Central Kansas Library System

Compiled by the author of Janes Air Forces of the World, this book is a must for naval experts and enthusiasts. In one volume the reader will find the composition and details of all naval elements of a staggering 137 nations armed forces including paramilitary organizations as the US Coast Guard Service. The book starts with an introduction based on the situation today and the response of the leading maritime powers. This is an interesting period...

Except for the strength of the U-boat fleet at the height of the Battle of the Atlantic, the German Navy, or Kriegsmarine, was never a match for the Royal Navy, even though the latter was overstretched and fighting in the Atlantic, Pacific, the Mediterranean and the Arctic. It was not meant to be that way. Hitler and his naval staff had a vision for a large and well-balanced fleet, including aircraft carriers.PLAN Z was the name given for the massive...

Seapower was a crucial element in the outcome of the Second World War. The U-Boat campaign almost brought Britain to her knees; the Arctic convoys were crucial to keeping Russia in the War; Pearl Harbor brought America into the conflict with massive repercussions; allied naval supremacy made the D-Day landings possible. This book examines in detail the key naval commanders of both sides including five British (Pound, Cunningham, Ramsay, Horton, Somerville)...

Compiled by the author of Janes Air Forces of the World, this book is a must for aviation experts. In one volume the reader will find the composition and details of all air elements of a staggering 169 nations air forces and, where they exist, army air, naval air and such paramilitary organizations as the US Coast Guard Service. By definition such a book must be regularly updated and David Wragg has researched his subject right up to the minute....

To the US Navy they were CVEs! To the Royal Navy auxiliary carriers! To crews of endangered merchantmen in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans they were heaven-sent protection! To their crews they were Combustible, Vulnerable, Expendable! The need for air cover against enemy aircraft and submarines brought unprecedented demand for carriers. Over 100 vessels were converted on specially built for convoy duty. This is their story, warts and all.

From the American Civil War onwards, railways have been an important aspect of war. So, important were the railways that in the First World War, the state took control of the railways, and then repeated this exercise in the Second World War. Wartime on the Railways describes the part played by Britain's railways during the Second World War, dealing not simply with operational matters or the impact of enemy action on the railways, but also looking...

During the Summer of 1940, Hitler’s Germany appeared unstoppable. The Nazis were masters of mainland Europe, in alliance with Stalin’s Russia and only the English Channel prevented an immediate invasion. Britain stood alone. The BEF had been routed but, due to the Dunkirk miracle, most of her manpower had returned albeit without their transport and heavy equipment and guns. There was no doubt that the Nazis planned to invade all intelligence...

This is a narrative account of the operations of the Fairey Swordfish throughout World War Two. The most famous of these was the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, crippling three battleships and damaging several other ships as well as the seaplane base and an oil storage depot. The Swordfish played a prominent part in the Battle of Matapan and in the sinking of the Bismarck. Less happily, Swordfish were used in the unsuccessful and ill-prepared...

Covers the Second World War Operations of the Royal Navy in One Concise Volume On the declaration of war in 1939, the British Admiralty signaled all warships and naval bases: "Total Germany, Total Germany." It was fortunate that of Germany's three armed services, the Kriegsmarine, under Grosseradmiral Erich Raeder, was the least well prepared. They had not expected to fight all-out war for another two to three years. While Admiral Karl Dönitz's...