Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II [Hardcover]

William H., Jr. Garzke (Author), Robert O., Jr. Dulin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0870211013 | ISBN-13: 978-0870211010 | Publication Date: December 1985 | Edition: Revised

Recently updated to provide new information on the German battleship Bismarck, including details of her condition before capsizing and how she was scuttled and evidence revealed by Ballard's discovery of the wreck.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 517 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr; Revised edition (December 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870211013
• ISBN-13: 978-0870211010
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely valuable, November 14, 2001

By 

Richard Worth (MO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II (Hardcover)

The G&D books cover a lot of territory. Each section begins with a short design history followed by an overview of the design, broken down into categories (armament, protection, propulsion plant, etc). When it comes to understanding a ship's armor scheme, there's no substitute for seeing a series of drawings; stats-in-a-vacuum like those in a Conway's are less than useless, and a token cross section gives only a glimpse. G&D provide a fully realized picture. The chapter on the Bismarck class is blemished by a lack of definitive information; only now is the extent of the 80mm weather deck generally becoming known, and G&D label it as 50mm throughout. In fact, plenty of questions remain on Bismarck and Tirpitz and their differences, so it's hard to fault G&D for this.
Another weakness is the reference to gun penetration data based on USN calculations; the formula for these calculations was actually intended to predict performance against homogenous armor, and its most common application has been for face-hardened armor. Thus they serve to be indicative only in the most general sense--in other words, why bother?
I find it easier to pick out the nits than to try to elaborate on the battery of qualities in the three books. They sit on the shelf within easy reach, and I refer to them regularly.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FINAL VOLUME OF AN AWESOME HISTORIC TRILOGY, August 9, 2006

By 

Heather L. Parisi "Robert and Heather Parisi" (St. Augustine, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II (Hardcover)

FIRST THOUGHTS: THIS VOLUME WAS MY FAVORITE OF THE TRILOGY

I have read many books about this subject and this volume adds some fresh perspectives and details to what I have already come to understand. Although no book on the subject can be considered either perfect or all-inclusive this series and this specific volume in particular is comprehensive and organized in a very easy and useful format making it a 'must-have' for those with an intense interest in Battleships.

IN A NUTSHELL: CASE STUDIES OF 7 DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT CLASSES OF DREADNOUGHTS FROM 4 COUNTRIES

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER TWO: THE YAMATO CLASS
CHAPTER THREE: THE SCHARNHORST CLASS
CHAPTER FOUR: THE BISMARCK CLASS
CHAPTER FIVE: GERMANY THE "H" CLASS BATTLESHIPS
CHAPTER SIX: THE "O" CLASS BATTLECRUISERS
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE VITTORIO VENETO CLASS
CHAPTER EIGHT: SPAIN
CHAPTER NINE: CONCLUSION

APPENDIXES

A- STABILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BISMARCK CLASS
B- INBOARD PROFILE AND DECK PLANS OF THE BISMARCK
C- BATTLESHIP AND BATTLECRUISER GUNS


WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT: THE ZENITH OF A NATIONS TECHNOLOGY & POWER


BOTTOM LINE: THE FINAL VOLUME OF AN AWESOME HISTORIC TRILOGY

After a complete reading of the entire trilogy, I feel, I now better understand the construction and design considerations that lead to a completed Dreadnought. These books and this volume in particular have fed my interest to look deeper into the topic of Dreadnought construction. After reading this series I feel better able to grasp the technical materials that I will have to deal with as I continue to delve into the fascinating topic of 'Dreadnoughts'.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Garzke and Dulin - the Battleship twins, July 21, 2000

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II (Hardcover)

The authors of this book complete their trilogy on capital ships of the World War II era with this book. They examine WWI development, the Washington Naval Conference and its effect on pre WWII designs, the escalator clause and wartime developments affecting the battleships and battlecruisers of Japan, Germany, Italy and Spain. Spain is included among the Axis powers due to Franco's right wing regime and aid received from Germany and Italy during the civil war. Step by step details of the design of Yamato and the inherent weakness of her underwater protection are discussed. The gunnery comparisons between Yamato and Iowa are surprising. The chase and sinking of Bismarck and Scharnhorst are detailed and the weaknesses in German designs are pointed out. Finally, the authors compare capital ships in four design areas: 1) battlecruisers 2} 35,000 ton designs 3) 45,000 ton designs 4) 45,000 plus ton designs. There are gunnery tables included at the end for comparison of contemporary naval artillery. This book, along with their books on Allied and US Battleships, belongs on the shelf of any wargamer or warship historian/enthusiast.