An Illustrated Data Guide To Battleships Of World War Ii PDF Download

For decades, readers interested in naval history have had their choices limited to expensive, multi-volume works written for specialists. Now, for the first time, a single major book covers the entire scope of the navies of World War II. This comprehensive survey of naval strengths is a valuable acquisition for experts in the field while at the same time an accessible and fascinating work for general readers. Fleets of World War II, packed with data and illustrated throughout, is not a simple list of ships, but an examination of those ships and the fleets they served. Unlike most ship references, it goes beyond the statistics to provide astute, practical analysis. Japan built the world's largest battleships with guns bigger than anything in the Allied arsenal -- but was bigger in fact better? The British launched a wartime flurry of ship production -- but did they build the ships they needed for victory? Current references skirt such questions or bury them beneath strings of stark measurements. Fleets of World War II dispels the clutter, providing a straightforward and unapologetic critique, not unlike a Siskel and Ebert at the Navies. A complete resource, Fleets of World War II includes every nation that took part in the war, along with the key neutrals. Each fleet is surveyed in totality, from the mighty battleships to the humble motor launches. Most importantly, the book manages all this in a handy single volume. The systematic presentation makes for easy reference: nation by nation, ship by ship. The plain-English style strips away the esoterica that restrict some writings to an already informed few. The vast audience of World War II readers will find in this book a multitudeof fascinating details on design, strategy and combat among navies around the globe. It will be a welcome addition to every military history bookshelf.