Destroyers by Antony Preston lands on the |> SALE <| shelves in my shop.
Bison Books, 1979, Hardback in dust wrapper.
3rd impression. [First Edition: 1977] Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Colour Photographs; Maps;
From the cover: Old Navymen still say You have to serve on a destroyer if you want to find out what the Navys all about. Like frigates of earlier times, the destroyer is the classic modern warship. In both world wars destroyers were called upon to carry out some of the most daring and important missions in naval history from the heroic attack on the High Seas Fleet at Jutland to the incredible dual with the Japanese super battleships at Leyte Gulf. Destroyers were the cavalry of the Navy, highly trained men in fast well-armed ships designed to attack the enemy fleet with torpedoes. But unlike the cavalry, destroyers were more than an elite; they became all-purpose fighting ships, anti-aircraft escorts and submarine killers. No commander in World War II ever had enough destroyers, for his battleships and carriers dared not put to sea without them, and even 25-year old veterans of World War I played their part as convoy escorts. The destroyer-tradition bred first-class fighting men, and most of the well-known admirals made their name in destroyers Cunningham, Mountbatten, Arleigh Burke and Tanaka. The destroyer battles of World War II are among the most famous of all time: Narvik, the sinking of the Bismarck and Scharnhorst, Guadalcanal, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. For the British destroyers Dunkirk was probably their finest hour, when they evacuated more soldiers than any other type of ship, in some cases 1500 men at a time. For the Americans it was Okinawa, when the radar picket line stood alone against the kamikazes, or Leyte, when destroyer escorts fought the Yamato. The conditions aboard destroyers varied from spartan to awful. They rolled on wet grass, their slender hulls plunged through waves rather than over them, and in battle everyone knew they were expendable. Yet all destroyer-men loved their boats, as the British called them, or cans to the US Navy. This book recaptures the highlights and personal flavour of destroyers and the men who made them so famous.
In this lavishly illustrated volume noted historian Antony Preston relates the exciting saga of the great destroyers of all the maritime powers. Rare photos, maps and cut-away drawings embellish a text that is as rich in technical detail as it is in anecdote and fast-paced narrative. DESTROYERS is a unique and necessary addition to the personal library of anyone interested in ships and the sea.
Very Good in Good+ Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper with a snag to the head of the spine. Boards sunned at the extremities. Text complete, clean and tight.
Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 224 pages. Index. 12″ x 9″.
This book will be eventually reach my delightful website…(added to my Military Naval category.) but get 60% off buying from this very blog blog… Buy it now for just £2.60 + P&P! Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!
BookLovers of Bath 