Berliner Zinnfiguren/Books & Media/Books/Naval/Russia products

Radziemski, Jan: Soviet Cold War Destroyers 44,95 €

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

With 11 classes and hundreds of units whose tasks ranged from nuclear strikes against NATO ships to air defense and anti-submarine warfare, the Soviet Union's destroyers were among the most numerous and important units of the surface fleet. After Soviet shipbuilding overcame its severe postwar problems, the traditional destroyers of the early Cold War years were replaced over the decades by increasingly powerful guided missile ships. Unlike their NATO counterparts, however, the details of these warships are virtually unknown in the West. In this book, Jan Radziemski, naval historian and expert on the Soviet Navy, presents the first history in English of the fleet's destroyers during the Cold War, concisely assessing the development and construction of each class, their tasks, technology, armament, sensors, and seaworthiness. He also draws on his extensive photo collection and presents more than 600 photos illustrating all classes and subclasses from Project 30 to the latest Sovremenny class. With data tables on the destroyer classes, individual ships, and armament capabilities, this is a guide to the mainstays of the Soviet fleet during the Cold War.

Polmar, Norman: Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies 1946-2026 44,95 €

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:05:14 +0200

After the Second World War, submarines developed into a particularly fearsome weapon, not least due to the use of nuclear propulsion and the development of ship-launched missiles with nuclear warheads. The Soviet Union invested enormous sums in a world-class submarine programme and produced an impressive number of innovative designs. Norman Polmar is a best-selling author and recognised expert in this field. His previous works on Russian and Soviet submarines have been praised by senior officers in the US and Russian navies. Building on his earlier works, this book provides readers with an authoritative English-language history of the post-war submarine forces of the USSR and the Russian Federation. It contains more than 100 photographs and line drawings.

Dunn, Steve R.: Tragedy and Revenge 38,95 €

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

The Battle of Coronel on 1 November 1914, in which Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock and the ships of his 4th Cruiser Squadron were outmanoeuvred by the German East Asia Squadron under Vice Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee, was the worst British naval defeat in over 100 years. Two ships, HMS Monmouth and HMS Good Hope, were lost with their entire crews of more than 1,600 men, including Cradock. He went to his death in a hopeless hope, believing that if he could inflict enough damage on his opponent to slow him down, he could eventually bring superior forces to bear. Admiral Sir John Jacky Fisher, who had recently returned to the Admiralty as First Sea Lord, immediately dispatched two battlecruisers from the Grand Fleet to take revenge under the command of Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee, whom he detested and half expected to fail in this mission. In fact, Sturdee's fleet was surprised by von Spee's ships while coaling off the Falkland Islands, but managed to get to sea and accomplish the task for which Fisher had designed the battlecruisers: to sweep smaller ships from the sea with superior speed and firepower. The ships of the East Asia Fleet were sunk or scattered, and von Spee and his two sons were killed. Tragedy and Revenge describes both the battles and the events that led to them, based on eyewitness accounts. It examines the ships that fought on both sides and highlights the inferiority of the forces available to Cradock resources that Churchill claimed were adequate for the task of destroying von Spee. The hopelessness felt by many of the Royal Navy members involved in Cradock's small fleet is described, as is Cradock's history, alone in the Atlantic and Pacific, and his crisis of conscience during his stay with the Governor of the Falkland Islands. The book also examines the leaders Cradock, Churchill, Fisher, Sturdee and von Spee and the interplay of their characters. It shows how Churchill's interference and the decisions of the Admiralty under Sturdee as Chief of the War Staff led directly to the disaster at Coronel. The book assesses the gap between the reality on the high seas and the perception of the Admiralty, particularly Churchill's, and how this gap contributed to a terrible tragedy.

McLaughlin, Stephen: Russian Cruisers of the Tsarist Era 1880-1918 56,95 €

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

This book is a companion to the author's Russian and Soviet Battleships, originally published in 2003 and recently reissued. However, it is a much more extensive project, as there are obviously many more cruisers than battleships. The subject has therefore been divided into two books, with Russian Cruisers in the Soviet Era due to be published a year later. Both volumes follow the same approach as the book on battleships and contain a detailed description of each design by class, from its inception to the end of its service life. Their origins and motivations are analysed, their main features discussed, and an informed assessment of their relative success or failure is given. In addition to the ships that were actually completed, the book also covers projects and proposals, in particular the very ambitious plans of the Stalin era in the second volume. The chapters on the ships are supplemented by a more general presentation of Russian cruiser doctrine, the political factors that influenced procurement, wartime operations (19041906, 19141921, and 19411945), and the lessons learned from wartime experience and the revolution that affected cruiser design. This two-volume study concludes with a series of appendices dealing with guns, aircraft and catapults, naval electronics, and shipyards and armament factories. Both books are based almost exclusively on original Russian sources and also benefit from access to photo collections in Russia, making them the most comprehensive picture of this subject currently available in the West.

Alarcón, Alejandro A. Vilches: From Novembers to Sierras. Soviet Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarines 26,95 €

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

One volume in the Technology @ War series. For 30 years during the Cold War, the nuclear submarines developed and produced by the Soviet Union were considered one of the main threats to transatlantic traffic. Project 627 Kit the first Soviet nuclear submarine was built in response to the appearance of USS Nautilus (SSN-675, the US Navy's first nuclear-powered attack submarine) and entered service in 1963. Originally, it was supposed to enter US naval bases and use torpedoes with thermonuclear warheads to destroy everything in range. Only later were they used for conventional torpedo attacks on enemy warships and transport ships along sea lanes far from the USSR. The 627 class was already obsolete when it entered service and was soon replaced by the 671 Yorsh class, followed by the 671RT Syomga and 671RTM/RTMK Shchuka class nuclear submarines, better known in the West by their ASCC/NATO reporting names Victor I, Victor II and Victor III : the first Soviet-designed submarines with a drop-shaped hull, designed to hunt and destroy US ballistic missile submarines. The last third generation of Soviet SSNs covered in this book consisted of four classes, built in smaller numbers. While the Victors were built in large numbers, the Soviet Navy also tested various concepts, including super-expensive ships with a hull made entirely of titanium, but also a powerful liquid-metal-cooled reactor made of lead and bismuth. This is how the class of Project 705 Lira submarines came about. Known in the West as the Alpha class, these submarines were the fastest military submarines ever built. They were designed to cruise at high speed in the North Atlantic and intercept selected targets. Based on extensive research using Soviet and Russian literature as well as some first-hand sources and richly illustrated with authentic photographs and scale colour profiles, From Novembers to Sierras is an exclusive source of information on the design, construction and operational history of three generations of the most important types of Soviet warships of the Cold War.

Budzbon, Przemyslaw/Góralski, Waldemar (Illustr.)/Forkasiewicz, Piotr (Illustr.): Soviet Motor Torpedo Boats of World War II. Tupolev's Aircraft-inspired Fast Attack Craft 14,95 €

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:05:14 +0200

The Soviet Navy's fast attack boats were inspired by the 1919 raid on Kronstadt, which was carried out by British torpedo-armed coasters (CMBs). The first were to be CMB copies, but as Soviet shipbuilding was unable to realise the project, it was handed over to the Aerodynamic Institute headed by Andrei Tupolev. His 50 kW boats, built with aircraft engines and technology, were as photogenic as they were bumpy and noisy, and made a vivid impression in the propaganda newsreels. Some were fitted with remote control, a pioneering development in naval drones. This book, written by a former Soviet naval architect, is the first in English to describe the history of these fascinating, fast-paced ships. He explains that the Sh-4 and G-5, technically advanced but flawed, were not given the opportunity to play their intended role in the Second World War. Instead, some were used as landing craft, while others were refitted and used as minelayers or submarines. Many were converted as fire support boats with Katyusha rocket launchers. The book is illustrated with images and unpublished photographs and covers the Tupolev torpedo boats as well as a handful of other MTBs used by the Soviet Union. It is an account of a rare, impressive design in the pre-war Soviet navy.

Zubkov, Dmitry: Soviet and Russian Destroyer Exports. Volume 1: Imperial Russian-built Destroyers in Service with Foreign Navies, 1904-1954 28,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:35:09 +0200

Though generally underestimated in the West, the Soviet export of destroyers played a vital role in buildup of the navies of Moscows allies and satellites. The book examines Russian and Soviet military ship exports between 1904 and the 1930s, including Japan, Finland, Indochina, Germany, Estonia and Peru and their little-known participation in a number of military confrontations. The export of Soviet warships has gained modest attention compared with aircraft, tanks or SAMs, with coverage usually limited to the description of submarines and fast-attack boats exports. "Soviet and Russian-built Destroyers in service with foreign Navies, 1904-2023" provides a detailed description of Soviet-made destroyers service in foreign navies, including the purchase negotiations and transfers, their participation in a number of confrontations, and subsequent modernisation of the vessels, and the careers of many of their commanding officers. This work also looks at the building of ships to Soviet and Russian designs in the shipyards of China and India. Included is the deeper background to the history of Russian shipbuilding, stretching back over two centuries to the early post-Napoleonic period, with Volume 1 focussing on exports and service between 1904 and the 1930s.

Zubkov, Dmitry: Whiskey-class Submarines. Soviet Project 613 Submarines in Service with Foreign Navies, 1951-1990 26,95 €

Wed, 20 May 2026 06:55:08 +0200

The Whiskey-class (Soviet Project 613) submarines were the most numerous submarine produced after 1945. The type is best known in the West for the 1981 "Whiskey on the Rocks" incident when an example became stranded in Swedish waters but had a long and successful career with the Soviet and allied navies.
The book examines the very successful foreign use of this Soviet design, often derided within the West as being based upon obsolete Second World War German technologies and consequently of little threat or concern.
As the Project 613 boats were replaced by newer types in Soviet service, a number of vessels were exported to allied or client states where they operated in several conflicts without loss. The type was able to evade contemporary British sonars and was used to successfully land special forces inside enemy territory without detection. This book describes the service history of the type with the Albanian, Bulgarian, Egyptian, Indonesian, Polish and Syrian fleets, and looks at Chinese production of the type and their service with the Peoples Liberation Army Navy. In addition, the experience of the crews and captains are examined.

Hill, Alexander/Wright, Paul (Ilustr.): Soviet Cruisers 1917-45. From the October Revolution to World War II 14,95 €

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:15:09 +0200

The Soviet Navy of World War II boasted a cruiser fleet that was among the most eclectic to see service. In this book, noted military historian and Soviet specialist Alexander Hill explains the role of cruisers in the Soviet Navy from the dramatic days of the October Revolution of 1917 through to the struggle they fought with Germany during World War II.
Illustrated throughout with rare photos and original artwork, including a cutaway of Aurora, famous for its role in the Bolshevik October Revolution, and with profiles of the key classes, this book outlines the Soviets' development of a cruiser force.

Having inherited a number of cruisers from the Imperial Russian Navy, the new Soviet Navy went on to complete two unfinished Tsarist light cruisers during the 1920s. In the late 1930s, the Soviets built their first large warships, the Kirov class, and in 1940 Germany sold the unfinished heavy cruiser Lützow to the USSR. The final cruiser-sized warship to see action was the former Imperial royal yacht Shtandart, renamed Marti and armed as a minelayer, which was used in the defence of Leningrad.

Budzon, Przemyslaw/Radziemski, Jan/Twardowski, Marek: Warships of the Soviet Fleets, 1939-1945. Band 3: Naval Auxiliaries 56,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:30:10 +0200

75 years after the end of the Second World War the details of Soviet ships, their activities and fates remain an enigma to the West. In wartime such information was classified and after a brief period of glasnost ("openness") the Russian state has again restricted access to historical archives. Therefore, the value - and originality - of this work is difficult to exaggerate. It sees the first publication of reliable data on both the seagoing fleets and riverine flotillas of the Soviet Navy, listing over 6200 vessels from battleships to river gunboats, and mercantile conversions as well as purpose-built warships.
This third and final part of the series includes all the ships in naval service that were not frontline fighting vessels. Despite auxiliary status, these were not insignificant ships - indeed the icebreakers were the largest vessels built by the USSR before the war and carried so much prestige that every leading member of the Soviet regime wanted their name on one. Apart from the obvious fleet support types - oilers, tugs and depot ships - this volume also covers unsung heroes like the salvage fleet, highly significant in the 1930s for generating much-needed foreign currency and later essential to the war effort, allowing so many sunken Soviet warships to be returned to service. Another major feature of this volume is the first clear and comprehensive listing of ex-mercantile transport ships, their periods of service and ultimate fates. Even harbour service craft are included, right down to the humble "heaters" that supplied warmth to icebound warships in the depth of the Russian winters.
This volume concludes with a number of important appendices on subjects like weaponry and a massive cross-referenced index that will allow readers to differentiate between ships of the same name and to track every name change.

This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in warships, the Soviet Navy or wider maritime aspects of the Second World War. Furthermore, as recent Russian actions appear to revive Soviet-era aspirations, this book offers both new insights and valuable background of contemporary relevance.

Vilches Alarcón, Alejandro A.: From Julietts to Yasens. Development and Operational History of Soviet Nuclear-Powered Cruise-Missile Submarines 1958-2022 26,95 €

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:55:10 +0200

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Soviet Union embarked upon the rebuilding of its naval forces for a new era of naval warfare; one dominated by Western nuclear-armed aircraft carriers that posed an existential threat to the USSR.
One solution to the problems facing the Soviet Navy was to develop submarines armed with large, heavy, long-range stand-off anti-ship cruise missiles. These unique combinations of platforms and weapons systems would come to pose a threat that forced the US Navy to adapt its own naval strategy and equipment to counter them.
While never used in anger in their intended role, life aboard these submarines could be extremely hazardous for their crews, with a number of accidents - including the total loss of boats such as the Kursk - claiming many lives.
"From Julietts to Yasens" is a comprehensive history of the design of the SSG and SSGN submarines, their weapons systems and service history from the 1950s through to the present day, and includes details of the numerous accidents and incidents.

This volume is illustrated with many bw- and colour photographs and specially commission artworks of the submarines, the missiles they carried and the men who crewed them.

Budzbon, Przemyslaw/Radziemski, Jan/Twardowski, Marek: Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939-1945. Volume 2: Escorts and Smaller Fighting Ships 56,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:30:10 +0200

This second part of the three-volume series includes all the remaining fighting vessels not already covered in Volume 1. Beginning with the Uragan class - rated as Escort Ships and the first seagoing warships designed by the Soviet Union - the book then moves on to Submarine Hunters, both large and small, Patrol craft, Minelayers and Minesweepers, and unusual types like Floating Artillery Batteries and Anti-Aircraft Defence Ships, concluding with Landing Ships and Craft. Many of these vessels have hitherto been poorly documented but given the nature of the land-centred Soviet war against Germany their contribution should not be underestimated. The details of their service and, not least, the circumstances of their loss, constitute a major addition to Western understanding of the Soviet Navys war effort.
This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in warships, the Soviet Navy or wider maritime aspects of the Second World War.

For the first time, reliable data on the naval and riverine flotillas of the Soviet Navy is published, listing over 6200 ships, from battleships to river gunboats, converted merchant ships and numerous purpose-built warships.
This second part of the three-volume series includes all remaining battleships not already covered in Volume 1. The book begins with the "Uragan" class - which were classified as escort ships and were the first naval warships designed by the Soviet Union - and then moves on to large and small submarine chasers, patrol boats, minelayers and minesweepers, as well as unusual types such as floating artillery batteries and anti-aircraft ships, and concludes with landing ships and boats. Many of these ships are poorly documented, but given the nature of the land-based Soviet war against Germany, their contribution should not be underestimated. The details of their deployment, and not least the circumstances of their loss, are an important contribution to Western understanding of the Soviet naval war effort.
This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone interested in warships, the Soviet Navy or more general maritime aspects of the Second World War.

Budzbon, Przemyslaw/Radziemski, Jan/Twardowski, Marek: Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939-1945. Volume 1: Major Combatants 56,95 €

Thu, 14 May 2026 06:50:07 +0200

Seventy-five years after the end of the Second World War the details of Soviet ships, their activities and fates remain an enigma to the West. In wartime such information was classified and after a brief period of glasnost ("openness") the Russian state has again restricted access to historical archives. Therefore, the value - and originality - of this work is difficult to exaggerate.

It sees the first publication of reliable data on both the seagoing fleets and riverine flotillas of the Soviet Navy, listing over 6200 vessels from battleships to river gunboats, and mercantile conversions as well as purpose-built warships. Divided into three volumes, this first covers major surface warships down to MTBs and armoured gunboats, as well as submarines.
For every class there is a design history analysing strategic, tactical and technical considerations, and individual ship detail includes construction yard, key building dates, commissioning, fleet designations, relocations and ultimate fate. Once a closely guarded secret, the wartime loss of every ship and boat (over 1000) is described. Furthermore, the confusion caused by frequent name changes is clarified by indexes that run to 16,000 items.
By following the ships through both their wartime and earlier history, the book reveals many aspects of Russian history that remain highly sensitive: clandestine co-operation with Weimar Germany and fascist Italy, the NKVD-enforced closure of Soviet borders, the "Gulag Fleet", the faked Metallist sinking that excused the military occupation of Estonia, and the ill-conceived pact with Nazi Germany. Restrictions recently imposed on historical publications in Russia mean this book could certainly not have been published there - as proven by the fact that most of the authors' Russian collaborators preferred not to disclose their identities.
This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in warships, the Soviet Navy or wider maritime aspects of the Second World War.

Koszela, Witold: Russian Cruiser Moskva 13,97 €

Sat, 30 May 2026 07:40:07 +0200

Volume 129 of the series Topdrawings". All structural details of the modern Russian cruiser "Moskva" are shown on 21 pages of true-to-scale sketches. Two enclosed fold-out plans contain further sketches and coloured ship profiles at a scale of 1:400.

Essen, Michael Fredholm von: The Hunt for the Storozhevoy. The 1975 Soviet Navy Mutiny in the Baltic 25,95 €

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:55:10 +0200

In 1975, Lieutenant Commander Valeriy Sablin led his crew in a mutiny on the Soviet warship Storozhevoy. The ship was then located in Riga, Soviet Latvia. Sablins avowed intention was to foment a new communist revolution by taking the warship to Leningrad, where he expected to receive the support of the navy and the masses. However, the Soviet leadership thought that Sablin intended to defect to Sweden, bringing with him a warship of modern design with all its armaments, electronics, communication devices, and code books. As a result, Soviet supreme leader Leonid Brezhnev ordered the destruction of the warship. After several dramatic, but ultimately failed, attacks on the Storozhevoy, Colonel General Sergey Gulyayev, commander of the Naval Aviation of the Baltic Fleet, personally ordered a missile launch against the Storozhevoy, employing the special protocol for the launch of nuclear missiles. The purpose of the launch was to destroy the warship. However, by then the crew had already detained Sablin and announced their intention to surrender. The air crews did not know this; however, their commanding officer, Colonel Arkhip Savinkov, never launched the missile, instead faking a radar malfunction. The mutiny was over.
Due to the very serious implications of the suppressed mutiny, and the difficulties in finding and attacking the Storozhevoy, which showed that the combat readiness of the Soviet armed forces was less than desired, the participating air crews were ordered to destroy any documentation of the incident and keep quiet about what had happened. As a result, not even the KGB could later piece together all events of the incident, nor is there information in Soviet archives on all the actions taken. For much of the mutiny, the Soviet Navy did not even know the correct location of the Storozhevoy. However, the Swedish SIGINT service monitored the entire incident in real time. The Swedish SIGINT reporting enables a detailed, blow-by-blow description of the events. Being real-time intercepts, the reporting is a far more trustworthy source than the later, often embellished accounts previously published. For this reason, the book offers a detailed and authoritative account of the mutiny based on the SIGINT reporting, with supporting evidence from other surviving sources, together with an account of how Western intelligence interpreted and handled the reporting.

After several dramatic but ultimately failed attacks on the "Storoschewoj", Colonel General Sergej Guljajew, commander of the Baltic Fleet's naval aviation, personally ordered a missile launch against the "Storoschewoj", using the special protocol for launching nuclear missiles. The aim of the launch was to destroy the warship. By this time, however, the crew had already taken control of the Sablin and announced their intention to surrender. The air force did not know this, but their commanding officer, Colonel Arkhip Savinkov, did not launch the missile, but faked a radar malfunction. The mutiny was over.
Due to the serious consequences of the suppressed mutiny and the difficulties in finding and attacking the "Storoshevoy", which showed that the combat readiness of the Soviet forces was lower than desired, the aircrews involved were ordered to destroy all documentation about the incident and to keep silent about the events. As a result, not even the KGB could later piece together all the events of the incident, and there is no information in the Soviet archives about all the actions taken. During most of the mutiny, the Soviet Navy did not even know the correct location of the "Storozhevoy". However, the Swedish SIGINT service monitored the entire incident in real time. The Swedish SIGINT reports provide a detailed description of the events in great detail. As the reports were intercepted in real time, they are a far more trustworthy source than the often embellished reports published later. For this reason, the book provides a detailed and authoritative account of the mutiny based on the SIGINT reports, with supporting evidence from other extant sources, together with an account of how Western intelligence agencies interpreted and treated the reports.

Sukhanevich, Aliaksandr: Russian cruiser Askold 31,95 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:15:28 +0200

This booklet presents the Russian armoured cruiser "Askold" in great detail. The first nine or so pages contain information on the development history, armament, construction and technology of this warship. This is followed by the extensive picture section, which depicts practically every part of this cruiser on approx. 60-70 colour pages with the help of three-dimensional graphics. No detail is forgotten and the reader gets an excellent impression of the appearance of this ship. A real treasure trove for model builders and ship enthusiasts.

Saibene, Marc: La Marine Impériale Russe de 1870 à sa chute 56,95 €

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:20:07 +0200

The Russian Imperial Navy is nevertheless an extraordinary navy, because divided between three main theaters: the Baltic, the Pacific and the Black Sea, of which only the first two could be connected (at the cost of great difficulties), the Black Sea remaining throughout its history a sea closed by a hereditary enemy: Turkey. Exceptional also because it has always strived to develop innovative technical means to be pioneers in several areas such as submarine torpedo or mine warfare; many more ... But also hampered by harsh climatic conditions, questionable doctrines and bad management of crews. A story in contrast that saw the navy rebuild in a few years after being almost crushed in the Russo-Japanese war, while the virus of the revolution contaminated it. This historical work on the Russian Imperial Navy and its ships is based on original archival sources. Thus, the author took as main support of his research the reports of the French naval attachés in Saint Petersburg, particularly provided and documented because of the Franco-Russian alliance. He supported them with the publications of the French war school of the time and then with some Russian books and contemporary specialized journals. This book includes a historical part developing the evolution of the Navy and its structures (detailed work on advances or technological and industrial deficiencies, arsenals, shipyards, industries, officer corps, training of crews and, of course, conflicts and events, lessons learned, etc.) and a technical part detailing each ship and series of vessels with characteristics and brief histories.

This book contains a historical section that explains the historical and technical development of the tsarist navy and its structures. Detailed explanations of technical advances, technological and industrial shortcomings, the arsenals, shipyards and industries, the officer corps, the training of ship crews and, of course, the conflicts and events in which the Russian navy was involved between 1870 and 1918. The technical section presents all the ships and ship classes of the Tsarist fleet, draws attention to the special features and differences of the individual ships and provides brief operational histories for all ships and classes.

Hamppshire, Edward: Soviet Cold War Attack Submarines. Nuclear classes from November to Akula 14,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:10:15 +0200

In this highly detailed book, naval historian Edward Hampshire reveals the fascinating history of the nuclear-powered attack submarines built and operated by the Soviet Union in the Cold War, including each class of these formidable craft as they developed throughout the Cold War period. The "November" class, which were the Soviet Union's first nuclear submarines, had originally been designed to fire a single enormous nuclear tipped torpedo but were eventually completed as boats firing standard torpedoes. The "Alfa" class were perhaps the most remarkable submarines of the Cold War: titanium-hulled (which was light and strong but extremely expensive and difficult to weld successfully), crewed with only thirty men due to considerable automation and 30% faster than any U.S. submarines, they used a radical liquid lead-bismuth alloy in the reactor plant. The "Victor" class formed the backbone of the Soviet nuclear submarine fleet in the 1970s and 1980s, as hunter-killer submarines began to focus on tracking and potentially destroying NATO ballistic missile submarines. The "Sierra" classes were further titanium-hulled submarines and the single "Mike"-class submarine was an experimental type containing a number of innovations. Finally, the "Akula" class were being constructed as the Cold War ended, and these boats form the mainstay of the Russian nuclear attack submarine fleet today. This book explores the design, development, and deployment of each of these classes in detail, offering an unparalleled insight into the submarines which served the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War period. The text is supported by stunning illustrations, photographs and diagrams of the submarines.

This book explains the design, development and deployment of each of these classes in detail. It offers an unprecedented insight into the attack submarines used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the cat-and-mouse game with the Western fleets. The text is supported by interesting photographs, colour illustrations and diagrams of the submarines.