Classe Deutschland - Kriegsmarine : livres

German Pocket Battleships 1939-45 - 'Deutschland', 'Admiral Graf Spee' and 'Admiral Scheer' (Osprey)

After the end of World War I, the German Navy came up with the concept of the Panzerschiffe, or Pocket Battleship, as a method of circumventing treaty limitations on the size and types of ship Germany was permitted to build.
New, more modern production methods, where welded construction prevailed over the older riveting process, were combined with the development of modern engines capable of fast speeds and a very powerful armament, far superior to that on any enemy Cruisers.

This book covers these three sister ships, the 'Deutschland', the 'Admiral Graf Spee' and the 'Admiral Scheer', which formed the core of the Kriegsmarine's fighting power at the start of World War II.

Contents: Introduction - Design and Development - Operational History - The Variants - Further Reading - Colour plate commentary - Index.

Pocket Battleships of the Deutschland Class (Warships of the Kriegsmarine)

This volume covers the three ships of a design so revolutionary that it defied conventional categories. Deutschland (later renamed Lützow), Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee were simply termed Panzerschiffe (armoured ships) by the Germans, but they were known to their opponents by the far more evocative term Pocket Battleships.

This book belongs to a series of six volumes "Warships of the Kriegsmarine", written by Gerhard Koop and illustrated by Klaus-Peter Schmolke. Each contains an account of the development of a particular class, a detailed description of the ships, with full technical details, and an outline of their service, heavily illustrated with plans, battle maps and a substantial collection of photographs.

River Plate 1939 : The Sinking of the Graf Spee (Osprey)

Days before the outbreak of World War II a handful of German commerce raiders put out to sea to prey on Allied merchantmen. Amongst them was the Panzerschiff ('armoured ship') Graf Spee, a formidable warship that boasted the firepower of a battleship but the size, speed and range of a cruiser.

When World War II commenced, under the command of Captain Langsdorff the Graf Spee began a hunting spree across the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean that eventual took her to the River Plate in search of her next victim - an Allied convoy.
Instead she found three Royal Navy cruisers under the command of Commodore Harwood, eager to put an end to the 'pocket battleship' that had been terrorizing Allied merchant ships.

Featuring full colour artwork, archive photographs and meticulous research, this comprehensive volume explores the thrilling story behind the Battle of the River Plate, an engagement that unquestionably demonstrated the effectiveness of British seapower and diplomacy on an international stage.

Contents: Origins of the Campaign - Opposing Commanders - Opposing Fleets - Opposing Plans - Campaign - Battle - Action - Aftermath - Conclusion - Vessels today - Chronology - Bibliography.