Cruisers - Russia / USSR: Books - History and Deployment

Cruisers of the 1st Rank: Avrora, Diana, Pallada

An illustrated monograph dedicated to the story of the construction, building and service of the three Russian sister-ships - the Pallada-class cruisers 'Aurora', 'Diana' and 'Pallada' - commissioned into the Russian Navy in the beginning of the 20th century.
All of them participated in the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 and the first two served in the Baltic Sea during World War One (1914-1918).
The Aurora was involved in the 1917 October Revolution and has been a preserved museum ship, a major tourist attraction in St. Petersburg visited (to date) by 28 million people. She has now been re-commissioned as the honorary flagship of the Russian Navy.

"Cruisers of the 1st Rank" features more than 300 photographs, mostly previously unpublished, and many scale plans including original ones created for this book.
This is a rarely documented aspect of early 20th-century naval history; essential reading for naval enthusiasts and historians, maritime modellers and collectors.

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Soviet Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers (Osprey)

Heavily armed and formidable, guided missile cruisers formed the core of the Soviet Navy during the Cold War. From the last class of conventional Sverdlov-class cruisers through to increasingly complex and formidable missile cruisers, these ships ensured that NATO took the Soviet naval threat seriously.

"Soviet Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers" covers all classes of these impressive warships, from the early Sverdlov through the Kynda, Kresta, Kara and Slava to the enormous Kirov classes.
Together, these vessels marked the apogee of Soviet naval technology and capability and they remain today the largest non-aircraft carrier warships built since 1945.

Containing material previously only available in Russian and fully researched from specialist defence journals, this comprehensive volume examines the design, development, and intended role of these impressive, hi-tech warships, and recounts their dramatic operational history as NATO and Soviet warships faced off against each other during the long Cold War at sea.

Contents: Introduction - Strategic and operational context - Sverdlov class (Project 68bis, Project 70E) - Grosnyy class ('Kynda' - Project 58) - Admiral Zozulya class ('Kresta I' - Project 1134) - Kronstadt class ('Kresta II' - Project 1134A) - Nikolayev class ('Kara' - Project 1134B) - Slava class (Project 1164) - Kirov class (Project 1144) - Operational service: tactics and confrontations - Bibliography - Index.

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Soviet Cruisers 1917-45 - From the October Revolution to World War II (Osprey)

This book presents a history of Soviet cruisers from the October Revolution of 1917 to their combat service in World War II. Military historian Alexander Hill explains the role of cruisers within a navy that operated one of the most varied cruiser fleets of the war.

The Soviet Navy inherited several cruisers from the Imperial Russian fleet and completed two unfinished light cruisers during the 1920s. In the late 1930s it built its first large modern warships, the Kirov class.
In 1940, Nazi Germany sold the unfinished heavy cruiser "Lützow" to the USSR. Another notable vessel was the former imperial yacht "Shtandart", renamed "Marti" and converted into a minelayer, which took part in the defence of Leningrad.

Based largely on Russian-language sources, the book examines how these ships were developed and used, especially in support of Red Army operations. It is illustrated with rare photographs, original artwork, and class profiles, including a cutaway of "Aurora", famous for its role in the October Revolution.

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