Buy new:
-6% $18.80
FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$18.80 with 6 percent savings
List Price: $20.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 9 hrs 9 mins
Only 5 left in stock - order soon.
$$18.80 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$18.80
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$14.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$18.80 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$18.80
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Angus Konstam
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

British Battleships 1939–45 (1): Queen Elizabeth and Royal Sovereign Classes (New Vanguard) Paperback – Illustrated, April 21, 2009

by Angus Konstam (Author), Tony Bryan (Illustrator), Paul Wright (Illustrator)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 77 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$18.80","priceAmount":18.80,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"18","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"80","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"iPCJtjlxL5W3Eut6QB8cyTx7NFoowGxw8iAj1wHd7PQHVJgu4Jv9uttQl8iy6K1KjIjVdQTSZ9oTBIIPGHDCxZxejYk84afDpD0CX8kwhQTWyH8h4tfVdAcD7vSfRMsbqjlAn%2FoUHpE%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$14.99","priceAmount":14.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"iPCJtjlxL5W3Eut6QB8cyTx7NFoowGxwdGxYBtAvSbCVi1pgHfQWKxUVw1p0svGSCtDkmYaLlLCIklhAh6uCHXp8t3vok0s%2BUHlEXiBT0ksi0frZ8tCYqIR%2ByUGF%2F1k6YPDh%2FsYur9LMvNZirnmJMrWLEl5I8c8LB1OFL1lP2OJzE%2FH6qXLQ%2BoIAVeYS7R3s","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

With the outbreak of World War II, Britain's Royal Navy and her fleet of battleships would be at the forefront of her defence. Yet from a fleet of 12 battleships, ten were already over 20 years old, venerable veterans of World War I. Extensive modifications throughout the 1930s allowed these ships to perform a vital service throughout the six long years of conflict, and further improvements made during the course of the war enabled them to hold their own against their German and Italian counterparts. This title offers a comprehensive review of the development of these British battleships from their initial commissioning to their peacetime modifications and wartime service. Detailed descriptions of the main armament of each ship will offer further analysis of individual battleships' effectiveness, discussing how the guns were manned when engaging the enemy. Describing HMS Warspite during the battle of Matapan in 1941, the author details how this British battleship, together with other Royal Navy and Australian vessels, defeated the might of the Italian navy so that they never again threatened Allied fleets within the Mediterranean. With specially commissioned artwork and a dramatic retelling of key battleship engagements, this book will highlight what it was like on board for the sailors who risked their lives on the high seas.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Part of series
    New Vanguard
  2. Print length
    48 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Osprey Publishing
  5. Publication date
    April 21, 2009
  6. Dimensions
    7.3 x 0.55 x 9.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1846033888
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1846033889
  9. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

British Battleships 1939–45 (1): Queen Elizabeth and Royal Sovereign Classes (New Vanguard)
$18.80
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16
Only 5 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
British Battleships 1939–45 (2): Nelson and King George V Classes (New Vanguard)
$17.48
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16
Only 6 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
British Light Cruisers 1939–45 (New Vanguard)
$15.00
Get it May 28 - Jun 12
Only 19 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by RAREWAVES-IMPORTS.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

From the Publisher

New Vanguard

battlescenes

Cutaway diagrams

Photos

Full colour battlescenes

Beautifully illustrated battlescenes are included to bring the narrative of the conflict to life.

Cutaway diagrams

Specially commissioned full colour illustrations are included alongside labels and comprehensive captions to give a full breakdown of the machines and ships used in battle.

Photographs

Each volume features a wide range of photographs, which provide unparalleled detail of the uniforms and weaponry used by the combatants.

New Vanguard

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In all, it makes for an excellent primer on the subject and fully meets this reviewer's expectations of books in this series. If you want to learn about the subject, I know you will find it to be equally useful. Buy with confidence.” ―Scott Van Aken, www.modelingmadness.com (April 2009)

About the Author

Angus Konstam is one of Osprey's most prolific authors, with over 30 published titles. In addition he has written more than 25 books for other publishers.

His Osprey titles include British Battlecruisers 1939-45, British Motor Torpedo Boats 1939-45 (both New Vanguard Series), and a string of other nautical titles. His other works include Hunt the Bismark (Naval Institute Press, 2003), PT Boats (Ian Allen, 2005) and Warships (PRC, 2001). He has also written a 100 edition part-work series on Naval History for Osprey/Del Prado.

His latest book is Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate (Wiley, 2006). A former naval officer, maritime archeologist and maritime museum curator, Angus has a long and passionate love affair with the sea, maritime history and warships. For more details visit the author's website at www.anguskonstam.com

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing; Illustrated edition (April 21, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1846033888
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846033889
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.3 x 0.55 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 77 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Angus Konstam

Angus Konstam

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

With over 50 history books in print, Angus is a widely recognised and much-published historian. While he specialises in military and naval history he has also written numerous more general history books, designed to make the subject more accessible to a wider audience. Uniquely he has been able to draw on his expertise as a senior museum curator who has worked on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as on his academic training as a historian and as a maritime archaeologist.

His latest book is a full-length biography: Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate, which is published by Wiley & Sons. of New York (June 2006)

Angus is also just finished writing a history of the Allied landings at Salerno in September 1943 for the British publisher Pen & Sword, and he is currently working on a new project, with the working title of Supership: The Quest for the Renaissance Battleship.

Angus lives in Edinburgh, in Scotland.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
77 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tony
5.0 out of 5 stars Why the British ruled the seas
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
Some of the Greatest Battleships at Sea.
Helpful
 Report
Russell M. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Angus Konstam"s books
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2015
Verified Purchase
Small books that carry a lot of information. The colored drawings are a very good draw for buying these books.
Helpful
 Report
Marco Antonio Giron
4.0 out of 5 stars Just enough, part one
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2010
Verified Purchase
I like the way it develops the theme, first historical background, the development of each class battleship, and finally a summary of the history of each vessel. Do not delve too deeply into the changes in the vessels.

For someone who starts in the naval theme of these wonders, is interesting enough to follow in produndizando.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
michael krause
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
great book. lots of info for modeling.
Helpful
 Report
Helmut Krause
5.0 out of 5 stars a good history
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2009
Verified Purchase
This book is a good short history for those who want to know the basics of the early WW2 British Battleships. Worth the money.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars British Battleships 1939-45 (1): Queen Elizabeth and Royal Soverign Classes (New Vanguard)
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2010
Verified Purchase
like this series -- wish it was thicker with more details but good enough for "overview"
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
John Fornshell
4.0 out of 5 stars British Battleships
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a brief history of the First World War vintage battleships employed by the Royal Navy in the Second World War. The coverage of the Royal Sovereign class is insufficient. Their contributions deserved better attention.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jonathan Lupton
5.0 out of 5 stars A fact-filled and insightful analysis of two vital classes of World War II battleships
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2009
Between them, the Queen Elizabeth and Royal Sovereign-class battleships provided ten of the twelve dreadnoughts in Britain's battle line at the start of World War II. They were old, but remained fearsome to their enemies thanks to their outstanding 15-inch main armament. The Queen Elizabeth class, in particular, proved valuable in surface actions at Narvik, Calabria, Cape Matapan, and in numerous other engagements.

This title is remarkably detailed and informative for its short length. Author Angus Konstam gives insights not available in most other titles. The Queen Elizabeths were the last dreadnoughts designed by Sir Philip Watts. They were revolutionary, despite being designed for guns that did not yet exist. They had flaws - draught was too great, and beam too narrow to be optimal, but they were still the finest battleships of their day. There is also adequate attention given to the slower, less spectacular "R" class battleships which followed. The emphasis is on the World War II condition of both classes. All of the "QE" and "R"-class battleships were modified from their original condition, and some were quite drastically improved prior to World War II. Of the "R"-class ships, Royal Oak had received the greatest modification prior to WWII - ironic, since she was lost within two months of the war's start.

There are plentiful photos, many of which I had never seen before, detailed color profiles of the ships in their World War II condition, diagrams depicting armor protection in both wars, and a useful table on gunnery characteristics. This title gives only limited battle histories of the ships, focusing on the famous (and lucky) HMS Warspite in two incidents: (1) scoring a vital hit at 26,000 yards on the Italian battleship Giulio Cesare at Calabria, and (2) surviving a near-fatal hit from a German glider bomb off Salerno.

Although a brief 46 pages, this title is a good value for the money - well-researched, with enough depth to interest researchers, yet readable and understandable to anyone interested in these classic, historically vital battleships.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Roger Wilson-Tucker
5.0 out of 5 stars Successful New Wine in Old Bottles
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
The concise, but interesting and informative book showed, in detail, how the several ships of each class were modified with given aims. Winston Churchill urged that the vessels of the (later) Royal Sovereign Class be kept out of the way of the enemy; but they performed a valuable role, both in support of Queen-Elizabeth Class units, and in protecting convoys. Modern German Pocket Battleships refrained from attacking convoys, when faced with the heavy armament of those old ships. If we had had modernised vessels of these or the later classes, they would not have become infernos, unlike tse modern aluminium and plastic ships, when struck by Exocet missiles, in the Falklands conflict.
Report
J. Brian Walton
4.0 out of 5 stars Longest serving and most effective
Reviewed in Canada on March 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
At 35,000 tons the Queen Elizabeth class and the Royal Sovereigns were giants in 1916 but their record goes on into WWII and one of the Queens, Warspight may be, historically, the fightingest ship ever. She was in almost every battle in both wars and even after a direct hit by a Nazi glider bomb at Anzio still was present on D Day to use her 15 inch guns to good effect. This volume chronicals the modifications and upgrades of these handsome ships from their launch to their scrapping at the end of WWII.
Report
Tristan
3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat lacking compare to other titles in the series on capital ships
Reviewed in Canada on April 26, 2021
Verified Purchase
Well written book on the 2 classes of 15” gun armed ships and their Second World War service. I have a number of other new vanguard titles on the various nations capital ships, and I must say this one isn’t one of my favourites despite my interest in these ships. This title does feel like even more of a brief read than others, and seems to have somewhat less detail, while at the same time having less individual classes of vessels to describe. I would have liked to see more detail on how the classes differed, both visually and practically, and more on their service lives. The service lives are very glazed over, with basically no detail on anything in any ships career, even sinkings and major actions being summed up in one sentence. The only events that are gonna into detail are 2 examples at the end of the book, both including Warspite (battle of Calibria, and its bombing off Salerno that nearly resulted in its loss). The images are very plentiful, perhaps more then the average title, which may have taken away from the text. Also of note is of the various colour plates of ships, the Queen Elizabeth class includes many nice profiles (5) and a overhead view, which show their various differences after refit, and then the Revenge class ships get 4, however these are not profiles but rather angled paintings very simpler to the actual images. These offer very little, no more detail than the actual photographs and would be far better off as the higher quality side profiles that the Queen Elizabeth have, which off far more in terms of comparison between ships and classes, as well as visible detail. Overall it’s a good introduction to the classes, but feels very lacking compare to even other New Vanguard titles on battleships of the time
Report
Flyboy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Book on Battleships
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
A cracking little book on the Queen Elizabeth class and Royal Sovereign classes of battleship.

The Queen Elizabeth class included the world famous HMS Warspite, or as she was called The Grand Old Lady, the most decorated and damaged Battleship to ever float in service of the Royal Navy.

As with the other title in the series, there are potted histories and overviews of particular ships, cross sectional drawings, art work and genuine photographs of the ships covered.

Excellent for light reading and getting up the interest of new comers to the realms of Naval history.
Report
Penelope
4.0 out of 5 stars Informative little books for the price
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2012
Verified Purchase
I recently reviewed British Heavy Cruisers 1939-45 and on the strength of this purchased both parts of British Battleships 1939-45, I was not disappointed. Informative text, a goodly load of photos and great artwork. One or two niggling mistakes. Not being a nautical person I couldn't make out in part one how a shell which travels 19,000 yards covers 17 nautical miles whilst one which travels further at 26,000 yards only apparently covers 12.8 nautical miles? (Pages 18/19). I also think, as some other reviewers, that one star awarded by one reviewer to part two is very harsh because the author wrote 'Bismarck and Scharnhorst'. Even someone with the most basic knowledge knows it should have been 'Tirpitz'. Again I suspect lax proof reading which should have picked up these errors but having produced a Society newsletter for many years I know how some errors will just not register despite the number of times it is checked before printing. For the price I think all three books are worth-while having. When I return from holiday it will be British Battlecruisers and Aircraft Carriers on the order book next.
Report