German Heavy Cruisers
vs
Royal Navy Heavy Cruisers
1939–42

This 80-page paperback book is the 113^th book in the Duel Series of books that is available from Osprey Publications.

This superbly illustrated study explores the epic clashes of British and German heavy cruisers at the beginning of World War II.

Italian Heavy Cruiser Zara

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.

Kriegsmarine Admiral Hipper

Contents

The contents of this book are:

• Introduction
• Chronology
• Design and Development
• The Strategic Situation
• Technical Specifications
• The Combatants
• Combat
• Analysis
• Aftermath
• Bibliography
• Index

HMS Norfolk Torpedo’s

Summary

This expertly illustrated book is a concise look at the cruisers of two of the major combatants of World War II. It contains a lot of useful information that is good reading for the Naval Historian, Naval Wargamer and Modeler. The Modeler can also use a number of the photographs in this book as a guide for creating Naval dioramas.

Also, the Naval Historian, Wargamer and Modeler will enjoy reading about the specifications for the following class of Cruisers that were used in World War II.

Cruiser Class Specifications

• HMS Exeter
• HMS Berwick
• KMS Lutzow
• KMS Admiral Hippler

The Naval Historian and Wargamer will also find it interesting reading about some of the Naval Battles in which Cruisers were the main protagonists. The Naval Battles covered are.

Naval Battles

• The River Plate
• Christmas Day Battle
• The Denmark Strait
• The Barents Sea

Overall, whether you are a historian, just interested in Naval warfare, a Naval Historian with a specific interest in the Cruisers of World War II, a Modeler with a specific interest in World War II ships or a Wargamer wanting to add additional realism to their naval wargame, this is a book that I can highly recommend for your reading enjoyment.

Duel 113, German Heavy Cruisers vs Royal Navy Heavy Cruisers, 1939 – 1942 is an 80-page paperback book and is available from Osprey Publications.

There is a SPECIAL “Bundle Offer” available from Osprey Publications. If you choose a print and eBook format above you get 25% off both!

(The photographs used in this review are copied with the permission of Osprey Publications.)