The minor warships in any navy play a very important part in naval warfare but often receive very little attention from historians. This new book provides a detailed view of the Kreigsmarine Security Forces in WWII with many previously unpublished images. It is an important addition to the pool of knowledge and the first substantial review of German naval security forces – Very Highly Recommended.
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NAME: Hitler's Forgotten Flotillas, Kriegsmarine Security Forces FILE: R2532 AUTHOR: Lawrence Paterson PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword, Seaforth BINDING: hard back PAGES: 352 PRICE: £25.00 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: WWII, World War Two, World War 2, Second World War, auxiliary warships, minesweepers, patrol boats, fast patrol boats, riverine craft
ISBN: 978-1-4738-8239-3
IMAGE: B2532.jpg6 BUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/l26wwke LINKS: DESCRIPTION: The minor warships in any navy play a very important part in naval warfare but often receive very little attention from historians. This new book provides a detailed view of the Kreigsmarine Security Forces in WWII with many previously unpublished images. It is an important addition to the pool of knowledge and the first substantial review of German naval security forces – Very Highly Recommended. The British and Germans both built up large fleets of minor warships for coastal and riverine operations. These workhorses may not have been the most glamorous warships, but they fulfilled a vital role. They swept mines and discouraged submarines, provided anti-aircraft cover for small convoys, provided guard boats, and policing of borders and rivers. Both navies used vessels of similar origins, fishing boats, small steamers and cargo boats, motor boats and older warships. They carried similar armaments and were crewed in a similar way. Typically, a fishing boat would be impressed as an auxiliary warship, to be armed with a small deck gun, 3 or 6 pounder, perhaps a 20mm canon, and a few machine guns. In place of fishing nets the vessel might be given a para-vane to be towed as a mine cutter, and anti- submarine capability was added by fitting rails for depth charges, or simply adding some depth charges that could be pushed overboard. Some of the larger or more modern vessels might be equipped with radar and/or a sonar system. The crew might be former fishermen with the addition of a naval gunner. A very similar approach was taken with larger ships impressed into service. Harbour defences required vessels to move anti-submarine booms and provide standing patrols against submarines and frogmen. Although many auxiliary warships were commercial vessels taken into service, coastal security patrols required more vessels than could be acquired in this way. Some of the void was filled by taking yachts and other leisure vessels into service but, in the main, the deficit was filled with new patrol vessels built specially for the purpose. These new vessels were often built from non-strategic materials in small boatyards that were unsuitable for the repair or construction of larger warships. Unsurprisingly, there was much similarity between British and German designs. The author has clearly undertaken exhaustive research and assembled a vast amount of information on the German Naval Security Fleet, Sicherungsstreitkrafte, producing what is a unique review in depth. The main body of the book provides clear text with embedded images in illustration. There are a great many images and many have not been published before. Although British Coastal Forces have received less than their due in print, the German Navy has fared even worse and this book is a very welcome correction of this deficiency. To a comprehensive review has been added an equally comprehensive set of appendices, bibliography and index.