Buques torpederos - Gran Bretaña: libros - historia

British Motor Torpedo Boat 1939-45 (Osprey)

Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, las flotillas de lanchas torpederas de la Marina Real y otras fuerzas costeras libraron una guerra encarnizada por el control del Canal de la Mancha y el Mar del Norte. Estas pequeñas y veloces embarcaciones atacaban convoyes enemigos, escoltaban cargueros, desembarcaban agentes secretos e incluso asaltaban puertos enemigos.

Estas embarcaciones, héroes anónimos, junto con sus pequeñas tripulaciones, ayudaron a evitar la derrota en los sombríos días de 1940. Posteriormente, esos mismos buques llevaron la lucha a otras aguas, y al final de la guerra, las lanchas torpederas británicas habían prestado servicio en el Mediterráneo, el Báltico y el Lejano Oriente.

Este libro examina el desarrollo y el funcionamiento de estos frágiles y elegantes buques de guerra, y describe cómo estaban tripulados y cómo combatían.

Contenido: Introducción - Diseño y función - Operación - La flota de lanchas torpederas - Bibliografía - Comentarios sobre las láminas a color - Índice.

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E-boat vs MTB - The English Channel 1941-45 (Osprey)

Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, las lanchas torpederas alemanas (E-Boats) fueron tan activas en el Canal de la Mancha que ese estrecho tramo de agua llegó a conocerse como el "Callejón de las E-Boats". Para contrarrestar la amenaza de estas E-Boats, Gran Bretaña desplegó sus fuerzas costeras: flotillas de pequeñas lanchas torpederas y cañoneras (MTB y MGB) y lanchas motoras (ML).
Mientras los alemanes buscaban mantener su supremacía en las aguas del Canal de la Mancha, continuaron desarrollando sus diseños de lanchas torpederas para incorporar mayor blindaje y potencia de fuego. En lugar de igualar el armamento de las nuevas lanchas torpederas, los británicos desarrollaron varios tipos para cumplir con las diversas funciones para las que la Kriegsmarine intentaba utilizarlas.

Este libro detalla el desarrollo de este conflicto, examinando la evolución de las embarcaciones involucradas y abarcando sus batallas, desde los combates en el estuario del Támesis hasta los preparativos para el Día D.

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British Motor Gun Boat 1939-45 (Osprey)

Motor Gun Boats were the "Spitfires of the Seas" of the Royal Navy. Bristling with small-calibre guns and machine guns, they served in a variety of roles during the War. In the early war period they battled against German E-boats in the English Channel, then went on the offensive, searching the enemy shore for targets of opportunity. At other times, they ran support for Motor Torpedo Boats and were used to deliver commandos on various raids.

Naval Warfare expert, Angus Konstam, tells the story of these small, but destructive boats, beginning with their design and development and carrying through to their operational use in both the European and Mediterranean theatres of World War II.

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Dog Boats at War - Royal Navy D Class MTBs and MGBs 1939-1945

Built of plywood and measuring 115 feet long, powered by four supercharged petrol engines and armed to the teeth with heavy weapons, the 'D' Class Motor Gun Boats (MGBs) and Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) were better known as Dog Boats and played havoc with enemy shipping in home and foreign waters.
During three years of war they engaged the enemy on more than 350 occasions, sinking and damaging many ships.

"Dog Boats at War" is the authoritative account of operations by the Royal Navy's 'D' Class MGBs and MTBs in the Second World War in Home, Mediterranean and Norwegian waters.
As well as drawing on official records - both British and German - the author has contacted several hundred Dog Boat veterans whose eye witness accounts add drama to the unfolding story.

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Royal Navy Motor Gun Boat Manual (1942-45) - Insights into the design, construction, operation and restoration of MGB81 (Haynes Maritime Manual)

During the Second World War the Royal Navy's flotillas of small, fast and powerfully armed motor gun boats (MGBs) were looked upon as the 'Spitfires of the seas'. Operating from their harbour bases around the south and east coasts of England, RN Coastal Forces crews would set out under cover of darkness to look for trouble with German shipping in the Channel and the North Sea.

The centrepiece of this manual is MGB 81, a combat veteran that saw repeated action between 1942 and 1945 in the North Sea and English Channel, including on D-Day. Her fighting career, restoration and recent rebuild are all covered in this fascinating insight into the only operational example of an RN Coastal Forces MGB of the Second World War.

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