Mark Stille Knihy

Japonské námořnictvo bylo průkopníkem námořního letectva, jako první zařadilo do služby letadlovou loď. Američané je následovali a zahájili rozsáhlý program stavby letadlových lodí. Když se válka v Tichomoří rozšířila do největšího námořního konfliktu dějin, stala se letadlová loď základem americké i japonské námořní strategie a tyto lodě spolu bojovaly o nadvládu nad tímto důležitým válčištěm. Tato kniha analyzuje nejrůznější výzbroj, jež byla k dispozici pro letadlové lodě obou protivníků, zejména palubní letadla, ale i mohutná lodní děla. Popisuje konstrukci a vývoj těchto revolučních lodí a líčí zážitky námořních letců a dělových obsluh v zápase o vítězství v souboji dovednosti, houževnatosti a odvahy.

Napínavý příběh posledního velkého souboje amerických a japonských křižníků v legendární bitvě o Guadalcanal jistě potěší všechny zájemce o vývoj a taktiku těchto lodí. Proti sobě stanuly dvě eskadry a svedly spolu několik impozantních bitev, v nichž se válečné štěstí střídavě přiklánělo na tu či onu stranu, až po definitivní porážku japonské flotily. Autor knihy podrobně rozebírá slabiny a silné stránky nesmiřitelných protivníků, jejich doktríny, problémy ve velení, ale i skvělé taktické kroky, úroveň výcviku a vzdělání námořníků, životní podmínky na palubách lodí, technické údaje o třídách, jejich výstroj a výzbroj. Věrohodnost líčení zvyšuje i četné využívání výpovědí přímých účastníků a vzácných dokumentárních fotografií.

Letadlové lodě byly pro USA základní zbraní proti Japonsku během války v Pacifiku. Velkou roli sehrály letadlové lodě třídy Essex, které představovaly největší typ lodě tohoto druhu, které byl kdy postaven. Čtenář se důkladně seznámí s interiérem i exteriérem těchto lodí, jejich vývojem a designem a prožije boje o Filipíny, záliv Leyte a Okinawu.

An illustrated exploration of the Japanese raid into the Indian Ocean in April 1942 – one of the largest operations conducted by the Imperial Navy during the war.

As the Pacific War approached a crescendo, the clashes between swarming US Navy carrier aircraft, and the gigantic Imperial Japanese Navy Yamato-class battleships became symbolic of the fortunes of the two nations. This book presents views from US Navy Divebombers, and IJN anti-aircraft guns, during two of the most dramatic naval engagements.

While not as famous as their larger and faster sister ships such as the Essex- and Yorktown-class carriers, escort carriers made an enormous contribution towards Allied victory both in the Pacific and Atlantic theaters. Rather than relying on size or speed, it was their sheer numbers that made them so effective. Indeed, the Casablanca-class escort carrier was the most-produced aircraft carrier in history. In partnership with the Royal Navy, they provided the backbone of Allied antisubmarine efforts in the Atlantic, finally and irrevocably turning the tide of the war against the U-boats in 1943. In the Pacific, they provided the air cover for the series of landings which led to the doorstep of Japan by 1945. These robust ships faced submarine, air, and even surface threats from the Japanese, but proved able to contend with everything thrown their way. Fully illustrated with contemporary photographs and unique specially commissioned artwork, this book shines a new light on these unjustly overlooked workhorses of the US Navy--ships that helped usher in the Allied victory over the Axis powers in the Atlantic and Pacific.

A history of the enduring Essex-class ships, the US Navy's finest and most numerous fleet carrier during World War II, which were modernized repeatedly and served with distinction. The Essex class was the USN's war-winning ship class of the Pacific War. Of the 24 ships completed, 14 saw action, making the Essex class the largest class of fleet aircraft carriers ever built. These ships had a fine balance of striking power, protection, and speed and were modernized during and after the war. There were five distinct programs carried out, adding not only angled flight decks for jet operations, but repeated upgrades to sensors, weapons, and equipment. Essex-class carriers were used in a number of roles and provided the vast majority of US Navy air power in the Korean War, and a sizeable proportion of air power in the Vietnam conflict. However, as the “super carriers” began to enter service in the early 1960s, the Essex class was relegated to secondary roles– a single Essex carrier served until 1991 as the US Navy's training carrier. Using detailed artwork and photos, this book provides an in-depth portrait of this important and enduring class of ship, and looks at its development and modifications while considering the many and varied actions it took part in.

This fully illustrated study examines and compares the roles of the US Navy submarines and the Imperial Japanese Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities during World War II. In 1941 and 1942, US Navy submarine operations in the Pacific were largely ineffective, hampered by faulty torpedo design, conservative tactics, and insufficiently aggressive submarine captains. Eventually, though, a new generation of wartime submarine commanders, combined with reliable torpedoes, new generation boats, improved intelligence, and advanced radar, inflicted devastating losses on Japanese shipping. Antisubmarine warfare was initially accorded a low priority by the Imperial Japanese Navy; the lack of ASW escorts and modern weaponry, and an inability to develop tactics, resulted in devastation to vital convoys, and hampered its ability to deter and destroy enemy submarines. This book explores all these factors, and the role that US submarines played in supporting the major fleet operations in the Pacific Theater, notching up almost 500 patrols by war's end for the loss of 52 submarines to the Japanese. The technical and tactical developments implemented by the opposing sides are documented in detail, including US improvements to submarine design and weaponry and more aggressive tactics, and the Japanese development of destroyer escorts, changes to depth charge design, and improved submarine detection capacity.

This illustrated and detailed volume covers the capabilities and actions of two of the most compelling naval forces in history--the Imperial Japanese Navy's carriers and their incomparably trained aviators, and the US ships which defended against them.