Naval Weapons of World War Two

Rating:
Summary: THE World War II Naval Weapon Reference
Review: Without a doubt, this is one of the finest reference works for the purist that I have ever purchased. This is a highly technical book, and, as such, is not for everyone. If you ever wanted to know whether a naval gun was built-up, autofretted or loose-linered, then this is the book you want to purchase. If you have no clue as to what those terms mean and are looking for a more traditional work on the Second World War, then quickly move on to the next book on your shopping list; as this one is not for you.

This latest edition has apparently not been updated to correct mistakes and ommissions found in the original 1985 publication and is simply a reprint of the original work. For example, the data on Soviet/Russian weapons found in this book is quite limited. Much more data, both in terms of volume and in accuracy, has come to light on those weapons since the end of the Cold War, but none of it has found its way into this newest edition.

However, I would consider this to be a relatively minor failing, as the amount and quality of the data on nearly every other nation's weapons is simply overwhelming in its scope and in its detail.

The 2002 edition has some quality issues, and appears to have been simply digitally copied from an original rather than being a new press run. As a result, the pictures appear "granier" than in the original 1985 printing.

All in all, I highly recommended this book.

Rating:
Summary: THE World War II Naval Weapon Reference
Review: Without a doubt, this is one of the finest reference works for the purist that I have ever purchased. This is a highly technical book, and, as such, is not for everyone. If you ever wanted to know whether a naval gun was built-up, autofretted or loose-linered, then this is the book you want to purchase. If you have no clue as to what those terms mean and are looking for a more traditional work on the Second World War, then quickly move on to the next book on your shopping list; as this one is not for you.

This latest edition has apparently not been updated to correct mistakes and ommissions found in the original 1985 publication and is simply a reprint of the original work. For example, the data on Soviet/Russian weapons found in this book is quite limited. Much more data, both in terms of volume and in accuracy, has come to light on those weapons since the end of the Cold War, but none of it has found its way into this newest edition.

However, I would consider this to be a relatively minor failing, as the amount and quality of the data on nearly every other nation's weapons is simply overwhelming in its scope and in its detail.

Again, highly recommended.