|
|
During the First World War the Royal Navy operated a large number of monitors, shallow draft gun vessels armed with much heavier guns than their size would suggest. These ranged from battleship guns intended for coastal bombardment down to cruiser guns for river use. The big gun monitors were designed to provide heavy firepower in places it was too dangerous to use battleships, in particular along the German occupied coast of Belgium.
This book looks at the much smaller number of monitors used in the Second World War. Erebus and Terror were built during the First World War, Roberts and Abercrombie during the Second. One was sunk early in the war, while one wasn't completed until 1943, so the Navy normally only had two at any one time, three from May 1943. All four were armed with two 15in guns
We start with a look at the development of these ships, examining why they were built, and how the later class benefited from two decades of development. Next comes an operational history of each ship during the Second World War, with less than a page per ship. More detail comes in the chapter on naval gunfire support, explaining how this key role was carried out and the chapter on the guns themselves.
The combat chapter examines two battles, first Operation Neptune, the assault phase of Overlord, and second the invasion of Walcheran Island. On both occasions they operated alongside at least one battleship, but we can see how they came closer in and were able to make significant contributions to several key battles in Normandy.
We finish with brief technical descriptions of the four monitors and the changes made to them, which were similar to those made to most Second World War ship, more AA guns and better radar.
This is a useful examination of these often neglected big gun monitors, showing that they were still effective in their second world war.
Chapters
Design and Development
Operation History
Naval Gunfire Support
Big-Gun Capabilities
Monitors in Action
Specifications and Modifications
Author: Angus Konstam
Edition: Paperback
Pages:
Publisher: Osprey
Year: