British Battleships 1939-45 (1): Queen Elizabeth and Royal Soverign Classes (New Vanguard 154)

• Publisher:   Osprey Publishing
• Number Of Pages:   48
• Publication Date:   2009-04-21
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   1846033888
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9781846033889

With the outbreak of World War II, Britain's Royal Navy and her fleet of battleships would be at the forefront of her defence. Yet from a fleet of 12 battleships, ten were already over 20 years old, venerable veterans of World War I. Extensive modifications throughout the 1930s allowed these ships to perform a vital service throughout the six long years of conflict, and further improvements made during the course of the war enabled them to hold their own against their German and Italian counterparts. This title offers a comprehensive review of the development of these British battleships from their initial commissioning to their peacetime modifications and wartime service. Detailed descriptions of the main armament of each ship will offer further analysis of individual battleships' effectiveness, discussing how the guns were manned when engaging the enemy. Describing HMS Warspite during the battle of Matapan in 1941, the author details how this British battleship, together with other Royal Navy and Australian vessels, defeated the might of the Italian navy so that they never again threatened Allied fleets within the Mediterranean. With specially commissioned artwork and a dramatic retelling of key battleship engagements, this book will highlight what it was like on board for the sailors who risked their lives on the high seas.

Between them, the Queen Elizabeth and Royal Sovereign-class battleships provided ten of the twelve dreadnoughts in Britain's battle line at the start of World War II. They were old, but remained fearsome to their enemies thanks to their outstanding 15-inch main armament. The Queen Elizabeth class, in particular, proved valuable in surface actions at Narvik, Calabria, Cape Matapan, and in numerous other engagements. This title is remarkably detailed and informative for its short length. Author Angus Konstam gives insights not available in most other titles. The Queen Elizabeths were the last dreadnoughts designed by Sir Philip Watts. They were revolutionary, despite being designed for guns that did not yet exist. They had flaws - draught was too great, and beam too narrow to be optimal, but they were still the finest battleships of their day. There is also adequate attention given to the slower, less spectacular "R" class battleships which followed. The emphasis is on the World War II condition of both classes. All of the "QE" and "R"-class battleships were modified from their original condition, and some were quite drastically improved prior to World War II. Of the "R"-class ships, Royal Oak had received the greatest modification prior to WWII - ironic, since she was lost within two months of the war's start. There are plentiful photos, many of which I had never seen before, detailed color profiles of the ships in their World War II condition, diagrams depicting armor protection in both wars, and a useful table on gunnery characteristics. This title gives only limited battle histories of the ships, focusing on the famous (and lucky) HMS Warspite in two incidents: (1) scoring a vital hit at 26,000 yards on the Italian battleship Giulio Cesare at Calabria, and (2) surviving a near-fatal hit from a German glider bomb off Salerno. Although a brief 46 pages, this title is a good value for the money - well-researched, with enough depth to interest researchers, yet readable and understandable to anyone interested in these classic, historically vital battleships.

Anyone looking for a book about British battleships might ordinarily expect to find a very thick and equally expensive work in which all such vessels are detailed. Alternatively, they might find the history of one particular ship. In this instance, however, the publishers have confined themselves to two classes of British Battleship - namely the Queen Elizabeth and Royal Sovereign classes. With only 47 pages, I was impressed by the amount of detail. There are no shortages of either photographs - many of which do not appear to have been previously published, or artwork of the highest standard arranged alongside all the facts, figures, dimensions and detail that one would expect to find in any comprehensive account. Of immense value to the serious historian as well as anyone else with an interest in the subject, this book will also provide all the data required for the serious modeller. It says much for the work that my only criticisms are very minor. Being one of very few people outside of the Royal Navy to have visited the remains of HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow, I would like to have known who took that underwater picture of her director platform. Elsewhere, having learned HMS Repulse was laid down as a Royal Sovereign class battleship, her fate is recorded as converted to battle cruiser in 1914. Viewed in the context of what eventually happened to all the ships in that class, I know what they meant. Her conversion, however, was never her fate. Nevertheless, do not let such inconsequential comments mar your enjoyment of an otherwise excellent product. NM

This book is a good short history for those who want to know the basics of the early WW2 British Battleships. Worth the money.

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