CHAPTER 1: FRANCE
Principal references used in writing this chapter include Michel Bertrand, La Marine Française 1939–40 (La Tour-du-Pin: Editions Portail, 1984); Espagnac du Ravay, Vingt ans de politique navale (Grenoble: B. Arthaud, 1941); John Jordan and Robert Dumas, French Battleships 1922–56 (London: Seaforth, 2009); and Henri Le Masson, Histoire du torpilleur en France 1872–1940 (Paris: Académie de la Marine, 1963).
Marines Edition of Bourg en Bresse/Nantes has published a series of excellent monographs that cover the design and operations of specific classes. These include Jean Moulin, Lucien Morareau, and Claude Picard, Le Béarn et le Commandant Teste (1997); Claude Huan, Les Sous-Marins Français (1995); Jean Guiglini and Albert Moreau, Les croiseurs de 8000T (1995); Jean Lassaque, Les CT de 2400 tonnes du type Jaguar (1994); Marc Saibène, Les Torpilleurs de 1500 tonnes du type Bourrasque (2001); and René Sarnet and Eric Le Vaillant, Richelieu (1997). Also useful are monographs published by Editions Lela Presse of Outreau, including Gérard Garier and Patrick du Cheyron, Les Croiseurs Lourds Français de 10000TW and Duquesne & Tourville (2003).
John Jordan has authored comprehensive articles on the technical aspects and design histories of the Marine Nationale’s ships in the annual Warship (London: Conway Maritime Press) from 1991 through 2008. Titles cover battleships, cruisers, auxiliaries, contre-torpilleurs, destroyers, escorts, and submarines.
There are few English histories of the Marine Nationale. Basic works include Paul Auphan and Jacques Mordal, The French Navy in World War II (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1976) and Anthony Heckstall-Smith, The Fleet That Faced Both Ways (London: Anthony Blond, 1963). Thomas Martin has written several good articles including, “After Mers-el-Kébir: The Armed Neutrality of the Vichy French Navy 1940–1943,” The English Historical Review (June 1997): 643–670; and “At the Heart of Things: French Imperial Defense Planning in the Late 1930s,” French Historical Studies 21 (Spring 1998): 325–361.
CHAPTER 2: GERMANY
Archival sources used in drafting this chapter are located in the files of the Bundesarchiv Militärarchiv, Freiburg, and include: M 350/5 (E); M 338/24 (E); M 954 (E); and M 983 (E).
For general organization and leadership, see Fritz Otto Busch, Das Buch von der Kriegsmarine (Berlin: Bong & Co., 1939); Konrad Ehrensberger, 100 Jahre Organisation der deutschen Marine (Bonn: Bernard U. Graefe Verlag, 1993); Helmuth Giessler, Der Marine-Nachrichten- und-Ortungsdienst (München: Lehmann, 1971); Hans H Hildebrand, Die organisatorische Entwicklung der Marine nebst Stellenbesetzung 1848–1945 (Osnabrück: Biblio-Verlag, 2000); and Michael Salewski, Die deutsche Seekriegsleitung 1935–1945, vols. 1–3 (Frankfurt am Main: Bernard & Graefe, 1970–1975).
For operations, see Walter Lohmann and Hans H. Hildebrand, Die deutsche Kriegsmarine 1939 bis 1945: Gliederung, Einsatz, Stellenbesetzung (Bad Nauheim: Podzum, 1956); Werner Rahn et al., Kriegstagebuch der Seekriegsleitung (Herford: Mittler, 1988); and Peter Schenk, Landung in England: Das geplante Unternehmen “Seelowe”: Der Beginn der amphibischen Grossunternehmen (Berlin: Oberbaum, 1987).
Submarines are covered by Rainer Busch and Joachim Röll, Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945: Der U-Boot-Bau auf deutschen Werften (Hamburg: Mittler & Sohn, 1997); Axel Niestlé, German U-boat Losses during World War II: Details of Destruction (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1998); and Söhnke Neitzel, Die deutschen U-Boot Bunker und Bunkerwerften (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe 1991).
Jürgen Rohwer and Eberhard Jäckel, Die Funkaufklärung und ihre Rolle im 2. Weltkrieg (Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag, 1979); and Fritz Trenkle, Die deutschen Funkmessverfahren bis 1945 (Stuttgart: Motrobuch-Verlag, 1979) cover intelligence.
For information on warships, see Harald Fock, Kampfschiffe: Marineschiffbau auf deutschen Werften 1870 bis heute (Hamburg: Koehlers, 1995); and Gerhard Hümmelchen, Die deutschen Schnellboote (Hamburg: Mittler, 1996).
Principal works on logistics include Dieter Jung, Martin Maass, and Berndt Wenzel, Tanker und Versorger der deutschen Flotte (Stuttgart: Motorbuch-Verlag, 1981); Wilhelm Meier-Dörnberg, Die Ölversorgung der Kriegsmarine 1935 bis 1945 (Freiburg: Rombach, 1973); Thomas Sarholz, Die Auswirkungen der Kontingentierung von Eisen und Stahl auf die Aufrüstung der Wehrmacht von 1936 bis 1939 (Darmstadt: Technische Hochschule, 1983); and Paul Zieb, Logistische Probleme der Kriegsmarine (Neckargemünd: Vowinckel, 1961).
For weapons, see Wilhelm von Harnier, Artillerie im Küstenkampf (München: Lehmann, 1969); Friedrich Lauck, Der Lufttorpedo: Entwicklung und Technik in Deutschland 1915–1945. (München: Bernard & Graefe, 1981); Gerhard Freiherr von Ledebur, Die Seemine (München, 1977); Eberhard Rössler, Die Torpedos der deutschen Marine (Hamburg: Mittler, 2005); Paul Schmalenbach, Die Geschichte der deutschen Schiffsartillerie (Herford: Mittler, 1968); and Guntram Schulze-Wegener, Die deutsche Kriegsmarine-Rüstung 1942–1945 (Hamburg: Mittler, 1997).
Important works discussing aviation include Gerhard Hümmelchen, Die deutschen Seeflieger (München: Lehmann, 1976); Ulrich Israel, Marineflieger einst und jetzt (Berlin: Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, 1991); Dieter Jung, Arno Abendroth, and Berndt Wenzel, Die Schiffe und Boote der deutschen Seeflieger (Stuttgart: Motorbuch-Verlag, 1977); Franz Kurowski, Seekrieg aus der Luft: Die deutsche Seeluftwaffe im Zweiten Weltkrieg (Herford: Mittler, 1979); and Sönke Neitzel, Der Einsatz der deutschen Luftwaffe über dem Atlantik und der Nordsee 1939–1945 (Bonn: Bernard & Graefe, 1995).
English histories include Fuehrer Conferences on Naval Affairs, 1939–1945 (London: Chatham, 2005); and Erich Raeder, Struggle for the Sea. (London: Kimber, 1959), which are good for policy. Jak Showell, The German Navy in WWII (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1979) provides an excellent general overview of the Kriegsmarine. General histories from the German perspective, although somewhat dated, include Cajus Bekker, Hitler’s Naval War (New York: Doubleday, 1974); Friedrich Ruge, Der Seekrieg: The German Navy’s Story 1939–1945 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1957); and Edward P. Von der Porten, The German Navy in World War II (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1968). For surface operations see Vincent P. O’Hara, The German Fleet at War 1939–1945 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2004), and for U-boats, Kenneth Wynn, U-Boat Operations of the Second World War: Career Histories (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997 and 1998).
CHAPTER 3: GREAT BRITAIN
A starting point for an overview of the Royal Navy’s operations, planning, and organization is the United Kingdom Military Series (London: HMSO), especially Stephen W. Roskill, The War at Sea 1939–1945, which includes The Defensive, The Period of Balance, and The Offensive: Part I and Part II (1954–1960). Naval operations and administrative matters are also covered in I. F. O. Playfair’s The Mediterranean and Middle East (1954–1988) and S. Kirby’s War against Japan (1957–1969). Intelligence is treated by F. H. Hinsley, British Intelligence in the Second World War (1979–1990).
Many of the naval staff histories produced during and shortly after the war, which treat operational and administrative matters in great detail, have been reprinted. Available titles include The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean; The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys; Naval Operations of the Campaign in Norway; German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II; The Evacuation from Dunkirk, Operation Dynamo; The Royal Navy and the Malta and Russian Convoys, 1941–1942; and The Defeat of the Enemy Attack on Shipping, 1939–1945.
The standard references for the Dominion navies consist of Hermon G. Gill, Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942 and Royal Australian Navy 1942–1945 (Adelaide: Griffin, 1957–1968); S. D. Waters, The Royal New Zealand Navy (Wellington: War History Branch, 1956); and A. German, The Sea Is at Our Gates: The History of the Royal Canadian Navy (Toronto, 1990).
The best work about British warships is D. K. Brown, ed., The Design and Construction of British Warships 1939–1945 (London: Conway Maritime Press, 1995–1996). Brian Lavery’s Churchill’s Navy: The Ships, Men and Organisation 1939–1945 (London: Conway, 2006) provides a good overview of the Royal Navy. Paul Kemp, The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century (Phoenix Mill, England: Sutton, 1999) is also useful.
Many officers and men of the Royal Navy have written their memoirs. The most famous is Cunningham of Hyndhope, Admiral of the Fleet Viscount, RN, A Sailor’s Odyssey (London: Hutchinson, 1951), but more useful are the collections of papers, reports, and correspondence published by the Naval Records Society, particularly Michael Simpson, ed. The Cunningham Papers (Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 1999–2006) and The Somerville Papers (Aldershot, England: Scolar, 1996).
CHAPTER 4: ITALY
The most important series of books about the Regia Marina’s participation in World War II is the Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare, La Marina Italiana nella Seconda guerra mondiale (Rome: 1950–1978). Based on the original documents now in the Historical Branch (Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare) archives, this series covers statistics and ships lost (three volumes); naval actions (two volumes); the defense of traffic (four volumes); general operations by area and date (four volumes); submarines (three volumes); and special topics such as commandos, organization, and mines (six volumes). The Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare has also published an excellent series on the navy’s warships, Le Navi d’Italia (1962–1974). Separate volumes cover battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and motor torpedo boats.
There is a rich literature on Italian warships in addition to the official histories. For warships and weapons, see Erminio Bagnasco and Augusto De Toro, Le navi da battaglia classe “Littorio” 1937–1948 (Parma: Albertelli, 2008); Erminio Bagnasco and Enrico Cernuschi, Le navi da guerra italiane (Parma: Albertelli, 2003); and Erminio Bagnasco, Le armi delle navi italiane nella seconda guerra mondiale (Parma: Albertelli, 1978).
General histories include Marc’Antonio Bragadin, Il dramma della marina italiana 1940–1945 (Verona: Mondatori, 1981); Enrico Cernuschi, Fecero tutti il loro dovere, Supplemento della Rivista Marittima (November 2006); Giorgio Giorgerini, Da Matapan al Golfo Persico, la Marina Militare italiana dal fascismo alla repubblica (Milan: Mondatori, 1989); and Angelo Iachino, Tramonto di una grande marina (Verona: Mondadori, 1959).
Specific campaigns are the subject of Giorgio Giorgerini, La battaglia dei convogli (Milan: Mursia, 1977); Riccardo Nassigh, Guerra negli abissi (Milan: Mursia, 1971); and Alberto Santoni and Francesco Mattesini, La partecipazione aeronavale tedesca alla guerra nel Mediterraneo (1940–1945) (Rome: Ateneo e Bizzarri, 1980).
Naval battles are detailed by Enrico Cernuschi, I sette minuti di Punta Stilo. Supplemento della Rivista Marittima (February 1998) and La notte del Lupo, Supplemento della Rivista Marittima (May 1997); Chirco Giuseppe, Il sacrificio della Prima Divisione a Capo Matapan (Naples: Laurenzana, 1995). Angelo Iachino, who commanded Italy’s battlefleet for much of the war, penned Il punto su Matapan (Verona: Mondadori, 1969); La sorpesa di Matapan (Verona: Mondadori, 1957); Le due Sirti (Verona: Mondadori, 1953); Operazione Mezzo Giugno (Verona: Mondadori, 1955); and Gaudo e Matapan (Verona: Mondadori, 1946). Riccardo Nassigh’s Operazione Mezzo Agosto (Milan: Mursia, 1976) is one of the best treatments of this important series of actions.
Among the English works, see Valerio J. Borghese, Sea Devils: Italian Navy Commandos in World War II (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995) for coverage of special operations. For naval events surrounding the armistice, see Enrico Cernuschi and Vincent P. O’Hara, Dark Navy: the Regia Marina and the Armistice of 8 September 1943 (Ann Arbor, MI: Nimble Books, 2009). General histories include Marc’ Antonio Bragadin, The Italian Navy in World War II (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1957); Raymond de Belot, The Struggle for the Mediterranean 1939–1945 (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1951); Erminio Bagnasco and Mark Grossman, Regia Marina: Italian Battleships of World War II (Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Publishing, 1986); Jack Greene and Alessandro Massignani, The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940–1943 (London: Chatham, 1998); Vincent P. O’Hara, Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940–1945 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2009); and James J. Sadkovich, The Italian Navy in World War II (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994).
CHAPTER 5: JAPAN
The military history department of Japan’s defense agency has produced the Bōeichō Bōeikenshūjō Senshibu (Tokyo: Asagumo Shimbunsha, 1966–1980), often referred to as the Senshi sōsho. It consists of 102 volumes, of which 21 treat naval operations and affairs in great detail.
A short list of important works includes John Bullen, “The Japanese ‘Long Lance’ Torpedo and Its Place in Naval History,” Imperial War Museum Review, no. 3 (1988); Chihaya Masataka, Nihon kaigun no senryaku hassō [Strategic concepts of the Japanese navy] (Tokyo: Purejidentosha, 1990); Jerome B. Cohen, Japan’s Economy in War and Reconstruction (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1949); David C. Evans and Mark R. Peattie, Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1994); Fukui Shizuo, Nihon no gunkan: waga zōkan gijutsu no hattatsu to kantei no hensen [Japanese warships: Japan’s development of ship construction technology and changes in warships over time] (Tokyo: Shuppan Kyōdōsha, 1959); Arthur Marder, Old Friends, New Enemies: The Royal Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy, Vol. 1, Strategic Illusions (New York: Oxford University Press, 1981); and Mark R. Peattie, Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2002).
The best English-language studies on the failure of Japan’s antisubmarine warfare effort in World War II are Oi Atsushi, “Why Japan’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Failed” in The Japanese Navy in World War II in the Words of Former Japanese Naval Officers, 2nd edition, ed. David C. Evans (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1986); and Mark P. Parillo, The Japanese Merchant Marine in World War II (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1993).
The definitive work on Japanese cruisers is the monumental study by Eric Lacroix and Linton Wells, Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997).
More has been written about the Yamato-class battleships than any other ships in the Japanese navy. Janusz Skuski’s The Battleship Yamato (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1988) has the most detailed drawings of the ship but is short on text. The two most authoritative English-language studies are Chihaya Masataka, “IJN Yamato and Musashi,” in Warships in Profile, vol. 3., ed. Antony Preston (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974); and Kitarō Matsumoto and Masataka Chihaya, “Design and Construction of the Yamato and Musashi,” in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 79 (October 1953).
The most detailed and comprehensive study of the Zero in English is Robert Mikesh, Zero: Combat and Development of Japan’s Legendary Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter (Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1994).
A number of references produced by the U.S. military before and shortly after the war continue to have value. These include U.S. Armed Forces Far East History Division, Japanese Monographs Series (Washington, DC: U.S. Army). Produced by Japanese authors at the behest of U.S. authorities, mostly from memory, they address specific operations, planning, organization, and some administrative matters. For exhaustive coverage of technical matters, refer to the “Reports of the United States Technical Mission to Japan, 1945–1946.” An overview of the campaign from the Japanese perspective is provided by the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific), The Campaigns of the Pacific War and Interrogations of Japanese Officials (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946).
CHAPTER 6: UNITED STATES
The most comprehensive treatment of the Navy’s involvement in World War II remains Samuel Eliot Morison’s fifteen volumes, History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II (Boston, MA: Little, Brown), although Morison’s work is limited because he lacked access to records detailing the Navy’s extensive use of code-breaking. More recent histories, such as Ronald H. Spector’s Eagle against the Sun: The American War with Japan (New York: Vintage Books, 1985), have filled this gap.
The early carrier battles are covered in exhaustive detail by John Lundstrom’s works (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press): The First Team (1984); The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign (1994); and Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal (2006). Clark G. Reynolds’s The Fast Carriers: The Forging of an Air Navy (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1992) discusses the development and employment of carrier doctrine later in the war.
The Navy’s surface actions are described by Vincent P. O’Hara in The U.S. Navy against the Axis (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2007). Many other works cover individual battles; James W. Grace’s The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1999) is particularly useful. The development of surface tactics is covered by Wayne P. Hughes in Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1999) as well as in the articles of Trent Hone, “The Evolution of Fleet Tactical Doctrine in the U.S. Navy, 1922–1941,” Journal of Military History 67, no. 4 (October 2003), and “Give Them Hell! The U.S. Navy’s Night Combat Doctrine and the Campaign for Guadalcanal,” War in History 13, no. 2 (April 2006).
The relationship of operational doctrine and tactics is discussed in Trent Hone’s “U.S. Navy Surface Battle Doctrine and Victory in the Pacific,” Naval War College Review 62, no. 1 (Winter 2009). It is complemented by Milan Vego’s The Battle for Leyte, 1944 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2006), which provides an exhaustive analysis of the Leyte operation and the planning for it.
John Prados’s Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II (New York: Random House, 1995) discusses the important part intelligence played in the Pacific war. The Code-Breakers (New York: Signet, 1973) by David Kahn examines both the Pacific and Atlantic theatres.
The Navy’s approach to mobile logistics is discussed by Thomas Wildenberg’s Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912–1992 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1996).
The Navy’s own records are an invaluable source. Beyond the records of the Navy Department and its Bureaus in the National Archives, there are many secondary sources. Julius Augustus Furer’s Administration of the Navy Department in World War Two (Washington, DC: Department of the Navy, 1959) remains unparalleled. The official history of the Bureau of Ordnance, U.S. Navy Bureau of Ordnance in World War II (Washington, DC: GPO) is a vital source for the development of new weapons systems and refinement of old ones. The Navy’s relationship with industry is recorded in Robert H. Connery’s The Navy and the Industrial Mobilization in World War II (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1951). Although not an official publication, the Navy assisted in its production. A variety of sources describe the Navy’s preparation for war and evolution in the interwar period. Donald Chisholm’s Waiting for Dead Men’s Shoes (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001) is a comprehensive examination of the development of the Navy’s officer personnel system. Edward S. Miller’s War Plan Orange: The U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan, 1897–1945 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1991) is the definitive source on the Navy’s war planning. Battle Line: The United States Navy, 1919–1939 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2006) by Thomas C. Hone and Trent Hone charts the evolution of the Navy between the wars. John T. Kuehn’s Agents of Innovation: The General Board and the Design of the Fleet that Defeated the Japanese Navy (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2008) focuses on innovation and how the Navy went about it. American and British Aircraft Carrier Development, 1919–1941 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1999) by Thomas C. Hone, Norman Friedman, and Mark D. Mandeles is vital for the details it provides concerning the development of aircraft carrier doctrine. Thomas Wildenberg provides a very human view of the same topic with his biography of Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves, All the Factors of Victory (Washington, DC: Brassey’s, 2003).
Numerous technical histories describe the design and construction of the Navy’s ships, weapons, and fire-control systems. Foremost among these are the design histories of Norman Friedman: U.S. Battleships; U.S. Aircraft Carriers; U.S. Cruisers; U.S. Small Combatants; U.S. Submarines through 1945; and U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft (all Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983–2002). Friedman’s U.S. Naval Weapons (London: Conway, 1983) builds upon the Bureau of Ordnance history and describes the Navy’s weapons systems in detail.
CHAPTER 7: SOVIET UNION
The most comprehensive and accessible overview of the Red Navy in this period is provided by Jürgen Rohwer and Mikhail S. Monakov, Stalin’s Ocean-Going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programmes 1935–1953 (London: Frank Cass, 2001). The interwar period has recently benefited from several outstanding studies, including N. Iu. Berezovskii, S. S. Berezhnoi, and Z. V. Nikolaeva, Boevaia letopis’ voenno-morskogo flota 1917–1941 (Moscow: Voennoe izdatel’stvo, 1993), which provides an enormous amount of information in the form of an extended chronology. V. Iu. Gibovskii’s excellent Morskaia politika SSSR i razvitie flota v predvoennye gody 1925–1941 gg. (Moscow: Voennaia Kniga, 2006) is a more analytical look at the same period, as is Gunnar Åselius, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Navy in the Baltic, 1921–1941 (London: Frank Cass, 2005).
The general trends in Soviet naval doctrine are described in Robert Waring Herrick’s classic study, Soviet Naval Theory and Policy: Gorshkov’s Inheritance (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1989), but the more recent work by V. D. Dotsenko, A. A. Dotsenko, and V. F. Mironov, Voenno-morskaia strategiia Rossii (Moscow: Eksmo, 2005) is more detailed and based on archival sources.
Soviet ships and the shipbuilding industry are well covered in volume IV of I. P. Spasskii, ed., Istoriia otechestvennogo sudostroeniia (St. Petersburg: Sudostroenie, 1994–1996). Technical and operational information on surface warships as well as extensive descriptions of weapons and sensors can be found in A. V. Platonov, Entsiklopediia Sovetskikh nadvodnykh korabli 1941–1945 (St. Petersburg: Poligon, 2002).
The immense task of reassessing the Red Navy’s wartime performance free from Soviet-era biases has not yet been tackled, but V. D. Dotsenko provides a good overview in Flot-Voina-Pobeda, 1941–1945 (St. Petersburg: Sudostroenie, 1995). More specific studies include A. V. Platonov’s illuminating investigations, “Sovetskie podvodnye lodki na morskikh kommunikatsiiak protivnika,” Gangut 48 (2008): 66–95; and “Sovetskie torpednye katera v bor’be s morskimi perevozkami protivnika,” Gangut 47 (2008): 82–96. Rolf Erikson’s “Soviet Submarine Operations in World War II,” in Reevaluating Major Naval Combatants of World War II, ed. James J. Sadkovich, 155–179 (New York: Greenwood Press, 1990) provides a useful though critical analysis. Finally, Friedrich Ruge’s The Soviets as Naval Opponents 1941–1945 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1979) is still valuable for providing the “view from the other side of the hill.”
GENERAL REFERENCES
David Brown, Warship Losses of WW Two (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995) is a convenient list of warships sunk in combat. John Campbell’s Naval Weapons of World War Two (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2002) is the most comprehensive work of its kind. For details about the warships themselves, the works of Michael Whitley, all published by Naval Institute Press, are good. These include, Battleships of World War Two (1998); Cruisers of World War Two (1995); and Destroyers of World War Two (1998). Richard Worth’s Fleets of World War II (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2001) is both handy and iconoclastic, while Robert Gardiner’s Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1922–1946 (New York: Mayflower, 1980), and Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1906–1921 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1986) deserve a place in every library. There are many photographic books, but Stuart Robertson and Stephen Dent’s Conway’s the War at Sea in Photographs 1939–1945 (London: Conway Maritime Press, 2007) stands out for its depth of coverage. Finally, Jürgen Rohwer’s massive Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2006) is indispensible for keeping track of the naval war’s widespread events.