Free shipping on orders over $99
Warships of the Soviet Fleets, 1939-1945

Warships of the Soviet Fleets, 1939-1945

Volume II Escorts and Smaller Fighting Ships

by Jan Radziemski; Marek Twardowski and Przemyslaw Budzbon
Hardback
Publication Date: 12/12/2022

Share This Book:

 
$135.00
Seventy-five years after the end of the Second World War the details of Soviet ships, their activities and fates remain an enigma to the West. In wartime such information was classified and after a brief period of glasnost ('openness') the Russian state has again restricted access to historical archives. Therefore, the value and originality of this work is difficult to exaggerate. It sees the first publication of reliable data on both the seagoing fleets and riverine flotillas of the Soviet Navy, listing over 6200 vessels from battleships to river gunboats, and mercantile conversions as well as purpose-built warships. This second part of the three-volume series includes all the remaining fighting vessels not already covered in Volume I. Beginning with the Uragan class rated as Escort Ships and the first seagoing warships designed by the Soviet Union the book then moves on to Submarine Hunters, both large and small, Patrol craft, Minelayers and Minesweepers, and unusual types like Floating Artillery Batteries and Anti-Aircraft Defence Ships, concluding with Landing Ships and Craft. Many of these vessels have hitherto been poorly documented but given the nature of the land-centred Soviet war against Germany their contribution should not be underestimated. The details of their service and, not least, the circumstances of their loss, constitute a major addition to Western understanding of the Soviet Navy's war effort. This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in warships, the Soviet Navy or wider maritime aspects of the Second World War. Furthermore, as recent Russian actions appear to revive Soviet-era aspirations, this book offers both new insights and valuable background of contemporary relevance. AUTHORS: THE AUTHORS grew up in Poland under Soviet domination and were forced to learn Russian, which guaranteed a profound understanding of Soviet-Russian thinking and the smallest nuances of its history. Their experience is varied but pertinent: Przemyslaw Budzbon worked closely with officers of the Soviet Navy for a dozen years, as a constructor of Soviet warships; Marek Twardowski, a curator at the Polish National Maritime Museum, has an outstanding background in professional maritime history; while Jan Radziemski, thanks to a wide network of contacts among historians and maritime enthusiasts in Russia, was able to reach information and sources unavailable to official researchers. 500 photographs, 300 plans
ISBN:
9781399022774
9781399022774
Category:
Second World War
Format:
Hardback
Publication Date:
12-12-2022
Publisher:
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Country of origin:
United Kingdom
Pages:
304
Dimensions (mm):
289x245mm

Click 'Notify Me' to get an email alert when this item becomes available

Reviews

Be the first to review Warships of the Soviet Fleets.