British Battleship vs German Battleship: 1941-43

During World War II, the British Royal Navy had two powerful classes of battleships: the King George V-class and the Nelson-class. These ships clashed with the German Capital Ships, including the Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau, in two major engagements. The King George V-class ships were the most modern British battleships in commission during the war and were instrumental in the destruction of the Bismarck. The Nelson-class ships also played a significant role in the war, particularly in the chase and bombardment of the Bismarck in May 1941.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 80 pages
Publication date: 10 December 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

At the outbreak of World War II, the four key Capital German ships comprised the mighty Bismarck, the formidable Tirpitz, the sleek Scharnhorst, and the formidable Gneisenau. These formidable vessels posed a significant threat to the Royal Navy, particularly the King George V-class battleships, which were the most modern British battleships in commission during World War II and some of the Navy's most powerful vessels. Five ships of this class were built: HMS King George V, Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Howe (late 1942), and Anson (late 1942). The powerful ships in this class would clash with the pride of the Kriegsmarine in two major engagements: first, during the Battle of the Denmark Strait and subsequent pursuit of the Bismarck between 24 and 27 May 1941, and again at the Battle of the North Cape on 26 December 1943. Alongside the King George V class, the Royal Navy's two-ship Nelson-class (Nelson and Rodney), comprised Britain's only other battleships built in the interwar years. Both ships served extensively in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian oceans during the war, but their moment of fame came when Rodney (together with King George V) chased down and bombarded the doomed Bismarck in May 1941. This superbly detailed addition to the Duel series compares and contrasts the design and development of these opposing capital ships, and describes the epic clashes on the high seas that ended with the destruction of the Kriegsmarines' major naval assets.

Weight: 262g
Dimension: 184 x 247 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472841193