Royal Navy Home Fleet 1939–41

The last line of defence at Scapa Flow

Angus Konstam, Jim Laurier

$32.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Osprey
02 July 2024

History; Second World War; Naval forces & warfare

Series: Fleet

Packed with illustrations, this is a new history and analysis of how the Royal Navy's most important fleet operated and fought the German Navy in the crucial first years of World War II.

Throughout its history, the Royal Navy's most powerful fleet has been the one guarding home waters. In this book, naval historian Angus Konstam explores the fighting power, the roles, and the battles of the Home Fleet, in the crucial first years of World War II when it was Britain's most powerful fighting force, anchored in the northern bastion of Scapa Flow.

He explains the complex responsibilities of the fleet, charged simultaneously with preventing the powerful German Navy from breaking out into the Atlantic; preparing to challenge any cross-Channel invasion force; and attacking German naval operations in the North Sea. Home Fleet actions included the loss of HMS Hood, the sinking of the Bismarck and countering the invasion of Norway, Germany's biggest amphibious operation of the war.

Packed with striking new artwork and 3D diagrams and maps, this book offers a detailed portrait of the Home Fleet during these most crucial years of the war, from the capabilities of the warships to logistics and intelligence-gathering, to how the fleet was organized and commanded, and how and why it fought as it did.

By: Angus Konstam
Illustrated by: Jim Laurier
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Volume: 5
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 184mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781472861481
ISBN 10: 1472861485
Series: Fleet
Pages: 80
Publication Date: 02 July 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Angus Konstam hails from Orkney, off the north of Scotland. He has written widely on naval history, most recently Hunt the Bismarck and The Convoy. A former naval officer, he has worked as a museum curator in the Royal Armouries, Tower of London and the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a former Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland. Now a full-time author and historian, he has returned to live in Orkney.