Soviet Cruisers 1917-45

NEW VANGUARD No 326: SOVIET CRUISERS 1917-45 - From the October Revolution to World War II

A history of the Soviet Navy's cruisers, from the opening shots of the October Revolution through to the combat they saw during World War II.

The Soviet Navy of World War II boasted a cruiser fleet that was among the most eclectic to see service. In this book, noted military historian and Soviet specialist Alexander Hill explains the role of cruisers in the Soviet Navy from the dramatic days of the October Revolution of 1917 through to the struggle they fought with Nazi Germany during World War II.

Illustrated throughout with rare photos and original artwork, including a cutaway of Aurora, famous for its role in the Bolshevik October Revolution, and with profiles of the key classes, this book outlines the Soviets' development of a cruiser force. Having inherited a number of cruisers from the Imperial Russian Navy, the new Soviet Navy went on to complete two unfinished Tsarist light cruisers during the 1920s. In the late 1930s, the Soviets built their first large warships, the Kirov class, and in 1940 Nazi Germany sold the unfinished heavy cruiser Lützow to the USSR. The final cruiser-sized warship to see action was the former Imperial royal yacht Shtandart, renamed Marti and armed as a minelayer, which was used in the defence of Leningrad.

Researched in the main from Russian-language sources, this study explores the cruiser fleet that saw considerable action in World War II, particularly in support of the Red Army.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION

CRUISERS LAID DOWN DURING THE TSARIST PERIOD

• The Soviet cruiser force in the Revolution and Civil War, 1917–21
• Aurora
• Komintern (previously Pamiat' Merkuriia, Kagul)
• Cruisers of the Svetlana class
• Marti (formerly Shtandart)

CRUISERS LAID DOWN AND COMPLETED 1917–45

• Cruisers of the Kirov class (Project 26 and Project 26-bis)

RADAR

• Wartime service – Project 26 and 26-bis
• Petropavlovsk (Lützow)

POST-WAR GUN CRUISERS

CONCLUSION

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Author: Alexander Hill

Illustrator: Paul Wright

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Description: 48 pages, Paperback, 248 X 184 mm.

Condition: NEW COPY.

Shipping weight: 320 gr.

Tags: RUSSIAN NAVY, SOVIET NAVY