"RAN and RNZN Recommendations" Topic

All along I have been an avid reader on all things military. In Canada so naturally my naval interest is in the Battle of the Atlantic and the U-boat fight.

I like the small ships like the frigates, corvettes and minesweeper to trawler sizes. So are there any RAN or RNZN books out there on the war especially on escort duty.

I know that about four dozen Banthhurst class ships amongst others were built alone as both minesweeper and escort. Any good reads in particular about the Pacific or Indian ocean side of the world?

Is there an southern version of, "The Cruel (Yet Warm) Sea"?

Chwck out books about the HMAS Perth, great WW2 story. Got sunk at the tail end of the Battle for Java, but put up a good fight.

Thanks McWong, but the little ships do have a special place in the heart.

Size queen ;)

The Pacific war didn't have I-boats packs, no Japanese S-boats, the Japanese didn't think much of sinking logistics.

To be honest the Japanese didn't think much about logistics at all.

They were wargamers at heart, getcher toys and battle the other guys toys.

Damned Allies didn't play fair.

But the only campaign that even pretends to would be the Indian Ocean raid and it's not small(er) craft.

Or you could do American PT boats in the Solomons versus Japanese destroyers or armored landing craft escorting landing craft filled with soldiers or supplies creeping from island to island at night to avoid American aircraft.

HMNZS Moa & HMNZS Kiwi (Bird class minesweepers) saw action against the Japanese;

link

Dragon6, understood, but there is a gap in the history department between those little Elcos and the carriers.

Not all the war was big ship so I'ld love to find more on the smaller classes.

Thanks JCD, any other biographies or histories about?

dragon 6, I would imagine that the crews, those that survived, of the many merchant vessels that Japanese submarines sank might disagree with you. The Japanese may not have organised a campaign against merchant vessels quite in the German league, but they were far more, let's say ruthless, towards their victims than the Kreigsmarine ever were. Mind you the Americans didn't treat the Japanese merchant seamen much better…..