderately successful sorties were made by the cruisers Admiral Scheer and Admiral Hipper. By the end of the year, with British mercantile losses mounting to surface raiders and U-Boats, plans were developed for a much larger raid, first using both cruisers, and then the two battlecruisers. The climax of this was Operation Berlin, the Kriegsmarine's largest and most wide-ranging North Atlantic sortie so far. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau remained at sea for two months, destroying 22 Allied merchant ships, and severely disrupting Britain's lifeline convoys. So, when the operation ended, the German commander, Admiral Lütjens was ordered to repeat his success - this time with the brand new battleship Bismarck. The rest, as they say, is history. These earlier Atlantic raids demonstrated that German surface ships could be highly effective commerce raiders. For those willing to see though, they also demonstrated just how risky this strategy could be. Covering a fascinating and detailed analysis of the Kriegsmarine's Atlantic raids between 1939 and 1941, this book will appeal to readers interested in World War II and in particular in Germany's naval operations.

Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1851096728
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 3127

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Book Description
This monumental six-volume resource offers engaging entries of major diplomatic, military, and political events driving world conflicts from ancient times to the present. Now from ABC-CLIO, long regarded as a premier publisher of military history, comes a monumental resource that encapsulates the entire scope of conflict among human societies. Spanning nearly five millennia, from the earliest documented fighting to the present, A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East, provides a comprehensive survey of major military events. With coverage that reaches beyond the battles, this work examines the political and diplomatic forces driving world conflicts, revolutions, forced changes of governments, international treaties, and acts of aggression and terrorism. Written by acclaimed military historian Spencer C. Tucker, these six chronologically organized volumes offer an accessible, richly detailed timeline of military conflict across human history. The concise entries cover all important events on the battlefield and in the corridors of power, with special features highlighting hundreds of key leaders and weapon systems. From specific data on casualties to coverage of evolving weapons technology to insightful analyses of the social impact of war, A Global Chronology of Conflict is an essential resource for students, researchers, history buffs, and general readers alike.

Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440867283
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 826

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Book Description
This work covers major weapons throughout human history, beginning with clubs and maces; through crossbows, swords, and gunpowder; up to the hypersonic railgun, lasers, and robotic weapons under development today. Weapons and Warfare is designed to provide students with a comprehensive and highly informative overview of weapons and their impact on the course of human history. In addition to providing basic factual information, this encyclopedia will delve into the greater historical context and significance of each weapon. The chronological organization by time period will enable readers to fully understand the evolution of weapons throughout history. The work begins with a foreword by a top scholar and a detailed introductory essay by the editor that provides an illuminating historical overview of weapons. It then offers entries on more than 650 individual weapons systems. Each entry has sources for further reading. The weapons are presented alphabetically within six time periods, ranging from the prehistoric and ancient periods to the contemporary period. Each period has its own introduction that treats the major trends occurring in that era. In addition, 50 sidebars offer fascinating facts on various weapons. Numerous illustrations throughout the text are also included.

Author: Spencer Tucker
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134817509
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
An up-to-date and concise account of WWI for teachers and students looking for a balanced introduction. It details both the military operations as well as the development of war aims, alliance diplomacy and the war on the home front.

Author: Philip Kaplan
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473835089
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
This new addition to the Images of War series takes as its focus the early Big Gun battleships that saw development and deployment during the First World War. Iconic ships such as HMS Warspite and Malaya feature amidst this pictorial history that is sure to appeal to fans of the series, and naval enthusiasts in particular. Vessels featured include the battleship Royal Sovereign, the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, the cruiser HMS Gloucester, the Queen Elizabeth class battleship HMS Barham and the Italian battleships Littorio, Cesare, Duillo, Vittorio Veneto, Conte di Cavour and Doria, amongst many others. British and international battleships feature side by side in a publication that offers a truly representative selection of the kind of vessels in action at this time.

Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440836558
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
This highly detailed and well-illustrated single-volume work documents the evolution of warfare across history through weaponry and technological change. In war, the weapons and technologies employed have direct effects on how battles are waged. When new weapons are introduced, they can dramatically alter the outcomes of warfare—and consequently change the course of history itself. This reference work provides a fascinating overview of the major weapon systems and military technologies that have had a major impact on world history. Addressing weapons as crude as the club used by primitive man to the high-tech weapons of today such as unmanned drones, Instruments of War: Weapons and Technologies That Have Changed History offers nearly 270 profusely illustrated entries that examine the key roles played by specific weapons and identify their success and failures. The book begins with an introductory essay that frames the subject matter of the work and discusses the history of weapons as a whole. The text is concise and accessible to general readers without extensive backgrounds in military history yet provides the detailed information necessary to convey the complexity of the evolution of warfare through technological change.

Author: Stephen Bull
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313061777
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
From the Abrams M1 tank to the zeppelin, this essential reference details the invention and evolution of nearly 600 of the most important advances in military technology from prehistory to the present. International in scope, it covers weapons, ammunition, defenses, land vehicles, aircraft, ships, detection, stealth, gear, supplies, weapons of mass destruction, and much more. Whether researching such cutting-edge technologies as the B-2 Stealth Bomber, Patriot Missile, and the Roborat project or such historical topics as forts, Molotov cocktails, or the U-2, Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation is a must-have reference. Warfare and national defense have provided a strong stimulus for technological advances throughout history. This reference provides students and researchers from high school through college, scholars, and the general public essential information, historical perspective, and scientific context to understand better the development, capabilities, and uses of major military technologies. Fifty illustrations, helpful cross-references, a bibliography, and an index help users navigate this reference and supplement their research.

Author: Matthew Heaslip
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350176192
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Examining Britain's imperial outposts in 1920s East Asia, this book explores the changes and challenges affecting the Royal Navy's third largest fleet, the China Station, as its crews fought to hold back the changing tides of fortune. Bridging the gap between high level naval strategy and everyday imperial culture, Heaslip highlights the importance of the China Station to the British imperial system, foreign policy and East Asian geopolitics, while also revealing the lived experiences of these imperial outposts. Following their immersion into a new world and the challenges they encountered along the way, it considers how its naval officers were perceived by the Chinese populations of the ports they visited, how the two communities interacted and what this meant at a time of 'peace'. Against the changing nature of Britain's informal empire in the 1920s, Gunboats, Empire and the China Station highlights the complex nature of naval operations in-between major conflicts, and calls into question how peaceful this peacetime truly was.

Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472856449
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 78

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Book Description
A superbly illustrated new account of how Germany's High Seas Fleet was built, operated and fought, as it challenged the world's most powerful navy in World War I. Seven years before the outbreak of World War I, the Imperial German Navy rebranded its Home Fleet as the Hochseeflotte, or High Seas Fleet. It was a force designed to take on the Royal Navy, then the world's most powerful, and for the next four years the North Sea would be their battleground. Drawing on extensive research, Angus Konstam offers the reader a concise, fully illustrated account of how the entire High Seas Fleet was designed and built, how it operated, and how it fought. The fleet was a modern, balanced force of dreadnought battleships, battlecruisers, cruisers and torpedo boats, using Zeppelins and U-boats for reconnaissance. The ultimate test between them came in May 1916, when they clashed at Jutland. Packed with spectacular original artwork, maps, 3D diagrams and archive photos, it explains how and why the fleet was built, its role, and how and why it fought as it did. From fighting doctrine and crew training to intelligence, logistics, and gunnery, this book is an essential guide to the Kaiser's audacious bid for naval glory.