Osprey New Vanguard 81 : German Heavy Cruisers 1939-1945

The development of this excellent and successful class of warship only became possible after the Anglo-German naval agreement of 1935 eased restrictions on the types of ship Germany could build. A total of only five of the class were permitted - the Admiral Hipper, the Blücher, the Prinz Eugen, the Seydlitz and the Lützow. These Cruisers were designed for Atlantic operations and had eight 8 inch guns, twelve 10.5 cm heavy anti-aircraft guns and seventeen smaller calibre anti aircraft guns as well as twelve torpedo tubes and their own compliment of up to six aircraft. This book covers the design, development and operational history of the Heavy Cruisers of the Admiral Hipper class. Text by Gordon Williamson with illustrations by Ian Palmer.

Contents

• Introduction
• Design and Development
• Operational History
• The Variants
• Further Reading
• Colour Plate Commentary
• Index