German Light Cruisers of World War II: Emden, Konigsberg, Karlsruhe, Koln, Leipzig, Nurnberg [Hardcover]

Gerhard Koop (Author), Klaus-Peter Schmolke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2002

Although much has been written about the German Navy by English-speaking authors, few of their books grasp an understanding of the technical side of German ship-building programs. This new volume on German light cruisers is the latest in a series of books by German naval historians Gerhard Koop and Klaus-Peter Schmolke that fills this gaping void. The authors take full advantage of primary research materials to produce a quality, in-depth technical volume that strips away misinformation and provides a balanced understanding of the light cruisers and their mission. The major ship components--hull, armor protection, main armament, secondary armament, etc.--are followed by each ship's chronological history. Scores of photographs and line drawings, detailed indexes, and an impressive bibliography complete this notable volume.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (April 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557503109
• ISBN-13: 978-1557503107
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,502,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good overview of the 1st ships of the new German Navy, March 2, 2007

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William A. Hensler (Holt, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: German Light Cruisers of World War II: Emden, Konigsberg, Karlsruhe, Koln, Leipzig, Nurnberg (Hardcover)

Gerhard Koop does an excellent job writing up the design, construction, and operational life of the German light cruisers of WWII.

These ships were all limited by restructions by the treaty that ended The Great War. So, unlike the later "Panzerschiffe" which pretty much openly cheated on the treaty, the German followed the treaty to the letter on these light cruisers. The end result was the Germans got some very expensive coastal cruisers, they were not better that "light cruiser monitors".

Everything on the later ships will strike the typical reader as a little off. There is a picture of an Omaha Class US cruiser sailing with a Kohn class cruiser, both had about the same fire power but the US ship was a far better sea ship even though it had rivet construction that could stand little battle damage, as when the USS Marblehead nearly sank when a 550 pound bomb exploded close to the ship and popped all the rivets in her stern.

Gerhard Koop's book is good. Yes, I gave it only four stars. He has rather crude line drawings in the book and they are near useless to get any informantion from. I was hoping that this book would be like the excellent series of books from Dr. Norman Friedman. This is not the case. However, there are many excellent picures and very good write ups on the operational history of these ships.

However, this reviewer is generally happy with the book. It gives a complete write up on all the light cruisers in WWII, their design histories, operational usage, and their ultimate fates.