Q Ship vs U-Boat: 1914–18

di David Greentree (Autore)

Peter Dennis (Illustratore)

Ian Palmer (Illustratore)

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2014

A fully-illustrated account of the British Q ship, a heavily armed small craft disguised as a merchant vessel, and its tactics against the Kaiser’s formidable U-boat fleet during World War I. Q ships came in all shapes and sizes – coastal steamer, trawler, barque, yacht or schooner – but all had to look harmless in order to lure their opponents to the surface and encourage them to attack. Armaments differed according to ship size; steamers commonly had 4in guns mounted amidships and in the bow, trawlers 3-pdrs and sailing ships 12-pdrs. David Greentree covers how the Q ship used a ‘panic crew’, trained to act out an elaborate evacuation to convince the U-boat commander that the ship was being abandoned by its crew. The Q ship captain would remain behind with a handful of other crewmen manning the guns, which remained hidden until the most opportune time to unmask and engage the U-boat. Packed with illustrations, this book explores the Q ship concept in detail, from its emergence early in the war, when no other method seemed likely to counter the U-boat threat, and as it flourished, until new technologies and tactics were developed, tested and implemented.

• Autore: David Greentree
• Illustratore: Peter Dennis, Ian Palmer
• Editore: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Collana: Duel
• Anno: 2014
• Rilegatura: Paperback / softback
• Pagine: 80 p.
• Dimensioni: 246 x 180 mm
• Peso: 300 gr.
• EAN: 9781782002840

Testo in English