Böcker av John Henshaw

"Holding the small island of Malta, the British Empire's strategic centerpiece in the Mediterranean Sea, was critical to the Allied cause in World War II. Taking it was essential for Axis victory. German forces laid siege to the island beginning in June 1940-it soon became the most bombed place on Earth. By August 1942, with supplies running out, Malta was in dire need of relief. In what was then the largest Royal Navy force yet assembled in the war, two battleships, three aircraft carriers, seven light cruisers, 32 destroyers and a fleet of transports were mustered from far-flung theaters. This day-by-day account of Operation Pedestal chronicles the planning, execution and climactic battle that saw only five of 14 merchant ships make it to Valletta, all but one heavily damaged."--

The first book to take a detailed look at the development of this highly influential class of destroyers. Contains more than 45 beautiful profiles and deck plans.

A fascinating story of how one of the most important ship designs of World War II originated on the banks of the River Wear in NE England.

In 1940 Great Britain was in dire straits and facing Nazi invasion.  Twenty-four destroyers had been lost during the Dunkirk evacuation.  Winston Churchill asked the United States' President Roosevolt for 'the loan of forty or fifty of your oldest destroyers'.  He got them - eventually.  In response to Churchill's request, and in return for the use by the US of British bases in the Caribbean, fifty mothballed 'flush-deck' destroyers of the United States Navy were supplied to the Royal Navy.  This book presents a comprehensive history of their service, to their operational use and a detailed assesment of their service and achievements.