Ian Palmer – Illustratör

Despite being relatively unknown compared to famous ships like Graf Spee or Bismarke, or the more famous U-boats, the Auxiliary Cruisers were immensely successful, not only in the number of enemy ships they sank, but in the resources which were tied up trying to track them down.The Royal Navy's auxiliary cruisers tended to be merchant vessels used to protect convoys from attack. The German Auxiliary Cruisers, however, heavily armed and usually carried torpedo tubes as well as guns and even sometimes their own aircraft. These ships were aggressive predators, searching the sea lanes for unsuspecting enemy merchants, and were not only capable of destroying enemy merchant ships, but also of defending themselves against well-armed enemy warships.This book looks at the specifications and designs of the 11 Auxiliary Cruisers, as well as their combat histories, their eventual fates, and the careers of some of the most famous commanders.

Gordon Williamson examines the design, development and operational use of the battleships used by the Kriegsmarine during World War II.The ‘Schlesien’ and ‘Schleswig-Holstein’ were used mostly as training ships until the end of the war when they took part in bombardment of Soviet troop movements in East Prussia. The ‘Scharnhorst’ had a successful career until her sinking at the battle of the North Cape, and the ‘Gneisenau’ with her ignominious end as a block-ship.Bismarck's short but glorious career and Tirpitz's lonely vigil in Norway's distant Fjords until sunk by RAF bombers using the massive 'Tallboy' bombs are also covered.

An illustrated guide to the defences beset by prolonged and bloody fighting for control of the Japanese occupied Pacific islands in World War II.No two islands were alike in the systems and nature of their defensive emplacements, and local improvization and command preferences affected both materials used and defensive models. This title details the establishment, construction and effectiveness of Japanese temporary and semi-permanent crew-served weapons positions and individual and small-unit fighting positions.Integrated obstacles and minefields, camouflage and the changing defensive principles are also covered.

On August 17–18, 1942, 211 men of the US Marine Corps’ 2nd Raider Battalion conducted a daring amphibious raid on the Japanese-occupied Makin Island in the South Pacific.This ambitious but flawed operation was intended to divert Japanese reinforcements bound for Guadalcanal, over 1,000 miles to the southwest, in the wake of the US landings there ten days earlier; the Raiders were to destroy the seaplane base and radio station, take prisoners, and collect intelligence. Although yielding limited results, it was to be an invaluable test of the innovative training and tactics employed by the Raiders, and a crucial boost to national morale at this difficult stage in the war.Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and expert analysis, this gripping account of the fateful Makin Raid tells the whole story, from the plan’s conception to its troubled execution and aftermath.

Fully illustrated with dramatic archive photos and manufacturers’ images, this volume covers the little-known history of riot control vehicles.It explores the world of these vehicles from 1945 through to the present day – from adapted military armoured cars such as the Humber Pig (UK) and BRDM (Soviet Union) to the fully computerized systems of the Russian Lavina-Uragan and Canadian INKAS Armored Riot Control Vehicle – showing how their development and deployment has blurred the lines between civilian actions and military operations.Chris McNab charts how the vehicles have evolved in terms of technology and layout, and also details how the associated weapon systems have been refined over time, from water cannon and tear gas launchers to subsonic sound waves and microwave energy.The operational history of the vehicles is explained in the dramatic context of major incidents across the world, from the streets of Northern Ireland and Eastern Europe to the favelas of Brazil and the battlegrounds of Iraq.

An in-depth illustrated study of the T-64 Battle Tank, the Soviet Union's most secret and controversial Cold War weapon.The T-64 tank was the most revolutionary design of the whole Cold War, designed to provide the firepower and armour protection of a heavy tank in a medium-weight design. It pioneered a host of new technologies including laminate armour, stereoscopic tank rangefinders, opposed-piston engines, smooth-bore tank guns with discarding sabot ammunition, and gun-fired guided projectiles. These impressive features meant that the Russians were loath to part with the secrets of the design, and the T-64 was the only Soviet tank type of the Cold War that was never exported. Written by an armour expert, this detailed technical history sheds light on the secrets behind the Cold War’s most controversial tank, revealing how its highly advanced technologies proved to be both a blessing and a curse.

This fully illustrated study casts new light on the prolonged duel between the submarines of the Royal Navy and their chief opponents, Italy's torpedo boats.As the war in North Africa escalated, Axis war efforts became increasingly dependent on supply lines across the Mediterranean. To try to cut off these lines of supply the British deployed submarines from the besieged island of Malta with the directive to sink as much merchant convoy tonnage as possible. Italy responded by sending her Torpedo boats to protect and escort Axis convoys.Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and carefully chosen archive photographs, this engaging study assesses the evolving battle between Britain's submarines and Italy's torpedo boats in the struggle for primacy in the Mediterranean at the height of World War II.

Few weapons developed a more deadly reputation than the German ‘88’ in the role of anti-tank gun, its long reach and lethal hitting power making it a significant problem for every type of British and later American armour.Despite its individual potency, it was almost always utilized as part of a comprehensive system of defences that relied on a mix of weapons carefully deployed in anticipation of the enemy’s likely avenue and method of attack. Used in this way, the 88 became a particularly deadly part of the Afrika Korps’ attempts to shatter British armoured power in the Western Desert.Initially extremely successful over the course of 1941 and 1942 in Operations Battleaxe and Crusader, the Allies’ tactics and vehicles (such as the American-made M3 and the Crusader III) eventually evolved to deal with the 88’s awesome power. This detailed new book tells the story of that evolution and provides an in-depth treatment of this key weapon of World War II.

At the outbreak of World War II, the four key Capital German ships comprised the Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.Their primary threats where the Royal Navy’s King George V­class battleships, the most modern British battleships in commission during World War II and some of the Navy’s most powerful vessels. Five ships of this class were built: HMS King George V, Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Howe (late 1942) and Anson (late 1942). The powerful vessels in this class would clash with the pride of the Kriegsmarine in two major engagements: first, during the Battle of the Denmark Strait and subsequent pursuit of the Bismarck between 24 and 27 May 1941, and again at the Battle of the North Cape on 26 December 1943.Alongside the King George V class, the Royal Navy’s two-­ship Nelson-­class (Nelson and Rodney), comprised Britain’s only other battleships built in the interwar years. Both ships served extensively in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian oceans during the war, but their moment of fame came when Rodney (together with King George V) chased down and bombarded the doomed Bismarck in May 1941.This superbly detailed addition to the Duel series compares and contrasts the design and development of these opposing capital ships, and describes the epic clashes on the high seas that ended with the destruction of the Kriegsmarine’s major naval assets.

This fully illustrated study examines and compares the roles of the US Navy submarines and the Imperial Japanese Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities during World War II.In 1941 and 1942, US Navy submarine operations in the Pacific were largely ineffective, hampered by faulty torpedo design, conservative tactics, and insufficiently aggressive submarine captains. Eventually, though, a new generation of wartime submarine commanders, combined with reliable torpedoes, new generation boats, improved intelligence, and advanced radar, inflicted devastating losses on Japanese shipping. Antisubmarine warfare was initially accorded a low priority by the Imperial Japanese Navy; the lack of ASW escorts and modern weaponry, and an inability to develop tactics, resulted in devastation to vital convoys, and hampered its ability to deter and destroy enemy submarines.This book explores all these factors, and the role that US submarines played in supporting the major fleet operations in the Pacific Theater, notching up almost 500 patrols by war’s end for the loss of 52 submarines to the Japanese. The technical and tactical developments implemented by the opposing sides are documented in detail, including US improvements to submarine design and weaponry and more aggressive tactics, and the Japanese development of destroyer escorts, changes to depth charge design, and improved submarine detection capacity.

This superbly illustrated study explores the epic clashes of British and German heavy cruisers at the beginning of World War II.The opposing heavy cruisers of the German Kriegsmarine and the Royal Navy engaged in a global game of cat and mouse during the opening years of World War II. This was a period in which the heavy cruiser still reigned supreme in open waters, with the opposing sides reluctant to risk their battleships, and aircraft yet to dominate the seas. These swift vessels fought each other in the South Atlantic, North Atlantic, the frigid waters of the Denmark Strait and the Arctic approaches to Russia, capturing the public imagination in the process.This fascinating and beautifully illustrated book examines the design, development and technical performance of these opposing warships, and explores the clashes between them at the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939, the Christmas Day Battle 1940 and the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941.The ships examined include the Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe and Admiral Hipper-class cruisers, and the Royal Navy County- and York-class heavy cruisers.

An absorbing study of the duels fought between the US Navy’s escort warships and Hitler’s U-boats between December 1941 and May 1945. Although the Battle of the Atlantic lasted several years, its most critical phase began once the United States entered World War II. By December 1941, the British had mastered the U-boat threat in the Eastern Atlantic, only to see the front abruptly expand to regions the US Navy would patrol, chiefly the Atlantic Seaboard. Unless the US Navy overcame the U-boat threat, the Allies would struggle to win. The Battle of the Atlantic was made up of thousands of individual duels: aircraft against U-boats, aircraft against aircraft, aircraft against ships—but most crucially, ships against U-boats. The individual clashes between Germany’s U-boats and the Allied warships escorting the vital convoys often comprised one-on-one actions. These stories provide the focus of this detailed work. The technical details of the U-boats, destroyers, and destroyer escorts involved are explored in stunning illustrations, including ship and submarine profiles and weaponry artworks, and key clashes are brought to life in dramatic battlescenes. Among the clashes covered are including USS Kearny vs. U-568, USS Roper (DD-147) vs U-85, USS Eugene E. Elmore (DE-686) vs U-549, and USS Atherton (DE-169) vs U-853.

In April 1918 history’s first tank-vs-tank battle pitted the British Mark IV against the German A7V on the Western Front. Featuring full-colour artwork, this is the story of this momentous encounter, which foreshadowed the massed armoured warfare of World War II and beyond.The German A7V and the British Mark IV were similar in weight, size, and speed, but differed significantly in armour, armament and maneuverability. The A7V had thicker armour, and had nearly double the horsepower per ton. The Mark IV’s pair of side-mounted 6pdr cannons forced the vehicle to present its side arc to an enemy in order to fire one of its main guns. Possessing twice as many machine guns as the Mark IV, the A7V had a frontally mounted 57mm gun that proved capable of defeating the Mark IV’s armour. The Mark IV’s rhomboid design proved superior in crossing trenches, climbing obstacles and moving over rough terrain.This book explores the first tank-versus-tank engagement in history, the fighting around Villers-Bretonneux, and showcases the British Mark IV and German A7V designs. Although not purpose-built to combat enemy armour, both vehicles proved the viability of such operations, which during the postwar period led to key advances in suspension, armour, gunsights, ammunition, and command and control. While the British continued to develop their armoured forces, German armour development never materialized, and only in the postwar period did they address the issue.

The rival battlecruisers first clashed in January 1915 at Dogger Bank in the North Sea and although the battle was a British tactical victory with neither side losing any of its battlecruisers, the differences in the designs of the British and German ships were already apparent.The two sides responded very differently to this first clash; while the Germans improved their ammunition-handling procedures to lessen the risk of disabling explosions, the British drew the opposite lesson and stockpiled ammunition in an effort to improve their rate of fire, rendering their battlecruisers more vulnerable. These differences were highlighted more starkly during the battle of Jutland in May 1916. Of the nine British battlecruisers committed, three were destroyed, all by their German counterparts. Five German battlecruisers were present, and of these, only one was sunk and the remainder damaged.Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this is the gripping story of the clash between the rival battlecruisers of the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine at the height of World War I.

A definitive technical guide to the early Allison-engined P-51 Mustang variants.While the introduction of the Merlin engine did improve the Mustang’s performance and produce the bubble-canopied fighters with which we associate the name, credit must be given to the Allison-engined variants that preceded it. From its inception in early 1940, the Mustang’s development was extraordinarily rapid – such was the need for a fighter at the time, and the confidence in its design. By early January 1942, the Mustang was in service with the RAF, flying low-level armed reconnaissance operations over Northern France. Despite later Merlin variants arriving in-theatre, this remained a hunting ground for the Allison Mustangs through to D-Day and beyond – a remarkable service length.This book shows how, in American hands the Allison-engined Mustangs performed as dive-bombers and fighters, serving with distinction in North Africa and the Far East.

A fully-illustrated account of the British Q ship, a heavily armed small craft disguised as a merchant vessel, and its tactics against the Kaiser’s formidable U-boat fleet during World War I.Q ships came in all shapes and sizes – coastal steamer, trawler, barque, yacht or schooner – but all had to look harmless in order to lure their opponents to the surface and encourage them to attack. Armaments differed according to ship size; steamers commonly had 4in guns mounted amidships and in the bow, trawlers 3-pdrs and sailing ships 12-pdrs.David Greentree covers how the Q ship used a ‘panic crew’, trained to act out an elaborate evacuation to convince the U-boat commander that the ship was being abandoned by its crew. The Q ship captain would remain behind with a handful of other crewmen manning the guns, which remained hidden until the most opportune time to unmask and engage the U-boat.Packed with illustrations, this book explores the Q ship concept in detail, from its emergence early in the war, when no other method seemed likely to counter the U-boat threat, and as it flourished, until new technologies and tactics were developed, tested and implemented.

The super-heavy tanks of World War II are heirs to the siege machine tradition – a means of breaking the deadlock of ground combat.It is not surprising that the breakthrough tank projects of the period prior to World War II took place in the armies that suffered the most casualties of the Great War (Russia, France, Germany). Much as the casualties of World War I prompted the original breakthrough tank developments, as Germany found itself on the defensive, with diminishing operational prospects and an increasingly desperate leadership, so too did its focus turn to the super-heavy tanks that could turn the tide back in their favorThis detailed account to these vehicles is accompanied by specially-commissioned artwork.

The first of two volumes covering the French armor of World War II, this book looks at the infantry and battle tanks that faced the onslaught of the German Blitzkrieg in 1940.Many of the French tanks were intended as replacements for the World War I-era Renault FT, and various modernization efforts throughout the inter-war years had given rise to a number of new infantry tanks, including the Renault R35 and R40, FCM 36, and the Hotchkiss H35 and H39. Alongside these developments was a separate family of battle tanks, starting with the Renault D1, D2, and, finally, the best-known French tank of the campaign – the Char B1 bis.Accompanied by detailed illustrations, French Tanks of World War II (1) offers a background to the design and development of these tank types, and an evaluation of their performance in the Battle of France.

The sequel to French Tanks of World War II (1), this title focuses primarily on France’s cavalry armored vehicles.Steven J Zaloga explores the light reconnaissance tanks such as the AMR and AMC families, the famous Somua S.35 cavalry tanks and the extensive array of armored half-track and armored cars used by the French cavalry. Specific attention is also paid to tanks considered important from a numerical standpoint such as the Hotchkiss H-35/H-39 series.Featuring specially commissioned profile artwork, photographs and illustrations, French Tanks of World War II (2) provides detailed insight into the background and design of these tank types and presents a brief, yet thorough assessment of their performance during the Battle of France.

Between November 1942 and May 1945, US Army infantry units fought in eight named campaigns in the Mediterranean Theater.This title follows one soldier from enlistment in 1942, through training in a Replacement Training Center, assignment to the 1st Battalion 133d Regiment, 34th Infantry Division (Red Bull), and into combat. Among the battles covered are Fondouk Pass, Hill 609, Salerno, Monte Cassino, Anzio and the fighting in the Po Valley. A key focus is on the Heavy Weapons Company, which consisted of two machine gun platoons and one mortar platoon.The training and combat roles of the machine gunner's Military Occupational Specialty are discussed in detail.

The ETO is seen by many as the major theater of World War II, with more infantry regiments serving there than any other.This title follows one soldier ("Joseph") as he is drafted in February 1941, trains with the 22d Infantry in the United States and then ships to England in January 1944. On D-Day he lands on Utah Beach and in the following months fights through France, Belgium, and into Germany.The problems the common soldier faced between June 1944 and May 1945 are dealt with in particular in this authoritative and moving book.

As was the case in World War II, one of the greatest threats to Britain during World War I was the German U-boat menace.This book traces the development of the U-boat threat from the Brandtaucher, designed by Wilhelm Bauer, the father of the German submarine arm, in 1850, through to the commissioning of Germany's first U-boat to go into service, the U-1, in 1906. It covers the main types of World War I U-boat, detailing the operational history of the U-boat service in depth, with a particular focus on the campaigns in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, as well as the slow build up of anti-submarine measures by the allies.

This, the first of two volumes on Germany's World War II U-boats, traces their development from the early U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy, culminating in the formation of the 1st U-boat Flotilla in 1935 with the modern Type II.Gordon Williamson explores key moments in the U-boats' history, such as the prohibition on Germany having U-boats following the Armistice in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, and the secret development of U-boats using a 'cover-firm' in Holland.The operational history section includes examples from the Classes Type VIIA, Type VIIB, VIID, VIIE and VIIF before concentrating on the mainstay of the U-boat arm, the Type VIIC. Comparisons are also made with the standard allied submarines, their strengths, weaknesses and U-boat tactics.

Following on from New Vanguard 51: Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939–45 (1), this book charts the continuing development of the U-boat in German service, including the evolution of the Type IX as a long range 'cruiser' intended for solo operations in distant waters.Also covered is the revolutionary Type XXI, conceived of in 1942 and launched in April 1944, the first true submarine rather than submersible, whose arrival was just too late to influence the war. Other vessels covered are the Type XXIII, a small vessel armed with only two torpedoes but technically highly advanced, and the Type X minelayers, which were rarely used in their intended role and more often used as supply boats.

By the outbreak of World War II, Germany had done much to replace the Kaiser's High Seas Fleet, which was scuttled following their surrender at the end of World War I.Forced to build anew, the Kriegsmarine possessed some of the most technically advanced warships in existence. Although the heavy units of the fleet were too small in number to pose much of a threat, Germany was particularly well served by her Navy's smaller vessels, in particular the U-Boats and the S-Boats. Known to the allies as the E-Boats ('Enemy'), they performed sterling duties in the Black Sea and English Channel, where they became a particular scourge.Alongside ample illustrations, Gordon Williamson explores these E-Boats and the details of their design.

After the end of World War I, the German Navy came up with the concept of the Panzerschiffe, or Pocket Battleship, to circumvent treaty limitations on the size and types of ship Germany was permitted to build.New, more modern production methods, where welded construction prevailed over the older riveting process, were combined with the development of modern engines capable of fast speeds and a very powerful armament, far superior to that on any enemy Cruisers.This book covers these three sister ships, the ‘Deutschland’, the ‘Admiral Graf Spee’ and the ‘Admiral Scheer’, which formed the core of the Kriegsmarine's fighting power at the start of World War II.

The development of this excellent and successful class of warship only became possible after the Anglo-German naval agreement of 1935 eased restrictions on the types of ship Germany could build.Even then only five of the class were permitted: the Admiral Hipper, the Blücher, the Prinz Eugen, the Seydlitz and the Lützow. These Cruisers were designed for Atlantic operations and had eight 8 inch guns, 12 10.5 cm heavy anti-aircraft guns and 17 smaller calibre anti aircraft guns as well as twelve torpedo tubes and their own compliment of up to six aircraft. This title covers the design, development and operational history of the Heavy Cruisers of the Admiral Hipper class.

The German Navy of World War II was small in number, but contained some of the most technologically advanced capital ships in the world.This meant that although the Kriegsmarine never felt capable of encountering the might of the British Navy in a fleet action, her ships were individually more than a match for the outdated vessels of the Royal Navy. Nowhere was this more the case than in Germany's fleet of light cruisers. There were only six vessels in this fleet: the Emden, Leipzig, Köln, Königsberg, Karlsruhe and Nurnberg.This book describes their design, development and varied operational history throughout the course of the Second World War.