Raising the Red Banner: The Pictorial History of Stalin’s Fleet 1920-1945 by Vladimir Yakubov & Richard Worth

Raising the Red Banner: The Pictorial History of Stalin’s Fleet 1920-1945 by Vladimir Yakubov & Richard Worth lands on the shelves of my shop.

Gloucestershire: Spellmount Limited, 2008, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Tables;

From the cover: A truly unique volume on a neglected area of military history, Raising the Red Banner tells the story of the impressive and troubled growth of the Soviet navy. Following the Revolution of 1917 the Bolsheviks found themselves heir to the fallen Tsars obsolete and scattered fleet, much of which would never return home. Often hampered by bureaucracy, political dogma and the interference of Stalin himself (at the last moment Stalin personally insisted that the boilers on a new Soviet destroyer class were repositioned), the Soviet building programme drew from bartered German and Italian technology, plundered British-built Estonian vessels and even a wrecked British submarine salvaged for its valuable design. Such was the Russian drive to match the naval strength of the West that by the start of World War II the Soviet Union had a submarine fleet that outnumbered the combined fleets of its two nearest rivals, and a navy that would grow to become the threat occupying Western admirals through the decades of the Cold War.

Soviet warships of this period have failed to emerge from behind the Iron Curtain to gain the attention of historians, and there is no other book available on the subject as much of the information was previously buried. Displaying an impressive depth of research, Raising the Red Banner includes all classes of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines and other surface vessels, with full specifications including builders, tonnage, speed and armament. It also includes over 200 photographs, most of which are previously unpublished, and will be of immense interest to naval enthusiasts and students of the Soviet era.

Very Good+ in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Slight pull to the foot of the upper panel otherwise a very well presented copy.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 224 pages. 10″ x 7″.

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Flying Colours by William Green & Gordon Swanborough

Flying Colours by William Green & Gordon Swanborough lands on the shelves of my shop.

Salamander, 1981, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Colour Drawings; Illustrated endpapers and blanks;

From the cover: Military aircraft have been variously daubed, cunningly camouflaged, boastfully personalised or otherwise extravagantly coloured since they first took to the air almost 70 years ago. From the time that the identity of aircraft was established with national insignia, the marking of aircraft has become a science, and their decoration an art form. At times of tension, trends have been towards camouflage colours for concealment as international relationships have deteriorated. Yet, in peace and war, there have also been anti-camouflage colour schemes applied specifically to render aircraft more conspicuous for training, rescue and other purposes.

Flying Colours is a superb survey of this fascinating scene, depicting more than 100 different aircraft types, from the World War I Spads to todays swing-wing Tornado, in more than 1,300 spectacular illustrations. Splendid use is made of finely detailed profile drawings, top and bottom, head-on and scrap views, together with emblem and other detail enlargements, all in full colour and each extensively

researched by the compilers and artists who have striven for accuracy and interest. Each first-class drawing is described, with identification of squadron, unit, theatre and period, and often even the pilots name and rank too! This volume will quickly be recognised as a major landmark in aviation publishing and will especially delight aircraft modelmakers and all enthusiasts of the dramatic history of warplanes.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper.

Brown boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 207 pages. 12″ x 8¾”.

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Mediterranean Maelstrom: H. M. S. Jervis and the 14th Flotilla by G. G. Connell

Mediterranean Maelstrom: H. M. S. Jervis and the 14th Flotilla by G. G. Connell lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: William Kimber & Co., Ltd, 1987, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Maps; Tables;

From the cover: From the outbreak of World War II until the conclusion of conflict in Europe HMS Jervis was involved in almost continuous action, first in home waters and then for three years in the Mediterranean. She returned to the United Kingdom for the Normandy landings before returning to the Mediterranean to continue her active career.

The destroyer flotilla leader, commanded by a succession of outstanding Captain Ds, led the 14th Flotilla on numerous day and night actions classic gun and torpedo attacks on the Italian battle fleet, ship to shore bombardments, submarine hunts, and as escorts of siege supply and invasion convoys. In spite of inadequate and rudimentary anti-aircraft armament, she defended both herself and units under her protection from very many air assaults.

HMS Jervis was awarded thirteen battle honours, a position shared by just two other ships of the fleet, the cruiser Orion and Tribal class destroyer Nubian. This is the story of the ship as leader of the 7th then the 14th Flotilla.

G. G. Connell, having interviewed many of her officers and men, records the achievements of the Jervis, where possible through first-person accounts. Her fighting career though second to none is surprisingly little known considering the fact that she delivered so many powerful blows to the Axis naval forces in the Mediterranean. This book concentrates on her years at the head of the 14th Flotilla and gives a vivid picture both of vital episodes in the war at sea and what it was like to live aboard a destroyer in wartime.

Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. Dust wrapper sunned at the spine otherwise a very well presented copy.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 272 pages. Index. 9½” x 6″.

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U-boats Under the Swastika by Jak P. Mallmann Showell

U-boats Under the Swastika by Jak P. Mallmann Showell lands on the shelves of my shop.

Shepperton: Ian Allan, Ltd, 1987, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Graphs; Black & White Drawings; Maps; Tables; Plans;

From the cover: In this second edition of U-Boats under the Swastika, first published in 1973, J. P. Mallmann Showell has revised and rewritten much of the text in the light of the recently released Enigma documents which have called much of the interpretation of World War 2 into question.

Supported by a wealth of rare photographs, many previously unpublished in Britain, and a selection of line illustrations and diagrams, U-boats under the Swastika traces the history of the German U-boat arm from its prewar origins, through the heyday of the Wolf Packs and service in the far corners of the oceans, to the final death with dignity in 1945. The development of weapons, radar and new boats, amongst other subjects, are supported by comprehensive tables of data which all go to make this book a fascinating account of U-boats under the Nazi flag.

It is fitting that U-boats under the Swastika has been written by the son of a U-boat man: J. P. Mallmann Showells father, Diesel Obermaschinist Jak Mallmann, was lost at sea on his 13th operational tour with U377 in January 1944 when, ironically, his boat was sunk by a German torpedo.

Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. Dust wrapper faded at the spine and onto the margins of the panels. Text complete, clean and tight.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 144 pages. Bibliography. 9½” x 7″.

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Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: An Illustrated Encyclopaedia by Roger Chesneau

Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: An Illustrated Encyclopaedia by Roger Chesneau lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Arms & Armour Press, 1995, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Jacket illustration: HMS Illustrious and USS Saratoga operating together in the Indian Ocean, April 1944; a painting by Geoff Hunt. Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Tables; Plans;

From the cover: Aircraft Carriers of the World is the first comprehensive reference work to detail in one volume with data, line drawings and photographs the 360-plus carriers designed or projected by the worlds navies.

Although only five (and until recently only four) nations have ever completed the building of aircraft carriers, such vessels have seen service in twelve of the worlds navies. Depending upon precisely how one defines the term aircraft carrier, some 329 ships of this type have been operated throughout the world, more than half by the US Navy; in addition, scores of carriers have been projected. All of these vessels are catalogued in Aircraft Carriers of the World, arranged chronologically according to country. Each basic design is discussed, and appearance notes and career summaries are presented for each individual carrier. In addition, each main entry is accompanied by a table giving design specifi-cations, by a pair of constant-scale general arrangement line drawings, and by a selection of photographs carefully chosen to give as far as possible a comprehensive picture of each class and the variations within it.

The catalogue section of the book is preceded by a detailed narrative tracing the origins and evolution of the aircraft carrier as a viable fighting unit, with particular emphasis on the conflicting design requirements of, on the one hand, the ship, and, on the other, her aircraft a problem that has proved to be one of the most taxing ever to face naval constructors. Flight deck operations and carrier tactics are also discussed, and an insight into the political argument that has continually accompanied carrier development is offered.

Containing over 400 photographs and line drawings, Aircraft Carriers of the World provides the reader with all the essential information he may wish to seek concerning what has become the largest and most complex fighting machine devised by man.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Gently faded at the spine of the dust wrapper otherwise a very well presented copy.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 288 pages. Index. Bibliography. 10″ x 10″.

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Fighters of the Luftwaffe by Joachim Dressel & Manfred Greihl

Fighters of the Luftwaffe by Joachim Dressel & Manfred Greihl lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Arms & Armour Press, 1993, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Tables;

From the cover: In this encyclopedic new work, the combined talents of two leading German aviation historians have produced possibly the ultimate illustrated reference to all German fighter aircraft. Most of the 300-plus original photographs have never been published before and they superbly illustrate all sub-types and development models of more than 30 aircraft.

All types are included: the advanced designs in the rearmament of the 1930s, such as the Heinkel 112, Henschel 121 and Messerschmitt 109, through every wartime fighter, including the FW 190A-D models, Bf 210 and Me 410, Ta 152, He 219 and Do 335, and full coverage of the development of the revolutionary jet and rocket aircraft in which Germany was far in advance of the Allies.

The appeal of this book is also in the range of aircraft photographs, which show special power-plant, radar and weapons developments as well as unusual unit markings, photos of types in manufacture and operational conversions in the field all rarely seen. The accompanying text emphasises the development of the Luftwaffe fighters, with facts and figures on the huge range of variants and sub-types under testing and of which little is known for example, the evolution of the standard Bf 109 into the P 1091 Extreme High Altitude Fighter of almost 60,000-feet operational ceiling.

There are numerous books on this subject, but few can boast the number and diversity of new illustrations and the comprehensive nature of the technical data in this superb new study. Restorers, collectors, historians and modellers will relish the wealth of fresh information offered by such a volume which sheds much new light on a subject previously considered incomplete.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Green boards with Yellow titling to the Spine. 160 pages. 11″ x 8¾”.

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The Invention That Changed the World: The Story of Radar from War to Peace by Robert Buderi

The Invention That Changed the World: The Story of Radar from War to Peace by Robert Buderi lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Little, Brown & Company, 1997, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Diagrams;

From the cover: The Invention That Changed the World is the compelling story of the colourful band of brilliant scientists who created the microwave radar systems that not only helped win World War II, but set off an explosion of scientific achievements and technological advances that have transformed our daily lives.

In September 1940 a team of British scientists arrived in Washington. They brought with them Britains most closely guarded technological secrets, including the cavity magnetron, a revolutionary new source of microwave energy.

The magnetrons arrival triggered the dramatic mobilization of Americas top scientists, who enlisted in the war within the war to convert the invention into a potent military weapon. Developed in secret, microwave radars eventually helped destroy Japanese warships in the Pacific, brought down Nazi buzz bombs over England, and enabled Allied bombers to see through cloud cover over, Germany and Japan. Although the atomic bomb ended World War II, in many ways radar won it.

Capturing all the drama and excitement of the race to develop radar, Robert Buderi then follows the postwar careers of the radar scientists as they applied the knowledge gained from their wartime work in many different fields. Among their many achievements, radar veterans were instrumental in creating the field of radio astronomy and discovering nuclear magnetic resonance, the transistor, and the maser, breakthroughs that led to Nobel Prizes. In the continuing push to develop early warning systems during the Cold War, others helped create the basis for digital computer memories. In countless ways radar and its spin-offs have changed our world forever.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 575 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 6¼”.

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Interceptor Fighters: For the Royal Air Force 1935-45 by Michael J.F. Bowyer

Interceptor Fighters: For the Royal Air Force 1935-45 by Michael J.F. Bowyer lands on the shelves of my shop.

Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens, 1984, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Jacket illustration: Cover photograph Epitomising the central theme of this book are a Griffon-engined Spitfire and a Merlin-engined Hurricane, both of todays Battle of Britain Flight and photographed by the author at Abingdon in September 1983. Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Graphs; Diagrams; Tables;

From the cover: In an incredible ten years, the Royal Air Force jumped from being equipped with biplane fighters essentially similar to those which patrolled the lines over the Western Front to aircraft like the Tempest, capable of near-transonic speeds, and the first generation of jets. This book examines the piston-engined interceptor fighters designed for the Royal Air Force between 1935 and 1945, including the unsuccessful alongside the successful, plus many novel designs which never actually saw the light of day.

Inevitably, the Hurricane and Spitfire, whose appearance hurried the nations pulse in those dark days of 1940, play a large part in this story, as does the competitive spirit between Super-marine, who persevered with ever more powerful versions of R. J. Mitchells immortal design, and Hawker, who continued under Sydney Camm to produce new and ever-better designs. Guns and engines are the predominant themes throughout this book, and what is particularly interesting is the swing from air-cooled engines to easily streamlined liquid-cooled types, with an eventual return to the former as operational requirements altered. In addition, there is the conflict between those officers who favoured multiple machine-gun armament and those who wanted the heavier punch provided by cannon.

Alongside the familiar names such as Spitfire, Hurricane, Tempest, Typhoon, Mustang, Whirlwind, Beaufighter and others are many little-known designs from a variety of manufacturers, several of which are illustrated for the first time by scale drawings. The book also contains numerous unpublished photographs and valuable appendices.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 192 pages. Index. 9½” x 6¼”.

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Order Of Battle: German Kriegsmarine In World War 2 by Chris McNab

Order Of Battle: German Kriegsmarine In World War 2 by Chris McNab lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Amber Books, 2009, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Jacket illustration: U-505 (top, inset left); Kriegsmarine epaulettes (top right); a plan view of the battleship Bismarck (main). Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Maps; Tables;

From the cover: Germanys navy, the Kriegsmarine, played a critical role in the Third Reichs attempt to restrict the flow of supplies, men and materiel from the United States to Britain in the early years of the war, and from North America and Britain to the Soviet Union from 1941. Such was the success of the U-boats in particular, by the end of the war more than 3000 Allied ships with a combined gross tonnage of 14. 5 million had been sent to the bottom of the sea.

Broken down by campaign and key actions, Order of Battle: German Kriegsmarine in World War II illustrates the strengths and organizational structures of the Third Reichs navy, building into a detailed compendium of information. Full-colour order of battle diagrams help the reader quickly understand the composition of U-boat flotillas and surface fleets. Examples from key moments in the war include the U-boat wolfpack group West, which harried Allied shipping in the summer of 1941, and the fleet gathered for the invasion of Denmark in April 1940.

With extensive organizational diagrams, tables and full-colour maps, Order of Battle: German Kriegsmarine in World War II is an attractive, easy-to-use guide to the German navy in World War II. The book is an essential reference for any serious enthusiast of naval warfare in the twentieth century.

Good+ in Good+ Dust Wrapper. Heavy ding to the foot of the spine with a nick to the dust wrapper as a result. Leans slightly. Text complete, clean and tight.

Matching Pictorial boards. 192 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9¾” x 7¾”.

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Boarding Party by James Leasor

Boarding Party by James Leasor lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: William Heinemann, 1978, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Maps;

From the cover: In late 1942, when Allied fortunes stood at their lowest, German U-boats began to decimate shipping in the Indian Ocean. In one month alone they sank 46 ships, a total of 250,000 tons.

These U-boats were guided to their targets by a secret transmitter aboard a German ship which had sought shelter in the neutral harbour in the Portuguese colony of Goa, 400 miles south of Bombay. No action involving regular British forces could be taken against this ship for fear of infringing Portuguese neutrality yet it was imperative to silence this transmitter. The result seemed stalemate until someone remembered that in Calcutta, 1,400 miles away, some civilian merchants, bankers, solicitors and accountants belonged to a part-time territorial unit, The Calcutta Light Horse. They had joined because they liked riding and racing. Military activities were limited to an evening parade once a week and often drinks at the bar constituted this parade. These civilians were asked to volunteer for a task no-one else could undertake at their own risk and expense. If they failed, then the whole episode could be written off as a regrettable drunken prank that misfired.

The date for this strange and desperate assault was March 9th 1943. What happened when 18 middle-aged civilians formed their own boarding party and the astonishing results makes this one of the strangest, funniest and most exciting stories of war in the East,

Introduction by: Earl Mountbatten of Burma

Good+ in Good+ Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper which has a little tanning overall. Leans slightly. Gently bruised at the head, tail and corners of the binding. Previous owners’ inscription to the first blank. Text complete, clean and tight.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [XVI] 204 pages. Index. 8¾” x 5¾”.

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