V and W Class Destroyers 1917 – 1945 by Antony Preston soon to be presented for sale on the incomparable BookLovers of Bath web site!
Published: London: MacDonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1971, Hardback in dust wrapper.
Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Diagrams; Tables;
From the cover: In the long line of British destroyers one type stands out by virtue of its toughness, durability and sea-worthiness: the V & W class, which distinguished itself in the Second World War, and played a vital role in saving Britain from defeat.
These destroyers, described as the finest ever built for the Royal Navy, first appeared in 1917, they fought in the North Sea in 1918, and then against the Soviets in the Baltic in 1919; for years they remained the standard fleet destroyers of the Royal Navy and, by 1932, they were considered obsolete and due for the scrapheap. Instead, they were refurbished for war service once more, and without doubt their retention was one of the factors which helped the British to survive the worst days of the Battle of the Atlantic.
Although officially relegated to second-line duties they found themselves attacking surface warships like the Schornhorst and Gneisenou or battling against Italian and Japanese bombers as if they were modern fleet destroyers. Their efforts at Dunkirk accounted for thousands of lives saved, and when the end of the war was in sight the survivors were still scoring successes against U-boats. By 1945 they had accounted for 41 enemy submarines.
This is the first complete story of the V & W destroyers, compiled from official records, personal reminiscences and biographies. It shows how the design was conceived and how individual vessels fared on active service which ranged from the Arctic to the Pacific.
Very Good in Good+ Dust Wrapper. Unlaminated dust wrapper a little edgeworn and faded with a little creasing to the head of the upper panel.
Black boards with Silver titling to the Spine. 138 pages. Bibliography. 8¾” x 5¾”.
Of course, if you don’t like this one, may I enchant you with top-drawer choices hither or maybe further, hand picked, books in my Military Navy catalogue?
BookLovers of Bath 