"German Commerce Raider vs British Cruiser", by historian Robert Forczyk, is an entry in Osprey Publishing's Duel series. The duel format is typically 80 pages long, and presents an analysis of the factors ... human, mechanical, and tactical ... of the two weapons systems being compared, describes how the weapons were developed and utilized, and includes drawings, photographs, and illustrations.
The author begins with an overview of German commerce raider operations in World War I, and what lessons each side ... German and British ... learned from that war. He then follows the standard series format, giving the design and development, technical specifications, and strategic situation for each side in the run-up to the World War II. He then shifts into describing the combatants and combat operations. The author closes by providing some statistics and analysis of the duel, and providing information on German raider efforts in 1942/43.
One of the interesting things about this "duel" is that the Germans only sent 7 raiders out to sea in 1941, so Mr. Forczyk is able to provide information on them all, and to cover every fight between the German Raiders and British Cruisers. Although I have already read a fair amount about the German commerce raiders in World War II, the author was able to provide a lot of new information and backed it up with solid analysis on each side's strengths and weaknesses. It was a surprisingly low-tech duel during 1941, which played more to the German's advantage, while the British also failed to capitalize on their assets.
In most of the books in Osprey's various series I begrudge the space most photographs and maps take up, but in this case I wish a few of the photographs and maps were larger. In particular, the author provides two maps that show the German operational areas, British operational deployments, bases, resupply points, and identifies where actions between cruisers and raiders took place in 1940 and in 1941. I'm impressed with these maps to be honest ... they succinctly summarize two years' worth of operations for both sides. The decision to size them so relatively small was undoubtedly the publisher's, not the author's, but I'd have gladly traded away other things so they'd be a full page each and easier to read. On the plus side of the photographs, there are some nice underwater color pictures of the HMAS Sydney and the Kormoran taken in 2008, which was the most famous battle of the war between these foes.
Overall, a superb detailed overview of the cat and mouse game between the British shipping, the German raiders attempts to capture/sink them, and the British Cruisers efforts to clear the seas of the raiders. While the commerce raiders sank only a small fraction of allied shipping losses in World War II, they didn't cost the Germans much when compared to what they accomplished, and they should have launched more of them early in the war. I strongly recommend this book. Five stars.
Next, I think the author should do a similar treatment of "German Commerce Raider vs British Cruiser: 1914-1918". :-)
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From the Publisher
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Full colour battlescenesBeautifully illustrated battlescenes are included to bring the narrative of the conflict to life. |
MapsDetailed historical maps frame each battle or campaign, and provide the key historical context. |
Technical drawingsEach illustration is meticulously researched to depict the machines used in the battle. The images are accompanied by full captions to detail their technical features. |
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Top reviews from other countries
claudio lamas de farias
cuidado! versão (mal) impressa sob demanda.
Reviewed in Brazil on July 31, 2020
David McIntyre
A powerful punch
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2010