Beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this book offers a creditable account detailing the key rival battles between the Battlecruisers of the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine at the height of World War I. This book covers these opposing Battlecruisers and where they first met in January 1915 at Dogger Bank in the North Sea. The author explains why the battle was a tactical victory for British although neither side lost any of its Battlecruisers. He details the main differences in the designs in the British and German ships and how these two sides responded quite differently to this first engagement. In the book you’ll find out how these differences came into play during the battle of Jutland in May 1916, where of the nine of the British Battlecruisers committed, three were destroyed, all by their German counterparts. Five German Battlecruisers were present and only one of these was sunk.

The book itself is well printed with a corded gum binding. The print is easy to read and the photographs are very clear. The artwork and cutaway illustrations are colorful and honestly represented. The maps and charts are rendered so that any layperson can understand them.

Contents

• Introduction
• Chronology
• Design and Development
• The Strategic Situation
• Technical Specifications
• The Combatants
• Combat
• Statistics and Analysis
• Conclusion
• Further Reading
• Index

The Bottom Line

I highly recommend this book to anyone. It’s packed with information and photos the ship modeler will love.

I would like to thank Osprey publishing and IPMS for allowing me the opportunity to review and present this excellent book.