British Escort Carriers 1941–45

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472836243
Total Pages : 49 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis British Escort Carriers 1941–45 by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book British Escort Carriers 1941–45 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-09-19 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1941, as the Battle of the Atlantic raged and ship losses mounted, the British Admiralty desperately tried to find ways to defeat the U-Boat threat to Britain's maritime lifeline. Facing a shortage of traditional aircraft carriers and shore-based aircraft, the Royal Navy, as a stopgap measure, converted merchant ships into small 'escort carriers'. These were later joined by a growing number of American-built escort carriers, sent as part of the Lend-Lease agreement. The typical Escort Carrier was small, slow and vulnerable, but it could carry about 18 aircraft, which gave the convoys a real chance to detect and sink dangerous U-Boats. Collectively, their contribution to an Allied victory was immense, particularly in the long and gruelling campaigns fought in the Atlantic and Arctic. Illustrated throughout with detailed full-colour artwork and contemporary photographs, this fascinating study explores in detail how these adaptable ships had such an enormous impact on the outcome of World War II's European Theatre.

Escort Carrier, 1941-1945

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 218 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Escort Carrier, 1941-1945 by : Kenneth Poolman

Download or read book Escort Carrier, 1941-1945 written by Kenneth Poolman and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indhold: Fighters for the Convoys; Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier; A Little Audacity; Shakedown Cruise; The Avenger Convoy; Trials of a BAVG; The North American Run; The New Wave; In the Bay; Sorties in the Sun; New Brooms in the Atlantic; The Twilight of the Wolf Packs; "The utmost resolution"; A Season Ticket to Kola; Atlantic Finale; Hotbed in the Arctic

British Escort Carriers 1941-45

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781472836274
Total Pages : 49 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (362 download)

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Book Synopsis British Escort Carriers 1941-45 by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book British Escort Carriers 1941-45 written by Angus Konstam and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

British Escort Carriers 1941–45

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472836251
Total Pages : 49 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis British Escort Carriers 1941–45 by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book British Escort Carriers 1941–45 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-09-17 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the fully-illustrated story of the Royal Navy's escort carriers which battled against deadly U-Boats during the Battle of the Atlantic, giving vital air cover to the convoys that kept Britain alive in World War II. In 1941, as the Battle of the Atlantic raged and ship losses mounted, the British Admiralty desperately tried to find ways to defeat the U-Boat threat to Britain's maritime lifeline. Facing a shortage of traditional aircraft carriers and shore-based aircraft, the Royal Navy, as a stopgap measure, converted merchant ships into small “escort carriers.” These were later joined by a growing number of American-built escort carriers, sent as part of the Lend-Lease agreement. The typical Escort Carrier was small, slow and vulnerable, but it could carry about 18 aircraft, which gave the convoys a real chance to detect and sink dangerous U-Boats. Collectively, their contribution to an Allied victory was immense, particularly in the long and grueling campaigns fought in the Atlantic and Arctic. Illustrated throughout with detailed full-color artwork and contemporary photographs, this fascinating study explores in detail how these adaptable ships had such an enormous impact on the outcome of World War II's European Theater.

British Frigates and Escort Destroyers 1939–45

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472858123
Total Pages : 93 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis British Frigates and Escort Destroyers 1939–45 by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book British Frigates and Escort Destroyers 1939–45 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-06-22 with total page 93 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the small, mass-produced warships that defended the Atlantic convoys from U-boats and secured Britain's lifeline to the United States. As the Battle of the Atlantic grew fiercer, Britain and the Commonwealth needed large quantities of new warships to defend their shipping which could be produced cheaply. The two largest type of ship produced were the escort destroyer and the frigate. Escort destroyers were essentially small destroyers optimized for anti-submarine warfare, with speed and anti-surface weaponry sacrificed, while frigates were simpler, designed so they could be built quickly in civilian shipyards. Nearly 200 were built. These warships were key to protecting convoys in the Atlantic Ocean where their range and seagoing qualities made them well-suited for operations. They were also used to form hunting groups, and collectively accounted for the destruction of scores of German U-boats. Their arrival came at a critical time for the Royal Navy, when the Battle of the Atlantic was reaching its climax, and losses among both merchant ships and escorts were mounting. In this book, naval expert Angus Konstam outlines the history of the Hunt-, Loch-, Bay-, and River-class escort destroyers and frigates, revealing how crews fought, and what life was like on board. Using archive photos, detailed colour profiles, a Hunt-class cutaway, and battlescenes of the ships at war, he explores the key role played by these small but deadly escorts.

British Aircraft Carriers 1945–2010

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472856899
Total Pages : 84 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis British Aircraft Carriers 1945–2010 by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book British Aircraft Carriers 1945–2010 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-04-27 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The history of the Royal Navy flagships that led the fleet through the Cold War, ensured victory in the Falklands War, and saw action in Iraq and the Balkans. In 1945, at the end of World War II, the Royal Navy's carrier fleet proved essential to the post-war world. Royal Navy carriers fought in the Korean War with the UN fleet, in the debacle at Suez, and in British operations in the last days of Empire, in Malaya, Borneo and Aden. But most famously, they were the key to the Royal Navy's victory in the Falklands campaign, and they went on to fight in the two Iraq wars. Illustrated throughout with new profiles of the key carriers and their development, as well as a cutaway of HMS Victorious and superb new illustrations of the carriers in action, this book explains how the Royal Navy's air power changed throughout the Cold War and beyond. Renowned naval historian Angus Konstam explains how the World War II carriers were rebuilt in a pioneering modernization that allowed them to operate a new generation of naval jets. As carriers became more expensive to operate, the Royal Navy had to scrap its conventional fast jets and introduce a new generation of light carriers designed for the innovative Harrier 'jump jet'. When the Falklands War broke out, it was one of these new carriers and one veteran carrier from World War II that gave the Task Force the fighters it needed to defend itself in hostile waters and retake the islands. Covering a period of dramatic change for the Royal Navy, this book is a history of the Royal Navy's most important ships throughout the Cold War, the retreat from Empire, and the Falklands and Iraq wars, up to the moment Royal Navy fixed-wing air power was temporarily axed in 2010.

A Bibliography of British History, 1914-1989

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780198224969
Total Pages : 962 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (249 download)

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Book Synopsis A Bibliography of British History, 1914-1989 by : Keith Robbins

Download or read book A Bibliography of British History, 1914-1989 written by Keith Robbins and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 962 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Containing over 25,000 entries, this unique volume will be absolutely indispensable for all those with an interest in Britain in the twentieth century. Accessibly arranged by theme, with helpful introductions to each chapter, a huge range of topics is covered. There is a comprehensiveindex.

British Lend-Lease Warships 1940–45

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472861256
Total Pages : 107 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis British Lend-Lease Warships 1940–45 by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book British Lend-Lease Warships 1940–45 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-07-18 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An illustrated history of the American-built destroyers and frigates supplied to the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease, which played a crucial role in Britain's war in the Atlantic. As U-boat attacks on Britain's vital sea lanes increased in ferocity, and Royal Navy warship losses mounted, the United States passed the Lend-Lease Act, the cornerstone of America's wartime role as armourer to the Allies. Naval historian Angus Konstam here offers an account of the Royal Navy's Lend-Lease destroyers and escorts. The first batch were 50 World War I-era 'four-stacker' destroyers, in a deal sealed by the transfer of several global British bases to the USA. These warships were immediately recrewed, refitted and pressed into service in the Battle of the Atlantic. These ageing destroyers were followed by over a hundred more Lend-Lease warships, many of which were built especially for British service in American shipyards. Their arrival helped tip the balance in the hard-fought war against the U-boats, while others were used to fulfil other crucial wartime missions. With detailed ship profiles of the major classes, a cutaway of HMS Campbeltown (of Saint-Nazaire raid fame) as it appeared in 1941, and superb battlescene artwork, this is a comprehensive look at a crucial aspect of the Battle of the Atlantic.

US Navy Destroyer Escorts of World War II

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472839757
Total Pages : 49 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis US Navy Destroyer Escorts of World War II by : Mark Lardas

Download or read book US Navy Destroyer Escorts of World War II written by Mark Lardas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-11-26 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Destroyer Escort was the smallest ocean-­going escort built for the United States Navy – a downsized destroyer with less speed, fewer guns, and fewer torpedoes than its big brother, the fleet destroyer. Destroyer escorts first went into production because the Royal Navy needed an escort warship which was larger than a corvette, but which could be built faster than a destroyer. Lacking the shipyards to build these types of ships in Britain, they ordered them in the US. Once the US unexpectedly entered World War II, its navy suddenly also needed more escort warships, even warships less capable than destroyers, and the destroyer escort was reluctantly picked to fill the gap. Despite the Navy's initial reservations, these ships did yeoman service during World War II, fighting in both the Atlantic and Pacific, taking on both U-boat and Japanese submarines and serving as the early warning pickets against kamikazes later in the war. They also participated in such dramatic actions as the Battle of Samar (where a group of destroyers and destroyer escorts fought Japanese battleships and cruisers to protect the escort carriers they were shielding) and the capture of the U-505 (the only major naval vessel captured at sea by the US Navy). The destroyer escorts soldiered on after World War II in both the United States Navy and a large number of navies throughout the world, with several serving into the twenty-first century. This book tells the full story of these plucky ships, from their design and development to their service around the world, complete with stunning illustrations and contemporary photographs.

The Allied Air Campaign Against Hitler's U-boats

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Author :
Publisher : Frontline Books
ISBN 13 : 1399096508
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis The Allied Air Campaign Against Hitler's U-boats by : Timothy S. Good

Download or read book The Allied Air Campaign Against Hitler's U-boats written by Timothy S. Good and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2022-09-15 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No weapon platform sank more U-boats in the Second World War than the Allied aircraft. Whether it was an American ’plane operating from American escort carriers, US aircraft from Royal Air Force bases, or British aircraft from bases throughout the world, these officers and men became the most decisive factor in turning the tide of the Battle of the Atlantic against the German submarine threat. While the German crews could threaten escort vessels with torpedoes, or avoid them by remaining submerged, their leaders never developed an effective strategy against aircraft. However, the Allied aircraft did not enjoy much early success. British, Canadian and Australian air crews that fought the U-boats from 1939 until 1941 achieved few triumphs. They possessed neither the aircraft nor the bases necessary to deliver consistent lethal attacks against German submarines. In 1941, the Royal Air Force finally began implementing an effective aircraft response when it initiated training on the American-built Consolidated B-24 Liberators. Supported by other types then in service, these four-engine bombers would prove to be decisive. With America’s entry into the war, the United States Navy and the United States Army Air Forces also began employing Liberators against the U-boats so that by mid-1943, the Admiral Karl Dönitz, commander of U-boat forces, withdrew his submarines from the North Atlantic in recognition of the Allied aircraft’s new dominance. From Dönitz’s retreat to the end of the war, Allied aircraft continued to dominate the U-boat battle as it shifted to other areas including the Bay of Biscay. Dönitz eventually ordered his U-boats to remain on the surface and engage Allied aircraft as opposed to submerging. This approach did lead to the demise of some Allied aircraft, but it also resulted in even more U-boat being sunk. Most critically, Dönitz acknowledged with his new policy that he knew of no tactics or weapons that would defend his submarines from Allied aircraft. In the end, it was a matter of choosing whether his submariners would die submerged or die surfaced. Either way, Allied aircraft prevailed. The Allied Air Campaign Against Hitler’s U-Boats is the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of this most crucial battle which helped turn the Battle of the Atlantic irrevocably in favour of the Allies.

British Aircraft Carriers 1939–45

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782008411
Total Pages : 78 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (82 download)

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Book Synopsis British Aircraft Carriers 1939–45 by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book British Aircraft Carriers 1939–45 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With war against Germany looming, Britain pushed forward its carrier program in the late 1930s. In 1938, the Royal Navy launched the HMS Ark Royal, its first-ever purpose-built aircraft carrier. This was quickly followed by others, including the highly-successful Illustrious class. Smaller and tougher than their American cousins, the British carriers were designed to fight in the tight confines of the North Sea and the Mediterranean. Over the next six years, these carriers battled the Axis powers in every theatre, attacking Italian naval bases, hunting the Bismark, and even joining the fight in the Pacific. This book tells the story of the small, but resilient, carriers and the crucial role they played in the British war effort.

Critical Convoy Battles of WWII

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Publisher : Stackpole Books
ISBN 13 : 0811716554
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (117 download)

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Book Synopsis Critical Convoy Battles of WWII by : Jürgen Rohwer

Download or read book Critical Convoy Battles of WWII written by Jürgen Rohwer and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2015-11-15 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Remarkable...a feat of historical reconstruction."—Paul Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous campaign of World War II, climaxed in 1943, when Germany came closest to interrupting Allied supply lines and perhaps winning the war. In March of that year, German U-boats scored their last great triumph, destroying nearly 150,000 tons of supplies and fuel. • Blow-by-blow account of the largest convoy battle of the war • Analyzes the tactics, technology, and intelligence of both sides

German and Italian Aircraft Carriers of World War II

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 147284677X
Total Pages : 49 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis German and Italian Aircraft Carriers of World War II by : Ryan K. Noppen

Download or read book German and Italian Aircraft Carriers of World War II written by Ryan K. Noppen and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-05-26 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fully illustrated study details Germany and Italy's failed development of World War II aircraft carriers, and the naval aviation ships that the two Axis powers sent into action in their place. The quest for a modern aircraft carrier was the ultimate symbol of the Axis powers' challenge to Allied naval might, but fully-fledged carriers proved either too difficult, expensive or politically unpopular for either to make operational. After the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935, Hitler publicly stated his intention to build an aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, which was launched in 1938. A year later, the ambitious fleet-expansion Z-Plan, was unveiled with two additional aircraft carriers earmarked for production . However, by the beginning of World War II, Graf Zeppelin was not yet completed and work was halted. Further aircraft carrier designs and conversion projects such as the ocean liner Europa and heavy cruiser Seydlitz were considered but, in January 1943, all construction work on surface vessels ceased and naval resources were diverted to the U-boat Campaign. This book explains not only the history of Germany's famous Graf Zeppelin fleet carrier and German carrier conversion projects but also Italy's belated attempt to convert two of her ocean liners into carriers. It considers the role of naval aviation in the two countries' rearmament programmes and describes how ultimately it was only Italian seaplane carriers and German ocean-going, catapult-equipped flying boat carriers that both Axis powers did eventually send into combat.

The Convoy

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472857704
Total Pages : 291 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis The Convoy by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book The Convoy written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-10-26 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Convoy represents a fresh approach to the story of the Battle of the Atlantic. It is also the first to deal with the more spectacular story of HG-76, a major turning point in the naval war. HG-76 sailed from Gibraltar to Britain in December 1941 and was specially targeted by the Germans. A wolfpack of U-boats was sent against it, and the Luftwaffe was heavily committed too in a rare example of German inter-service cooperation. German intelligence agents in Gibraltar and Spain also knew every detail of HG-76 before it had even sailed, seemingly stacking the odds in favour of the Kriegsmarine. Despite this the convoy fought its way through. Improved radar and sonar gave the convoy's escorts a slight edge over their opponents, while the escort group was led by Commander Walker, an anti-submarine expert who had developed new, aggressive U-boat hunting tactics. Previous Gibraltar convoys had been mauled by Luftwaffe bombers operating from French airfields. This time, though, HG-76 would be accompanied by HMS Audacity, the Royal Navy's first escort carrier – a new type of warship purpose-built to defend convoys from enemy aircraft and U-boats. Following seven days and nights of relentless attack, the horrors of which are brought home through a series of first-hand accounts, the convoy finally reached the safety of a British port for the loss of only two merchant ships. Its arrival was seen as the first real convoy victory of the war. Brought to life by expert naval historian Angus Konstam, The Convoy combines the story of the technical and tactical developments that won the Battle of the Atlantic for the Allies along with a narrative that reveals both the terror and the stubborn determination that defined the experiences of those that served on convoy duties.

The Defeat of the Enemy Attack upon Shipping, 1939–1945

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429620101
Total Pages : 612 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (296 download)

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Book Synopsis The Defeat of the Enemy Attack upon Shipping, 1939–1945 by : Eric J. Grove

Download or read book The Defeat of the Enemy Attack upon Shipping, 1939–1945 written by Eric J. Grove and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-08-21 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book was originally published in 1957. During the First World War, German use of unrestricted submarine warfare, supported by extensive mining and surface raids, very nearly forced Britain out of the war in 1917. The island’s heavy dependence on seaborne supplies was gravely threatened again in 1939, supplemented this time by air attacks on shipping. After the war, Commanders Waters and Barley wrote a Naval Staff History which has long been recognised as an authoritative study of the impact of the German campaign and its ultimate defeat by Britain and her allies. It remains an indispensable basis for any serious study of the Battle of the Atlantic and has here been updated and revised by Dr Grove, who also contributes a perceptive introduction outlining its significance.

USS Bogue

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Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 1476649529
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (766 download)

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Book Synopsis USS Bogue by : David Lee Russell

Download or read book USS Bogue written by David Lee Russell and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-08-22 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designed to locate and sink German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic, the escort carrier USS Bogue (CVE-9) became the most successful Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) carrier of World War II. This book covers the construction and commissioning of the Bogue, as well as the deployment of Naval Aviation composite squadrons that launched missions from the flight deck. Day-to-day operations are chronicled in comprehensive detail, along with developments in ASW tactics and the breaking of Germany's Enigma Naval Code, which enabled U.S. Navy forces in the Atlantic to take the offensive.

US Navy Escort Carriers 1942–45

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472818121
Total Pages : 49 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis US Navy Escort Carriers 1942–45 by : Mark Stille

Download or read book US Navy Escort Carriers 1942–45 written by Mark Stille and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-10-19 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While not as famous as their larger and faster sister ships such as the Essex- and Yorktown-class carriers, escort carriers made an enormous contribution towards Allied victory both in the Pacific and Atlantic theatres. Rather than relying on size or speed, it was their sheer numbers that made them so effective. Indeed, the Casablanca-class escort carrier was the most-produced aircraft carrier in history. In partnership with the Royal Navy, they provided the backbone of Allied anti-submarine efforts in the Atlantic, finally and irrevocably turning the tide of the war against the U-boats in 1943. In the Pacific, they provided the air cover for the series of landings which led to the doorstep of Japan by 1945. These robust ships faced submarine, air, and even surface threats from the Japanese, but proved able to contend with everything thrown their way. Fully illustrated with contemporary photographs and unique specially commissioned artwork, this book shines a new light on these unjustly overlooked workhorses of the US Navy – ships that helped usher in the Allied victory over the Axis powers in the Atlantic and Pacific.