Download or read book Schnellboot in Action Op written by David Krakow and published by MMD-Squadron Signal. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Larger, faster, and more powerful than Allied counterparts, the Schnellboot was perhaps the best motor torpedo boat of WWII. Unlike mass-produced Allied boats, Germany spared no expense in equipping the Schnellboot with the speed, protection, maneuverability, and firepower to strike and survive in increasingly hostile seas. Operating under the cover of darkness and using cutting-edge technology, the Schnellboot remained a menace until the last days of WWII, long after all other Kriegsmarine surface combatants had been neutralized. This book is an informative and richly-illustrated technical history of these sleek, powerful vessels, from the first to the final variants. It includes detailed information on weapons, electronics, optics, engines, camouflage, and more. This new edition has many new photos, in-depth captions, additional color profiles, and all-new, meticulously detailed scale drawings.

Download or read book German S Boats in Action in the Second World War written by Hans Frank and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2007-01-17 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed narrative of S-boat, or schnellboot, actions during World War II in all the theatres where they were deployed. The author, describes, with the help of a multitude of maps and photographs, all the incidents that these 45-knot fast attack craft were involved in. The German motor torpedo boat (German: S-boot, English: E-boat) was a controversial subject in the pre-war period of German naval rearmament. As late as 1938, the Fleet Commander recommended that S-boot building be terminated on the grounds that the craft was merely a 'weapon of opportunity' without a defined role. This outlook changed dramatically after the first wartime successes. Soon the S-boot was required on all fronts, and the area of operations. In this volume the operational deployment of the S-Boot in these theatres is given comprehensive treatment for the first time, and not purely from the isolated viewpoint of S-Boot warfare, but as an integral part of the overall military objectives of the time. This study of the effectiveness of the S-Boot, its successes and failures, is based on war diary entries and previously unseen original sources. It is a first-class account of this German naval arm in which survived to be the last class of German surface warship still carrying the offensive to the enemy.

Download or read book Operation C3 written by John Burtt and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2023-05-04 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Burtt offers an account of how an invasion might have unfolded and its consequences, by drawing on parallel events at other times and places...Definitely worth a read." — The NYMAS Review When writing his memoirs after World War II, German Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring stated, “Italy’s missing her chance to occupy the island [of Malta] at the start of hostilities will go down in history as a fundamental blunder.” It’s easy to see why this tiny 95 square mile island held such a prominent place in the war’s Mediterranean Theater. Located almost halfway between the British bases of Gibraltar and Alexandria, Egypt, and just 60 miles south of Sicily, her airfields and naval base stood directly in the path of Italy’s (and her German partner’s) line of communication from Europe to North Africa. Operation C3 is a detailed study of the Axis 1942 plan to invade and take the island of Malta. The book examines the future combatants up to the Axis capture of Tobruk, in June 1942. The book then provides a realistic assessment of what would have had to happen if the Axis had decided to launch the invasion. Operation C3 then provides a day-by-day battle narrative of the invasion as if it had occurred on Saturday, August 15, 1942. The battle narrative is based on the combatant’s actual plans from the Italian and Maltese archives. and the realistic appraisal of what could have happened when those plans collide. A Reality & Analysis section is added after the battle narrative to discuss what really happened after Tobruk fell and why Operation C3 was never attempted.

Download or read book Schnellboote written by Lawrence Paterson and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-11-30 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A detailed account of the fast patrol boats built and used by the Kriegsmarine during WWII . . . a book for every naval history enthusiast.”—Firetrench The Kriegsmarine’s Schnellboote—fast attack boats or S-boats to the Allies—were the primary German naval attack units in coastal waters throughout the Second World War. Operating close to their various bases they became a devastatingly effective weapon in nearly all the Kriegsmarine’s theatres of war, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It was in the English Channel, however, that they scored their most notable successes, destroying some forty warships and more than one hundred merchant ships. In addition to interception and attack, they were also used for minelaying, landing sabotage troops and general escort duties. There has been, to date, no comprehensive operational history of the S-boat in all the theatres in which it saw service, but due to the relatively small number of units it is possible to recount the duties and fates of each individual craft, and in this new book the author examines the career of each in detail. In addition, operations alongside the commando units of the Kleinkampfverbande are covered, and the smaller S-boats, designed primarily for their use, are described. As the War progressed, S-boats suffered from the increased Allied mastery of the seas and skies but they were a formidable foe right to the end; this new book is the first to do full justice to their record of success. “An important addition to the body of coastal forces literature, and should be essential reading for anyone interested in the wars of the ‘Narrow Seas.’”—Battlefleet

Download or read book Fast Fighting Boats 1870 1945 written by Harald Fock and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Ungentlemanly Warfare written by Howard Linskey and published by Pinnacle Books. This book was released on 2020-04-28 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A secret assassin. An impossible mission. Failure is not an option. 1943. With Nazi Germany facing defeat, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring has authorized mass production of the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, a jet-propulsion engine aircraft faster than any plane in the Allies’ arsenal. But British Intelligence has discovered that the Komet is unstable and German scientist Professor Gaerte has been tasked to fix the plane’s flaw. To prevent the Komets from getting airborne, an undercover task force must infiltrate Nazi-occupied France and assassinate Gaerte. Captain Harry Walsh is one of Britain’s most effective, ruthless, and unorthodox Special Operations Executive agents. Allied with an American OSS and Free French operatives, Harry leads his squad behind enemy lines where he’s reunited with fellow SOE operative—and former lover—Emma Stirling. But as the team proceeds with their mission, an SS officer from Harry’s past pursues the Englishman on a very personal mission of revenge . . . Praise for Howard Linskey “Linskey is one of the most commanding crime fiction practitioners at work today."—Financial Times "A new master of the gripping, gritty thriller."—Paul Finch “One of the best new writers around."—Mark Billingham Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

Download or read book The Sea and the Second World War written by Marcus Faulkner and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2019-12-10 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The sea shaped the course and conduct of World War II, from the first moments of the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, to the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. The impact could be felt far beyond the shoreline, as the arms and armies carried across the oceans were ultimately destined to wage war ashore. Populations and industries depended on the raw materials and supplies in a war that increasingly became a contest of national will and economic might. Ultimately, it was the war at sea that linked numerous regional conflicts and theaters of operation into a global war. As the war grew in complexity and covered an increasingly larger geographical area, the organization of the maritime effort and the impact it had on the formulation of national strategy also evolved. This volume illustrates the impact of naval operations on the Second World War by highlighting topics previously neglected in the scholarship. In doing so, it provides new insights into political, strategic, administrative, and operational aspects of the maritime dimension of the war.

Download or read book German E boats 1939 45 written by Gordon Williamson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-04-20 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Schnellbootwaffe Adolf Hitler s Guerrilla War at Sea S Boote 1939 45 written by Hrvoje Spajic and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-12-22 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Schnellbootwaffe was created in the early 1930s, before the Second World War, in concurrence with the regenerated Kriegsmarine. Young officers, most of whom learned their craft in the old Imperial Navy, would now take responsibility for the operational use of these revolutionary vessels. Working with the naval engineers of Lürssen Shipyard, the Germans designed combat weapons that were never surpassed by their opponents. After the first series of Schnellboote were launched, constantly improved versions of these vessels would follow. The Schnellbootwaffe would achieve significant victories for the Kriegsmarine at the beginning of the war by using these vessels in high-level strategies, including a style of guerrilla warfare. The British often call German torpedo boats E-boats, and these fast vessels were a genuine threat not only to coastal trade, but also to the movement of Allied ships after D-Day. Indeed, Admiral Rudolf Petersen's flotillas remained combat-ready until the very end, even after the balance of power was in favour of the Allies. Allied air bombardment of German torpedo boat bases from 1944 onwards failed to destroy the offensive potential of the Schnellboote and their crews. The Allied disaster at Lyme Bay at the end of April 1944 shows how this guerrilla war at sea was still dangerous, even at this stage of the war. The Allied invasion plans were not yet known to the Germans, but Eisenhower learned a great deal from Lyme Bay and the Schnellbootwaffe was still potentially dangerous right until the end of the war. This book tells the fascinating story about these special people, whose pirate spirit and guerrilla style of naval combat is reminiscent of the ancient pirates and their own way of warfare.

Download or read book Schnellboot written by Carlo Cestra and published by Super Drawings in 3D. This book was released on 2018-04-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: S38b and S100 E-boats class were German fast attack craft (Schnellboot in German) built for the Kriegsmarine during World War Two. The E-boats (a British designation using the letter E for Enemy) were defined by many naval experts as the best carrying out of their category. Initially these units were called Unterseebot Zerstörer (Hunting Submarine) and Anti-Submmarine Motorboats or Armored Motorboats, as they had an important anti-submarine mission. Later the Kaiserliche Marine (imperial german navy) adopted the designation of Luftschiffmotorenboot (boat with an airship engine) or L-Boote and, therefore, from November 1917, the units became LM-Boote, with the same meaning, but their use, especially in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, was not particularly successful.

Download or read book German S Boats in Action in the Second World War written by Hans Frank and published by Seaforth Publishing. This book was released on 2007-01-17 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed narrative of S-boat, or schnellboot, actions during World War II in all the theatres where they were deployed. The author, describes, with the help of a multitude of maps and photographs, all the incidents that these 45-knot fast attack craft were involved in. The German motor torpedo boat (German: S-boot, English: E-boat) was a controversial subject in the pre-war period of German naval rearmament. As late as 1938, the Fleet Commander recommended that S-boot building be terminated on the grounds that the craft was merely a 'weapon of opportunity' without a defined role. This outlook changed dramatically after the first wartime successes. Soon the S-boot was required on all fronts, and the area of operations. In this volume the operational deployment of the S-Boot in these theatres is given comprehensive treatment for the first time, and not purely from the isolated viewpoint of S-Boot warfare, but as an integral part of the overall military objectives of the time. This study of the effectiveness of the S-Boot, its successes and failures, is based on war diary entries and previously unseen original sources. It is a first-class account of this German naval arm in which survived to be the last class of German surface warship still carrying the offensive to the enemy.

Download or read book Commandos written by Richard Camp and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2021-04-28 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Casemate has a long history of publishing high quality military history non-fiction. Lately, they have expanded their range of work to include well written novels using wartime settings." – WWII History MagazineFollows the story of two US Marines sent to learn from the British Commando training regime in Scotland, 1942. Summer 1942. Defeatism hangs in the air. Britain stands alone. Winston Churchill is determined to strike back and has ordered the formation of a special operations force, dubbed “Commandos,” with the mission to “set Europe ablaze.” U.S. Marine Captain Jim Cain and his Gunnery Sergeant Leland Montgomery are surprised to receive orders to the British Commando training center in the Scottish Highlands. There they are put through the brutal specialized training that will hone their fighting skills. Pitiless forced marches, dangerous live fire exercises and hazardous assault courses building their physical endurance, and a strong sense of brotherhood develops between the British soldiers and the two Marines. Lucky to be quartered in the spacious home of the Commandos' commanding officer, Cain has the pleasure of meeting his daughter, Loreena. Bright and stunning, Loreena is secretive about her work in London. Before Cain can learn more about her, the training course is interrupted and the commando squad is sent on a special mission to destroy a German radar station on Nazi-held Alderney, off the coast of France. While the site is defended by a squad of second-rate garrison soldiers who are no match for the highly trained and motivated commandos, a reaction force of infantry, led by a German combat veteran, joins the fight. The action is fierce and bloody and there are heavy losses on both sides. The surviving raiders withdraw to Royal Navy motor torpedo boats, but a marauding squadron of Schnellboots (E-Boats) lies in wait.

Download or read book Malta s Savior written by John Henshaw and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2024-02-16 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Holding the small island of Malta, the British Empire's strategic centerpiece in the Mediterranean Sea, was critical to the Allied cause in World War II--and taking it was essential for Axis victory. German forces laid siege to the island beginning in June 1940, and it soon became the most bombed place on Earth. By August 1942, with supplies running out, Malta was in dire need of relief. In what was then the largest Royal Navy force yet assembled in the war, two battleships, three aircraft carriers, seven light cruisers, 32 destroyers and a fleet of transports were mustered from far-flung theaters. This day-by-day account of Operation Pedestal chronicles the planning, execution and climactic battle that saw only five of 14 merchant ships make it to Valletta, all but one heavily damaged.

Download or read book The Bomb That Never Was written by J. R. Shaw and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2015-10-22 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praise for The Bomb That Never Was Hitler has the bomb, and its headed for the USA. This meticulously researched historical novel will have you asking, What if? This is an intelligent, fast-paced page-turner that will make you forget that you already know how it all turns out. Provocative, informative, and entertainingI couldnt put it down. Joseph P. DeSario, author of Limbo and Sanctuary and coauthor of Crusade: Undercover Against the Mafia & KGB Authoritative and credible in its attention to detail, The Bomb That Never Was captures the spirit and temper of the WWII years and raises some deep philosophical questions about loyalty, treason, and commitment to country. A page-turner tough to put down a story well told. Robert L. Aaron, journalist and public relations executive

Download or read book The Last Raid written by Will Fowler and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2016-04-04 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Germany occupied the originally 'demilitarised' Channel Islands in 1940, Hitler ordered the area to be staunchly fortified with colossal permanent structures like Battery Moltke on Jersey. As it was the only piece of the British Isles in Nazi control, he was determined that the islands should remain German forever. Churchill was equally obsessed, urging numerous commando raids and harebrained schemes for the invasion and liberation of the islands. But when France was freed in 1944, the Channel Islands were completely bypassed. German troops were cut off from their supplies and the island population began to starve. Occupied for almost the entire war, these quintessentially English islands serve as a fascinating microcosm of what Britain might have been like under Nazi rule. With one German soldier to every three islanders, resistance had to remain at a low level: possession of a radio merited a prison sentence. The Last Raid is an atmospheric account of life under German occupation, as well as the political manoeuvring behind the scenes. With the first detailed account in English of the Granville Raid, a unique German commando operation, Will Fowler combines the social experience of war with the military to form a fascinating chronicle of the fight for the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

Download or read book Secret Passages written by Tommy E. Cauthen and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2017-08-30 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a fictional story based on historical events occurring during WWII. Two of the primary characters are Norwegian Army captains Hans Lunsford and his friend Carl Romer. The story begins in the summer of 1939 as the clouds of war were drifting across Europe. Events occurring prior to the German invasion of Norway in April 1940 connect them with Adriana Strand, who is an attractive blond Norwegian working as a British spy in the German Embassy in Oslo. After the short war ends with the Norwegian defeat, King Haakon VII and the Norwegian government sail to England and begin to operate in exile. Hans and Carl subsequently hook up with Norwegian resistance groups and escape to the Shetland islands. There they meet up with Adriana, who is involved with the British Special Operations Executive directing operations of Norwegian and British commandos and saboteurs traveling by sea and air into Norway. Their missions were to operate clandestine radios, report German ship movements through the secret water passageway along the West coast of Norway, conduct sabotage operations, and rescue secret agents and British air crew from German or hostile Norwegian operatives. The story depicts all three individuals diverse missions into Norway from 1940 to 1942 when they frequently hide out in various secret hidden passages. The story ends in 1942 with Adrianas midnight mission to Norway. She parachutes into the darkness of the night with two other agents, but trouble ensues leaving Operation Black Shepherd in jeopardy. The success of the Allies in Northern Europe hangs in the balance.

Download or read book Decima Flottiglia MAS written by Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2017-06-25 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Previously unpublished accounts of the Italian frogmen forceMany previously unpublished photos, personal accounts and storiesDetailed accounts of ships destroyed and sunk by Decima Flottiglia MASA highly interesting account of a little-known force A group of determined human torpedoes, motorboat operators and assault swimmers fought bravely for Italy in the Second World War and inspired fear and respect from the British Navy. The actions of these men severely reduced British naval power in the Mediterranean. Even with small numbers and using relatively limited resources, the commandos were a very effective force in the war against the British. By the end of the war, these men would sink or disable over 73,000 tons of Allied warships and over 128,000 tons of merchant shipping. The story of the Italian commandos is one of determination and bravery. Their tactics aroused confusion and nervousness with Allied commanders and their crews. Italy’s Decima Flottiglia Mas predates both the US Navy Underwater Demolition Teams that were formed in 1943 and forerunners of the better-known US Navy SEALs and the British Royal Marines Special Boat Service formed as an offshoot of the Special Air Service in 1941. Perhaps the determination and actions of the Decima Flottiglia Mas qualify them as the best commandos of the Second World War. Illustrations: 16 black-and-white photographs