<div>&ldquo;An important work for anyone interested in warship design, the naval side of World War II in the Mediterranean, or modern Italian history.&rdquo;&mdash;New York Military Affairs Symposium For its final battleship design Italy ignored all treaty restrictions on tonnage and produced one of Europe&rsquo;s largest and most powerful capital ships, comparable with Germany&rsquo;s Bismarck class, similarly built in defiance of international agreements. The three ships of the Littorio class were typical of Italian design, being fast and elegant, but also boasting a revolutionary protective scheme&mdash;which was tested to the limits, as all three were to be heavily damaged in the hard-fought naval war in the Mediterranean; Roma had the unfortunate distinction of being the first capital ship sunk by guided missile. These important ships have never been covered in depth in English-language publications, but the need is now satisfied in this comprehensive and convincing study by two of Italy&rsquo;s leading naval historians. The book combines a detailed analysis of the design with an operational history, evaluating how the ships stood up to combat. It is illustrated with an amazing collection of photographs, many fine-line plans, and colored artwork of camouflage schemes, adding up to as complete a monograph on a single class ever published. Among warship enthusiasts, battleships enjoy a unique status. As the great success of Seaforth&rsquo;s recent book on French battleships proves, that interest transcends national boundaries, and this superbly executed study is certain to become another classic in the field. &ldquo;A very impressive piece of work.&rdquo;&mdash;History of War &ldquo;An essential book for all naval history enthusiasts.&rdquo;&mdash;Firetrench</div>

Buy From US

Kobo

Google

Barnes & Noble

Apple

Amazon

The Littorio Class

<div>With the publication of their previous book on the battleships of the Littorio class, the authors set new standards for the detailed coverage and sophisticated analysis of Italian warship design. Inspired by its success, both critically and commercially, the authors were inspired to follow up with a similar study of the earlier Italian battleships that were built in the First World War but survived to fight in the Second. Given the level of new research required, this has taken a decade to achieve but the result is a similarly comprehensive coverage. Originally comprising five ships in two related classes, they entered service at the beginning of the Great War. As designed, they were powerful examples of the second generation of dreadnoughts, with a combination of twin and triple turrets producing a unique main armament of thirteen 12-inch guns. One ship, Leonardo da Vinci, was sunk by an internal explosion at Taranto in 1916, and although the hull was raised post-war, the plan to rebuild the ship was abandoned as it was not deemed cost-effective. However, the remaining four ships were to undergo one of the most radical reconstructions of any battleship class during the 1930s, emerging with an entirely new profile, more powerful machinery and all the characteristics of a modern fast battleship. In this form they became an important element in the Italian fleet that opposed the British after 1940\. This book covers all the technical details of the ships, both as built and as rebuilt, but also provides an extended history of their active service, including battle plans and track charts. Thoroughly illustrated with photographs, ship and armament plans, detail drawings and colour camouflage schemes, the book is a fitting companion to The Littorio Class.</div>

Italian Battleships

<div>A technical history of seven Italian heavy cruisers: Trento, Trieste, Bolzano, Zara, Fiume, Gorizia, Pola—a perfect companion volume to Italian Battleships. When the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 effectively banned the building of battleships, competition between the major navies concentrated on the next most powerful category, heavy cruisers limited to ten thousand tons displacement and eight-inch guns. Italy followed this trend, the first design for what became Trento and Trieste being ordered in 1924. These were the fastest of the first generation ‘Treaty’ cruisers but were very lightly armored, and the succeeding Zara class of four ships were slower but better protected. However, before the final ship of this class (Pola) had been completed, there was a return to the earlier fast, lightly protected concept with the Bolzano, although this ship also incorporated aspects of the Zara design. The political background, design history and technical features of these classes are covered in great depth in this volume. They were important ships, subject to incremental improvement so no two were identical, and model makers will appreciate the space devoted to the variations in appearance, using both description and illustration. As major units of the Italian battle fleet, they were more active than most during the war and their careers are fully detailed, including analyses of damage suffered. Tragically, they were all sunk, and the circumstance of each loss is explored. As befits a technical history, the book is thoroughly illustrated with ship and armament plans, detail drawings and color camouflage schemes, as well as an outstanding collection of photographs.</div>

Augusto de Toro
Follow this author

Books By Augusto de Toro (3 Books)

The Littorio Class

Italian Battleships

Italian Heavy Cruisers

Get weekly updates and deals from Early Bird Books

More from

Corporate

© 2024 OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA

Augusto de ToroFollow this author

Books By Augusto de Toro (3 Books)

The Littorio Class

Italian Battleships

Italian Heavy Cruisers

Get weekly updates and deals from Early Bird Books

More from

Corporate

© 2024 OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA

Augusto de Toro
Follow this author