Berliner Zinnfiguren/Books & Media/Books/Naval/Great Britain products

Dodson, Aidan: British Light Cruisers of the First World War 39,95 €

Sun, 31 May 2026 18:11:02 +0200

A wholly new kind of cruiser for the Royal Navy, intended to work with the fleet, was developed in 1912. With its first units completed during 1914-15 as the Arethusa class, the concept was developed during the war years through the 'C' and 'D' classes, culminating in the 'E' class, ordered in 1918, and which would be the fastest and most heavily torpedo-armed cruisers ever built for the Navy. Although intended for North Sea service, during the postwar years the survivors would be deployed all over the world, and play a significant role in every theatre of the Second World War. Today, one of their number, HMS Caroline, still survives, the last British ship left to have fought at Jutland. They were indeed valiant ships.
This new book explains their origins and technical development, their many modifications, and service in war and peace. During the First World War they were in the thick of the battles in the North Sea, before Cardiffhad the honour of leading the High Seas Fleet into internment. Service against the Bolsheviks in the Baltic was followed by the routine of the peacetime navy, and then progressive disposals, before growing war clouds halted scrappings and initiated conversions into highly capable anti-aircraft ships.
They were in the thick of the fighting during the first years of the Second World War, while Coventry went on to become the Royal Navy's top-scoring anti-aircraft ship; but they suffered horrific losses, especially in the Mediterranean. Peace brought the curtain down on three decades of service, and all survivors passed to the shipbreakers during 1946-48, except for Caroline.
The author has drawn both on archival and published material, and the book is extensively illustrated with photographs and drawings, covering all the significant changes in the ships' appearances and armament during their long careers. It also provides a unique documentation of the guns and mountings fitted in the ships over their lives.

Dunn, Steve R.: Coal Ship 32,95 €

Wed, 27 May 2026 19:37:38 +0200

The formidable British fleet that enabled the Allied victory in the First World War was one powered largely by coal. Over the course of the preceding century, the burgeoning Industrial Revolutionand the Royal Navy that emerged from its new technologieshad become utterly dependent on those precious "black diamonds." When Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837, ships were still driven entirely by the wind; by the end of her reign, the Navy was already propelled by coal. What transpired in the intervening years forms the core of this book. It is the story of a maritime revolution that eclipsed all those that had come before. The free and inexhaustible wind was supplanted by expensive coal; ships became faster, their offensive power more devastating, and the Royal Navys command of the seasacross the burgeoning British Empirebecame unchallenged. Steve Dunn explores a wide range of themes and facets to demonstrate how coalthe very heart of this revolutioninfluenced every aspect of the Navy. The impact of steam propulsion on shipbuilding; the evolution of seamanship for iron-hulled vessels; the establishment of coaling stations across the globe; the mining and transport of coal; that deeply detested chorecoaling the ships; and the challenges of working in the hellish heat of the engine roomsthese are just a few of the topics illuminated here, spanning both peacetime and war. By focusing on the human as well as the technological dimensions of the narrative, *Coal Ship!* offers fascinating insights into every corner of the Navy during the long era of *Pax Britannica* and the First World War. At the outbreak of that conflict, Britains coal reserves enabled the Royal Navy to safeguard British maritime trade. The book details how, in times of war, coal transports were transformed into warships, and sheds light on the social impact of the conflict on the coal mining industryconsequences that repeatedly led to labor disputes and, ultimately, to nationalization. It examines the challenges involved in fueling the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow and describes how coal became a weapon used to enforce the blockade of Germany. At the heart of this narrative lie the "black diamonds"the key element behind the Royal Navy's undisputed supremacy; this book tells that very far-reaching and captivating story.

Jones, Peter: Salt in his Veins 39,95 €

Wed, 13 May 2026 07:05:07 +0200

Vice-Admiral Sir Albert "Patsy" Poland (18951967) hailed from a distinguished naval family and looked back on an eventful career spanning two world wars. Poland spent the majority of the First World War aboard the battlecruiser *New Zealand*, participating in the actions in the Heligoland Bight and on the Dogger Bank, as well as the Battle of Jutland. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for commanding a torpedo boat during the raid on Ostend. After the war, Poland served in the Russian Civil War and subsequently commanded gunboats in China and destroyers in the Mediterranean. Poland's service during the Second World War proved even more eventful. The historian Donald Macintyre described him as the most frequently bombed officer in the Royal Navy. During the Norwegian Campaign, he commanded the sloop *Black Swan*, which, despite being subjected to heavy bombing, miraculously survived the ordeal. As one of Admiral Andrew Cunningham's closest confidants, Poland directed naval supply operations for besieged Tobruk and subsequently led the renowned 14th Destroyer Flotilla in the Second Battle of Sirte. At the end of the war, Poland accepted the surrender of Japanese forces at Sabang. By tracing the trajectory of such a career, the book *Salt in His Veins* recountsin vivid detailsome of the Royal Navy's greatest triumphs and most severe tribulations of the 20th century.

Miller, William H.: Picture Encyclopedia of Passenger Ships 1955 32,95 €

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:50:10 +0200

The year 1955 marked the zenith of the passenger shipping boom. The Second World War had ended a decade earlier; economic life had returned to normal, global markets had reopened, and demand for commercial and transport shipping was high. The *Picture Encyclopedia of Passenger Ships 1955* is an international directory of the world's passenger vessels and their services during that peak yeara time when one could still travel from Liverpool to Valparaíso, from Genoa to Cape Town, or from Hong Kong to San Francisco. The volume features over 150 ships, supplemented by photographs, itineraries, and essential technical specifications; it covers all the major shipping lines of the 1950s, as well as their routes to every corner of the globe.

Sterne, Gary: Slapton Sands 38,95 €

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:10:07 +0200

In April 1944, just before the Normandy landings, a convoy of American landing craft sailed along the south coast of England. In the dead of night, German torpedo boats attacked, and within minutes ships were sunk, hundreds of US soldiers were dead, and the Allies suffered their heaviest losses in the lead-up to the invasion. The tragedy was quickly buried under the secrecy laws of wartime, but rumors persisted for decades. Were all the bodies recovered? Or did some of the missing remain hidden, buried in the fields of Dorset? Author Gary Sterne has spent years uncovering hidden truths about the Normandy campaign. A chance encounter with a veteran put him on the trail of the Slapton Sands mystery. Through meticulous research and the discovery of long-forgotten British, American, and German documents, he has reconstructed the events of that night in unprecedented detail. For the first time, the fate of all those missing is revealedtheir names and what truly happened to them. This work solves an 80-year-old mystery and sheds new light on one of the most tragic and mysterious episodes of the Second World War.

Raebel, Geoffrey W.: Sink the Tirpitz 31,95 €

Tue, 12 May 2026 07:00:12 +0200

The war hung in the balance. In the Pacific, the Japanese had suffered their first major defeat at Midway, and the German advance into the heart of Russia had stalled at Stalingrad. But if the Germans managed to break through into the Caucasus and capture its vital oil fields, the Soviets faced a crushing defeat. It was crucial that the convoys from Great Britain battle their way through the Arctic to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk to deliver vital supplies to the Russians. But lurking in the Norwegian fjords was Germany's last major battleship, the Tirpitz. With her eight 38 cm guns, the Tirpitz posed a constant threat to shipping in northern waters, and when it was feared that the battleship would attack Convoy PQ 17, the order was given to disperse the convoy. This was a fateful decision that resulted in the loss of 24 merchant ships. It was therefore of utmost importance that the next convoy PQ 18 reached Russia. Thus, the flotilla of forty merchant ships was escorted by a whole fleet of fifty-one warships. This fleet included an anti-aircraft cruiser, twenty-one destroyers, two anti-aircraft ships, two submarines, and an aircraft carrier. Air cover was provided by RAF Catalina flying boats and RAF Coastal Command Handley Page Hampdens. The Hampden torpedo bombers of No. 144 Squadron RAF and No. 455 Squadron RAAF were transferred from Scotland to the Red Air Force airfield at Vayenga, near Murmansk. This placed the aircraft within range of Tirpitz's hiding place in Altafjord. Upon receiving word that Tirpitz had left the protection of the fjord, the Hampdens took off. Although no contact was made with the battleship, the presence of the twenty-three bombers deterred the Germans from risking their prestigious warship. PQ 18 reached Arkhangelsk safely on September 21, 1942. The story of this unique operation, linked to "The Great Escape," is told here by Geoffrey W. Raebel, son of the surviving chief engineer of 455 Squadron. The book is the result of thirty years of research and relies largely on the personal accounts of the men involved in this historic undertaking. It is supplemented by rarely seen photographs of the Coastal Command, previously unpublished German photographs, and the complete story of the discovery and recovery of one of the bombers involved.

Southby-Tailyour, Ewen: Amphibious Warfare Post WWII 39,95 €

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:05:10 +0200

This is a collection of essays and articles the author wrote for various military publications during his 32 years of service. After his retirement, as editor of "Jane's Amphibious and Special Forces," he was able to express his opinions and views much more openly. As a recognized expert on amphibious operations, much of what he has to say remains relevant and groundbreaking today. The author also describes his time as a European Community observer in the former Yugoslavia (from which he resigned after being ordered to falsify his daily reports to Brussels) and his experiences as a company commander during the Dhofar War.

Watters, Stephen J.: Aircraft Carrier Furious 39,95 €

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:00:10 +0200

The aircraft carrier HMS Furious was perhaps the most important ship in the development of naval aviation. It was effectively the testing ground for carrier-based aviation, which emerged during the First World War and achieved naval supremacy in the Second World War. During its highly experimental deployment, it underwent several modifications. The story of its design, its missions and its crucial role in the advancement of carrier aviation is told in detail in this book. The Furious was originally designed as a large light cruiser or battlecruiser, one of the Fisher children, with two 18-inch guns, minimal armour and a planned top speed of 32 knots. However, even before its completion, it was converted and given a large hangar and a flight deck in the bow, replacing one of its guns. In this configuration, it performed the first landing of an aircraft on a moving aircraft carrier, carried out by Squadron Leader Dunning. Further modifications led to the addition of a 300-foot landing deck aft, and in this form she launched the first carrier attack on the Zeppelin hangars at Tondern in Denmark in 1915. After further redesign and refitting, she became a flat-deck carrier in 1925, and in this form, with further development in 1938-39, she served until September 1944. The author emphasises that it was not only an extremely important experimental platform for the Fleet Air Arm between the wars, but also served with distinction during the Second World War, first in the Norway campaign and later, for example, in the attack on the Tirpitz in 1944. The following year, it was decommissioned, but its legacy lived on in the large fleet aircraft carriers that emerged after the war. The story of this remarkable ship is told here in a concise and easy-to-read text, aided by an excellent collection of ship plans and photographs, and is sure to become an invaluable reference work for naval enthusiasts, students of early naval aviation and ship model builders alike.

McCullough, Joseph A./Ameen, Hazem (Illustr.): Warriors of Athena: Quests 29,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:40:09 +0200

A solo/cooperative war game full of heroism and adventure in the realms of Greek mythology. In an age of monsters, humanity is under siege and seeks refuge in isolated city-states, while the forces of destruction ravage the land. However, there is a glimmer of hopethe demigods. These heroes, born of the gods and endowed with some of the power of their divine parents, stand firm against the chaos. As explorers, warriors, and diplomats, they sail across the wine-red sea, seeking adventure, fighting terrible creatures, and protecting the helpless. Warriors of Athena can be played in three ways: solo, where a brave hero leads their crew into the unknown; cooperatively, where heroes join forces in a grand expedition; or with one player taking on the role of the Oracle, designing scenarios and presenting the heroes with challenges they must overcome. This Quests book contains the rules necessary for adventures in the world of Warriors of Athena, including an extensive bestiary of gods, monsters, and other adversaries. It also includes tips for players who want to create their own solo, cooperative, or Oracle adventures, as well as four campaigns with multiple scenarios that allow them to jump right into the action! To get the most out of this book, players will also need the game rules, hero creation rules, and warrior squad building rules from Warriors of Athena: Heroes.

McCullough, Joseph A./Ameen, Hazem (Illustr.): Warriors of Athena: Heroes 29,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:40:09 +0200

A solo/cooperative war game full of heroism and adventure in the realms of Greek mythology. In an age of monsters, humanity is under siege and seeks refuge in isolated city-states, while the forces of destruction ravage the land. However, there is a glimmer of hopethe demigods. These heroes, born of the gods and endowed with some of the power of their divine parents, stand firm against the chaos. As explorers, warriors, and diplomats, they sail across the wine-red sea, seeking adventure, fighting terrible creatures, and protecting the helpless. Warriors of Athena can be played in three ways: solo, where a brave hero leads their crew into the unknown; cooperatively, where heroes join forces in a grand expedition; or with one player taking on the role of the Oracle, designing scenarios and presenting the heroes with challenges they must overcome. This Heroes book contains all the basic rules needed to play Warriors of Athena. Thanks to the simple D20-based mechanics, the rules are quick to learn, while an extensive selection of character options, from weapons and armor to divine origins, abilities, and treasures to discover, make your heroes your own. Create your demigod, assemble their loyal crew, and set sail across the dangerous Aegean Sea to forge a legend! To get the most out of this book, players will also need the rules for scenarios and opponents from Warriors of Athena: Quests.

Walter, Brian E.: The Longest Campaign 16,95 €

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:35:16 +0200

A comprehensive and balanced account of the naval battles in the Atlantic. For four centuries, the British Empire relied on its naval power to defend its interests and independence against a multitude of military and economic threats. During this period, the Royal Navy established itself as the ruler of the seas and helped transform England, and later Great Britain, from an inconspicuous island nation on the edge of the European continent into the centre of a global empire. But the outbreak of the Second World War presented the British naval forces with their greatest challenge to date. The survival of the nation was at stake. The Longest Campaign tells the story of this struggle and the indispensable role that British naval power played in achieving the victory that shaped the world we live in today. It is a complete, balanced and detailed account of the activities, results and significance of the British naval forces in the Atlantic and off the north-west coast of Europe during the Second World War. It considers the entire spectrum of naval warfare and examines the contribution of all those involved, including the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the British merchant navy, as well as their counterparts in the Commonwealth. It places naval warfare in the context of the overall war effort and shows how the various operations and campaigns were intertwined. Finally, it provides a unique analysis of the effectiveness of the British naval forces and their role in achieving the final Allied victory.

Cumming, Anthony: Unsung Hero of the Falklands War 31,95 €

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:35:16 +0200

Commodore Michael Clapp's contribution was overlooked in comparison to the other high-ranking commanders in the Falkland Islands, and it is time to rectify this. Although Clapp commanded the Amphibious Task Group and was responsible for Operation Sutton, the successful landing at San Carlos, he was overlooked for promotions and instead snubbed on several occasions, including by not being given a seat at the tables of honour at public events celebrating this impressive victory. Unfortunately, his superiors in the navy showed no interest in learning the lessons of the war's amphibious operations, preferring instead to focus on supporting the army in a possible conflict with the Soviet Union in Europe. Michael Clapp's career illustrates many of the destructive effects of rivalry between the armed forces, and the author asks whether the military has now lost interest in amphibious operations in their purest form. This highly readable and controversial work covers Clapp's remarkable career, which included active service in Korea, the Cyprus crisis and the Indonesia-Malaya confrontation, where he earned a reputation for decisive action. He was an observer and squadron commander in the Fleet Air Arm, took command of several warships and served in staff positions, where he played a decisive role in the introduction of the famous Sea Harrier V/STOL fighter aircraft, before being appointed Commodore Amphibious Warfare.

Hyland, Dustin Dean: Unsinkable Lights 31,95 €

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:35:16 +0200

From the sinking of the Titanic to the heroic rescue at Dunkirk, Charles H. Lightoller's life was anything but ordinary. Unsinkable Lights tells the gripping story of a man who survived four shipwrecks, raging storms, a pandemic, a revolution in South America, being stranded on a desert island, and two world wars. An orphan who was drawn to the sea from the age of 13, Lightoller's early adventures took him around the world, from deserted islands to gold rush expeditions in the Canadian wilderness. Then, in 1912, as the highest-ranking surviving officer of the Titanic, he saved countless lives and narrowly escaped death himself three times in one night. When World War I began, he continued his daring exploits and sank a German submarine. During World War II, he set sail for Dunkirk on his motor yacht, the Sundowner, to rescue members of the British Expeditionary Force. Although the Sundowner was only designed to carry about 20 people, Lightoller's yacht dodged enemy bombs and shells to rescue 127 soldiers from France. Unsinkable Lights is a thrilling story of courage, survival and an unbreakable spirit, with previously unpublished details and the definitive biography of a man who truly earned his place in history.

Norman, Anthony: The Loss of HMS Hood 28,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:40:09 +0200

In 1941, the battlecruiser HMS Hood was the largest and fastest warship in the British Navy, with a length of 860 feet, a width of 105 feet, a displacement of 48,360 tonnes (fully loaded) and a maximum speed of 32 knots. And yet, on 24 May 1941, just eight minutes into the battle with the German battleship Bismarck and its escort, the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, HMS Hood, the epitome of British naval power with armament that included eight 15-inch guns, was sunk. When HMS Hood sank into the icy depths of the Atlantic Ocean on 24 May 1941, it took 1,415 brave men with it there were only three survivors and a mystery that has preoccupied seafarers ever since. How could this have happened? HMS Hood seemed invincible, and the hopes of the British Navy in the war rested on its outstanding reputation. Its tragic end was met with disbelief by the nation, and the shockwaves reverberated around the world. Various theories have been put forward to explain its demise, but none of them have been truly satisfactory. Here, these theories are re-evaluated in light of the discovery of the wreck of HMS Hood in 2001. In addition, a new and fascinating theory is proposed.

Don, Gav: One Submarine's secret War against the Axis 31,95 €

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:35:16 +0200

This is the story of a unique submarine and the people who sailed with it in the Mediterranean in 1941. HMS Triumph arrived in the operational area in January 1941, just as 50,000 Allied soldiers were being sent to Greece to repel a German invasion. Within days of their arrival, this army found itself facing 200,000 Germans rushing towards them. A chaotic retreat ensued. Within sixty days, both Greece and Crete had fallen, while Rommel's Afrika Korps had arrived in Libya. The Triumph played an important role both before and after this, bringing secret agents ashore and rescuing refugees, while attacking Rommel's supply lines and the Italian fleet with guns and torpedoes. Among the many fascinating personalities with whom the history of the Triumph is intertwined are the Greek smuggler Harry Grammatikakis and Lieutenant John Atkinson, who was captured in Crete, escaped to Alexandria and returned to Greece as an important agent of the SOE and MI9. His final return to Greece aboard the Triumph ended with his dramatic recapture, trial and execution by firing squad alongside key members of the Greek resistance. Tragically, the story of the Triumph culminates in its disappearance in January 1942 while on its final mission before a promised rest and overhaul. The discovery of her wreck in 2023 has made it possible to reconstruct her final patrol and tragic loss with the entire crew here in unprecedented detail.

Holme, Richard: Shipbreaker Extraordinaire 31,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:40:09 +0200

For many years, anyone travelling to Portsmouth was treated to the surprising sight of warships, submarines and small boats in various stages of dismantling by the roadside. For most people, this fleeting glimpse was all they ever saw of the Pounds family's extraordinary business, which ranged from shipbreaking to the sale of surplus military vehicles. This book tells their story. After starting out in the general scrap business in the 1860s, Pounds began scrapping ships, including German submarines, in 1921. Their proximity to the Royal Dockyard in Portsmouth enabled them to secure Royal Navy vessels, including submarines and frigates, as well as unusual dockyard ships and landing craft. In due course, ships were also purchased from the American and European navies. The focus of the business shifted to trading ships for example, landing craft were resold as ferries, minesweepers were converted into pleasure boats for the Mediterranean, and light vessels were repurposed as floating restaurants. Ships that could not be sold remained in the shipyard for many years some Victorian ships remained until well into the 1970s and beyond but Pounds was also aware of the historical significance of the ships in his possession, some of which were donated to heritage organisations for long-term preservation, including, for example, a Japanese Kairu mini-submarine. The Pounds shipyard was a bizarre landscape, and film companies quickly recognised the potential of this unusual backdrop. Perhaps the most notable example was the 1974 film Tommy, in which the Pounds' marker buoys were painted silver to represent giant pinball balls. The fascinating family business Pounds finally closed its doors in 2023. Although visitors were never welcome, the author was allowed to visit and photograph the Pounds shipyard on several occasions. In addition, the Pounds family kindly provided him with business records and their own photographs and discussed many aspects of their history with him. Appendices on military vehicles and a detailed list of all vessels purchased since 1921 complete this comprehensive and authoritative account of an extraordinary enterprise.

Brown, Les: British Anti-Aircraft Cruisers 24,95 €

Wed, 27 May 2026 07:00:07 +0200

A volume from the ShipCraft series. The series provides detailed information on building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Each book is richly illustrated and guides the model builder through a brief history of the subject, highlighting the differences between ships and changes in their appearance over the course of their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage colours with colour profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The section on model building provides an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing the subjects, and offers tips on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photo gallery featuring selected high-quality models in various scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references books, monographs, large-format plans and relevant websites. This volume completes Les Brown's coverage of British cruisers of the Second World War, focusing on ships with a primarily anti-aircraft role. It begins with the innovative conversions of old C-class ships in the interwar period and then moves on to the Dido class, which was not originally designed as anti-aircraft ships but was equipped with a new 5.25-inch multi-purpose gun that made them effective anti-aircraft ships. Also included are the few merchant ships that were converted into cruisers with anti-aircraft standards. With its unparalleled range of visual information paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs this book is simply a great reference for any model builder who sets out to build one of these famous cruisers.

Friedman, Norman: The British Aircraft Carrier 62,95 €

Tue, 12 May 2026 07:00:12 +0200

The Royal Navy ended the Second World War with a large fleet of aircraft carriers and an extensive building programme aimed at producing larger and more powerful ships. Most of these projects were cancelled during the post-war period, and the few that remained were completed much later, leaving the Royal Navy with an ageing and rapidly shrinking fleet. At the same time, the introduction of jet aircraft threatened the future viability of carrier aviation, and only a series of British innovations (the angled deck, the steam catapult and the mirror landing sight) enabled carriers to operate jet aircraft. These British developments, particularly the steam catapult, were crucial to the survival of the US carrier fleet in the post-war period, a fact that is often forgotten. Driven by limited resources, the British continued their innovations and produced the first command aircraft carriers. Later, the Royal Navy played a decisive role in the VSTOL aircraft carrier revolution a response to the cancellation of the design for the large-deck aircraft carrier CVA-01 in 1966. Although the Fleet Air Arm's fleet declined in numbers, the recapture of the Falkland Islands in 1982 would have been impossible without the Sea Harriers of the Hermes and the Invincible. More recently, the tradition of original thinking continues in the radical twin-island arrangement of the Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales now copied by the Chinese and the procurement of F-35 stealth fighter aircraft is once again giving the Royal Navy a powerful air-based naval force. This book covers all aircraft carriers built in Britain after the war, including those in Commonwealth and foreign service, and explains in detail the historical context, both operational and technical, as well as the connection to larger British national interests. It is based largely on declassified official documents from the UK and the US and is richly illustrated with photographs, but also includes official plans from the National Maritime Museum, many of which have never been published before.

Craddock, David: Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon 31,95 €

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:35:16 +0200

Reginald Bacon was no Drake, Hawke or Nelson, but in a naval career spanning four decades and marked by decisive changes for the Royal Navy, he was a central figure among Admiral Jacky Fisher's five best minds in the navy who revolutionised British naval warfare between 1900 and the end of the First World War. This biography traces Bacon's remarkable career, from his service as a fifteen-year-old midshipman aboard Sir Geoffrey Hornby's flagship in the Mediterranean to his three years as commander of the Dover Patrol. A specialist in mines and torpedoes, he was alternately the father of submarine service, the first captain of HMS Dreadnought, and Director of Naval Armaments at the Admiralty before leaving the Royal Navy for five years to head the Coventry Ordnance Works, whose fortunes he fundamentally changed. Having ended the war as Controller of Munition Inventions with the rank of admiral, he reinvented himself as a writer for the next twenty-five years, dividing his time between his homes in Hampshire and Italy. No stranger to controversy after unwittingly becoming embroiled in the bitter feud between Beresford and Fisher in 1909, he vigorously defended Sir John Jellicoe as Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet against accusations that his weak and defensive tactics had deprived the nation of a resounding victory at Jutland. He wrote highly acclaimed biographies of Jacky Fisher and Earl Jellicoe, as well as two novels and two layman's guides to new technologies, the automobile and the radio. His account of his service as commander of the Dover Patrol is considered a classic of naval memoirs and reveals underlying currents of controversial naval doctrines that continue to have an impact today. As war loomed again in the 1930s, he wrote two more books advocating the role of the Royal Navy in wartime. This biography does justice both to the man the most capable and intelligent officer I have ever known, wrote Fleet Admiral Sir Henry Oliver and to his remarkable contribution to so many aspects of naval development at a time of exponential change.

Thomas, Leona J.: Through Ice and Fire 24,95 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:30:23 +0200

On the Russian Arctic convoys in 1942, Leonard H. Thomas kept a secret notebook, from which he later wrote his memoirs. These contained many closely observed details about life aboard his ship, HMS Ulster Queen. He described in detail the hardships they endured as they held their posts, trapped in the engine room, under fire from the air and the sea, able to guess what was happening only from the cacophony of sounds they heard. Thomas recounts how the crew suffered from a terrifying lack of food, extreme cold and the harsh conditions they endured for weeks in Arkhangelsk as the Russian winter approached. There are also insights into the men's morale and moments of levity when their humour kept them going. These stories can now be told because his daughter has compiled them into an account that illustrates the fortitude and bravery of the men who sailed through ice and fire to advance the war so far from home.