By way of introduction, let me say that the naval campaign in the North Sea during WW1 is my number one subject of military historical interest and research. I have been studying it for the better part of 40 years and have accumulated about 300 books, dissertations, reports, archival documents, etc, over that time. This is all to say that I have a reasonable familiarity with the period.
First off, let's deal with the critics on Amazon UK.
Mister "1 star" is totally out to lunch. He obviously failed to read Staff's preface, where he cite the work Griessmer, Koop and Schmolke. Both terms, "grosse Kreuzer" and "Schlachtkreuzer", were used in the German lexicon with the latter supplanting the former over time. Staff, in fact, heads each vessel chapter with "the large cruiser", which is of course a literal translation of "grosse kreuzer". Were there only seven German battlecruisers in WW1? Staff's book covers not only the seven German BCs that actually saw service, but also MACKENSEN (which was close to launch at war's end) and the later wartime designs that did not begin construction. Ignore this person.
Mister "3 star" is inaccurate on every technical point he raises. British circa-Jutland 15in CPC was in fact black powder filled, as were British 13.5in and 12in CPC. Post Jutland testing and analysis (See "Final Report of the President, Projectile Committee – 1917: CB01303) concluded that CPC, powder filled was in fact to be preferred as the best all around projectile due to the manifold problems discovered with British heavy caliber AP Lyddite; any read of Campbell will make clear that CPC was fired in great quantities at Jutland. Krupp armor, both KC and non-cemented, was in essence a steel alloy that included nickel as the principal alloying ingredient. I have not read the passage that relates to "aluminum cap", but I trust that it will be found to refer to the ballistic cap fitted over the piercing cap. Disregard this person.
The "cardinal sin" of quoting Jellicoe's commentary re the battlecruiser engagement was not the work of the author, but of the gentleman he invited to write the foreword – Wolfgang Bohlayer, an engineer with forty years at Blohm and Voss, where most of the ships in question were constructed. England may stand down from the ramparts.
As to awkward language, the book does have some where unusual phraseology appears: "hoists" described as "elevators" and "magazines" described as "munitions chambers" for example. But in no case do these detract from the sense of the text. One item to keep in mind here is that a very great deal of the information presented in this book was translated to English from original German language archival materials (for example, Mahrholz's (artillery officer on VON DER TANN at Jutland) description of his gunnery engagement with INDEFATIGABLE) and it was probably done by a native German fluent in English.
On to the book itself.
Let me start by stating what the book is NOT. It is not a comparison of German versus British battlecruisers in any way, shape, or form.
So what is the book? It is just what it says on the tin: a review of the design, construction and operations of the German battle-cruisers of WW1. It would be impossible to describe all the minutia Staff crams into this book. Allow me instead to simply list the chapter sub-heading for a random ship, let's say MOLTKE –
DESIGN – detailed discussion of design goals and debates
CONSTRUCTION – when, where, how long, effect of dockyard strike.
HULL – you could find your way around the ship using Staff's description.
ARMOUR – complete frame-to-frame description of vertical and deck armor layout.
ARMAMENT – detailed description of primary, secondary and tertiary batteries, including turret mechanisms, ammunition stowage, gun elevations, range, arcs of fire and types and quantities of ammunition carried.
TORPEDO ARMAMENT- details of all four u/w tubes + full performance characteristics of the torpedoes carried.
SHIP'S BOATS – full inventory of boats carried aboard.
ANCHORS – Ever wonder what type of anchor was carried and how much it weighed?
ELECTRICAL PLANT – full details.
SEARCHLIGHTS – number and location, including the signal lamps.
MACHINERY – full details of the turbine layout, boiler operating temperatures and pressure and compartmentation.
"LEAK" PUMPS – I'm getting tired trying to summarize everything.
MANEUVERABILITY AND SEAKEEPING –
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS ANDCHANGES –
NAMESAKE –
TRIALS –
OPERATIONAL HISTORY – In absolutely excruciating detail, starting from her 1912 trip to the USA, with almost day by day entries, including track charts for every operation (ever wonder where the British and German minefields were in, say, 1915?). One entry describes the four torpedoes fired by MOLTKE at Jutland, including their gyro settings. Every case of damage, hit by individual hit, is covered by both high quality period photographs and by beautifully re-drawn contemporary German damage diagrams (remember the ones in Campbell that were almost impossible to decipher?)
Every ship is treated in the same detailed manner.
Al this is enhanced by a vast array of beautiful photographs (almost all of which we have not seen before) and explanatory diagrams. Each ship chapter feature a fantastic double-page reproduction of original MOLTKE deck plan, vertical cutaway showing internals, plus no less than ten detailed transversal cross-sections; this is followed by another double-page overhead layout of MOLTKE on a deck by deck basis, with each compartment numbered and identified.
Staff also threw in a selection of fantastic 3D digital renderings of several ships.
The physical quality of the book is first rate.
Do I have any complaints? A bit more on German naval gunnery control technology and methods would have enhanced the book, but I have that pretty well by other sources.
If you are REALLY into this period – not just someone who games it for the occasional giggle – you will want to own this book.
B
goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.
