Lardas, Mark/Groult, Edouard A. (Illustr.) US Liberty Ship vs German Surface Raider

The Battle of the Atlantic 1942

When the United States entered the Second World War, the Battle of the Atlantic was already raging. The so-called Liberty Ships, which were built at breakneck speed and in large numbers between 1941 and 1945, were crucial to the Allied war effort. While the German auxiliary cruisers achieved their greatest successes between 1939 and 1941, this book describes how one of these ingenious warships, the Stier, encountered the Liberty ship Stephen Hopkins in an epic duel between two ships on 27 September 1942. The Stephen Hopkins was equipped with a 4-inch gun, two 37-mm guns and six machine guns, all of which were primarily used for anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defence. The Stier had six 150 mm guns, one 75 mm gun, one twin 37 mm gun, four single 20 mm guns, and four 533 mm torpedo tubes. At the end of this highly unequal battle, the Stier had sunk the Stephen Hopkins but was so badly damaged that it had to be scuttled. While this battle has attracted much attention, Mark Lardas examines other clashes between German commerce raiders and Allied Liberty ships in 1942. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and maps, as well as archival photographs, this vivid study explores the important role both types of ships played as the Battle of the Atlantic reached its climax.