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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For anyone interested in the Dunkerque and Richelieu classes or the wartime French navy, this is a must buy book, which will certainly be read and re-read.
With good illustrations and a well written and informative text, the authors tell the story of these beautiful - especially in the case of the Dunkerques - but ill fated ships, which all led short lives and too often found themselves confronting the British and American navies rather than their intended Axis adversaries.
Apart from a wealth of interesting technical detail, the text benefits from the inclusion of some illuminating official reports, which let us see the ships as they were seen by senior officers at the time. There are also some good descriptions of the more heroic episodes in the ships' careers, such as Strasbourg's amazing escape from the holocaust of Mers el Kebir and the incomplete Jean Bart's last-minute escape from the Germans at St Nazaire.
There is also a useful analysis of Operation Catapult, which shows how the British actions were based on a completeley false picture of the situation, with respect both to Axis intentions and the likelihood that the French ships could ever be successfully deployed by the Germans or the Italians.
To be critical, there is an error relating to the machinery of the Bearn, which is wrongly described as 'all turbine' in one place (hopefully this can be corrected in future editions). One might also question whether there is really any point in including illustrations of the shore-based artillery at Dakar, interesting though these weapons might be.
From this reviewer's point of view, it would also have been desirable to have more internal photos of the ships and from later on their lives when they had been hulked. But these are minor matters, which hardly detract from what is an excellent book.
With good illustrations and a well written and informative text, the authors tell the story of these beautiful - especially in the case of the Dunkerques - but ill fated ships, which all led short lives and too often found themselves confronting the British and American navies rather than their intended Axis adversaries.
Apart from a wealth of interesting technical detail, the text benefits from the inclusion of some illuminating official reports, which let us see the ships as they were seen by senior officers at the time. There are also some good descriptions of the more heroic episodes in the ships' careers, such as Strasbourg's amazing escape from the holocaust of Mers el Kebir and the incomplete Jean Bart's last-minute escape from the Germans at St Nazaire.
There is also a useful analysis of Operation Catapult, which shows how the British actions were based on a completeley false picture of the situation, with respect both to Axis intentions and the likelihood that the French ships could ever be successfully deployed by the Germans or the Italians.
To be critical, there is an error relating to the machinery of the Bearn, which is wrongly described as 'all turbine' in one place (hopefully this can be corrected in future editions). One might also question whether there is really any point in including illustrations of the shore-based artillery at Dakar, interesting though these weapons might be.
From this reviewer's point of view, it would also have been desirable to have more internal photos of the ships and from later on their lives when they had been hulked. But these are minor matters, which hardly detract from what is an excellent book.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I too enjoyed this book and was quite happy with my purchase. The battle action covered in the book is quite good on the British attacks on the French battleships in World War II, but surprisingly ignores the planned use of the Strasbourg in a run to help Vichy Syria at the time of the Allied invasion of Syria.
It does an excellent job of detailing the damage done to the four big French battleships (by the Allies!) and there were some surprises for me. I had not realized the loss of armament and issues with the secondary and tertiary guns at Dakar, Casablanca, and of course Mers-el Kebir.
Photographs are great and the language is English!
It does an excellent job of detailing the damage done to the four big French battleships (by the Allies!) and there were some surprises for me. I had not realized the loss of armament and issues with the secondary and tertiary guns at Dakar, Casablanca, and of course Mers-el Kebir.
Photographs are great and the language is English!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book gives a detailed account of the development and service histories of the four battleships of the Dunkerque- and Richelieu Classes, not more, not less. Their older cousins - the Courbet- and Provence-Classes - are mentioned only briefly, despite the fact that they underwent major updates in the 1920's and 1930's, and despite the fact that they were still very present in WW II. Their real battle value may have been questionable, but at least one of them fired her guns in anger as late as 1945 so I think they deserved more than the fleeting mention they enjoyed in "French Battleships 1922-1956", the title indicating a broader scope than the one actually attempted by this book.
On the other hand, if someone looks for first-class reference regarding the latest French Battleships, the quadruple-turreted Dunkerque- and Richelieu-classes, he doesn't have to look any farther than to this book. Detailed accounts on both their design history and their actual build are complemented with detailed drawings and a host of technical data, including data on their armament. But this is only one half of the book - the other half is their operational history, including, even if limited, a discussion of the political background which led to tragic events as the "battles" of Mers-el-Kebir, Dakar and Casablanca, and which, more than anything, kept them from playing a major role in the battles of the second world war.
Great pictures and colour drawings complete the book, which is a fitting tribute to France's last battleships and the men who manned them. ("France's Last Battleships", by the way, would have been a better-fitting title than the one actually selected ;-))
On the other hand, if someone looks for first-class reference regarding the latest French Battleships, the quadruple-turreted Dunkerque- and Richelieu-classes, he doesn't have to look any farther than to this book. Detailed accounts on both their design history and their actual build are complemented with detailed drawings and a host of technical data, including data on their armament. But this is only one half of the book - the other half is their operational history, including, even if limited, a discussion of the political background which led to tragic events as the "battles" of Mers-el-Kebir, Dakar and Casablanca, and which, more than anything, kept them from playing a major role in the battles of the second world war.
Great pictures and colour drawings complete the book, which is a fitting tribute to France's last battleships and the men who manned them. ("France's Last Battleships", by the way, would have been a better-fitting title than the one actually selected ;-))
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent
This is a really good book, rich in detail and well illustrated. Anyone interested in navies of this period and these beautiful ships in particular will find a great deal to enjoy... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Sean Corley
French Battleships
An extensively researched volume with a fantastic amount of detail on every aspect of these ships - Excellent range of photos and diagrams with outstanding colour graphics on... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Douglas Sutherland
FRENCH BATTLESHIPS
I would echo the comments made by the other reviewers, I have just recieved this book and am finding it fascinating. Well illustrated with good diagrams and an informative text. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2010 by Ms. N. J. Dixon
French Battleships
This book is a treasure for naval buffs. It's full of detail, diagrams and many high quality photos. You will spend many hours absorbing all the technicalities. Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2009 by Railway Mike
First Rate Exemplar
Since reading of this title's pending publication I have had my order in place and the parcel finally arrived in far off Auckland a few days ago.
Intial impressions... Read more
Intial impressions... Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by Dr. Keith G. Town
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