Soviet Destroyers of World War II Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | May 2018 | Title | Soviet Destroyers of World War II |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Alexander Hill | Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
| Published | 2018 | ISBN | 9781472822567 |
| Format | 80 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $18.00 |
Review
It's about time.
English-language studies of the Soviet Navy in The Great Patriotic War remain relatively rare.
Now Osprey Publishing begins redressing the paucity of popular accounts in Soviet Destroyers of World War II – 256th in Osprey Publishing's extensive "New Vanguard" range.
Why start with destroyers? Why not, say, with battleships?
Author Alexander Hill explains that the "first Soviet naval construction plans" favored "smaller units" – and reflected compromise between coastal-defense and ocean-going options. Prevailing Soviet technological, manufacturing, and financial constrictions confirmed the necessity.
After illuminating background notes, his superb little survey tackles the total tale in just seven solid sections across 48 pithy pages:
- Former Tsarist Novik-class destroyers
- Uragan-class destroyer escorts
- Leningrad-class flotilla leaders
- Project 7 and 7U destroyers
- Tashkent flotilla leader
- Project 45
- Konstruktor
A "conclusion", selected bibliography of Russian- and English-language sources, and index complete contents. Felipe Rodríguez's action artwork is excellent. And his superb color profiles sample the swath of Soviet warship schemes.
Grab this informative little effort. Then lobby Osprey for sequels on Soviet WWII battleships, cruisers, and riverine designs!
Rabidly recommended!
My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!