Please post any recommendations you have concerning books dealing with the warships and / or the great sea battles of WWII.
I highly recommend "Miracle At Midway", by Gordon W. Prange. Also the works of Antony Preston for individuals ship types.
The following, from the list of books in my library, are all worth reading: Section 3-2, The War at Sea The Naval War Against Hitler Author: Donald Macintyre Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York Copyright: 1971, 478 pp. Titans of the Seas. The Development and Operation of Japanese and American Carrier Task Forces during World War II Authors: James H.Belote & William M.Belote Publisher: Harper & Row, New York Copyright: 1975, 406 pp. Blue Skies and Blood. The Battle of the Coral Sea Author: Edwin P.Hoyt Publisher: Paul S. Erikson, Inc., New York Copyright: 1975, 206 pp. Pursuit. The Chase and Sinking of the Battleship Bismarck Author: Ludovic Kennedy Publisher: The Viking Press, New York Copyright: 1974, 252 pp. Sea Raider Atlantis Authors: Ulrich Mohr & A.V.Sellwood Publisher: Pinnacle Books, Los Angeles Copyright: 1955, 281 pp. Fiasco. The Break-out of the German Battleships Author: John Deane Potter Publisher: Stein & day, New York Copyright: 1970, 235 pp.
here are some of my own collection: Battleship Musashi Akira Yoshimure Kodansh America 1999 Jutland: an analyisis of the fighting John Campbell The Lyon Press 1998 Shinano! The sinking of Japan's secret supereship Cap. Joseph F. Enright St. Martin's Press 1987 Pursuit: The chase and sinking of battleship Bismarck Ludovic Kennedy The Viking Press 1974 Fiasco: The break-out of the germa battleships John Deane Potter Stein and Press 1970 Destroyers of WW II M.J. Whitley Naval Institute Press 2002 Battleshipe Bismarck: a survivor story ( my favorite :smok: ) BaronBurkard Von Mullenheim-Rechberg Naval Institute Press 1980 The Battleship Bismarck Ulrich Elfrath and Bodo Herzog Schifeer Military History 1989 The German Navy at war vol 1: the battleships Siegfried Breyer and Gerhard Koop Schifeer Military History 1989 The German Navy at war vol 2: the U-boat same same same Batleships of WW II M.J. Whitley Naval Institute Press 1998 The German navy's story 1935-1945 vice Ad. Friedrich Ruge U.S Naval Institute 1957 Great naval disasters: U.S. naval accidents in the 20 th century Kit Bonner & Carolyn Bonner MBI Publishing Company 1998 The discovery of the Bismarck Robert Ballard Warner Books 1990 The deep-sea doscovery of an epic battle: Hood and Bismarck David Mearns and Rob White Channel 4 books 2001 The German navy in WW II Robert Jackson Brown Books 1999 The death of the Tirpitz Ludovic Kennedy Little Brown Company 1979 Battleship Tirpitz Gerhard Koop & Klaus-Peter Schmolke Conway Maritime Press 1998 Battleship Scharhorst same same same The Destruction of the Bismarck David J. Bercuson and Holger H. Herwing The Overlook Press 2001 The Imperial Japanese Navy Paul S. Dull Naval Institure Press 1978 Death of the Scharnhorst John Winton Cassell Military paperbacks 1983
Thank you me262. I know Ospreys New Vanguard series include a few titles on WWII Warships. Have anyone read any of these ? I found an old journal btw. It´s called "Warship", and dates from 1981 ( Vol 19 ), published by Conway Marirtime Press Ltd. It is quite good and includes articles which spans from the 1880s to the 1960s, the majority on WWII though. Does anyone know if this journal is still available, and if, where to get it ?
It's a bit dated now, but "Two Ocean War" by Samuel Elliot Morrison is still a great work (from an American's perspective, though). The slimmed down, one volume version is excellent and the full multi-volume version is awesome.
I´ve just bought "Battleships of World War Two" and "Cruisers of World War Two", both by M.J. Whitley. "Destroyers of World War Two" by the same author and "Aircraft Carriers of the World" by R. Chesneau has been ordered. Does anybody know of similar books on submarines and escort vessels ?
"Action in the Pacific," by Larry Sowinski (Naval Institute Press, 1981; 208 pp; large format; ISBN 0-87021-800-X). All-photo coverage of USN vs IJN, some color photos. This is an excellent photo record, with descriptive and detailed captioning. The large majority of photos are rarely (if ever) seen, and provide a very good view of warships at rest, in combat, and after the battle. "The U-Boat," by Eberhard Rossler (Naval Institute Press, 1989; 384 pp; ISBN 0-87021-966-9). Translated from a German work, this is a technical history of the development and evolution of German submarines through two World Wars, with tables, charts, photos, and plans. I think this is now available in a revised edition.