Soviet Cruisers 1917-45: From the October Revolution to World War II

by Alexander Hill, Paul Wright (Illustrator)

Overview

A history of the Soviet Navy's cruisers, from the opening shots of the October Revolution through to the combat they saw during World War II.

The Soviet Navy of World War II boasted a cruiser fleet that was among the most eclectic to see service. In this book, noted military historian and Soviet specialist Alexander Hill explains the role of cruisers in the Soviet Navy from the dramatic days of the October Revolution of 1917 through to the struggle they fought with Nazi Germany during World War II.

Illustrated throughout with rare photos and original artwork, including a cutaway of Aurora, famous for its role in the Bolshevik October Revolution, and with profiles of the key classes, this book outlines the Soviets' development of a cruiser force. Having inherited a number of cruisers from the Imperial Russian Navy, the new Soviet Navy went on to complete two unfinished Tsarist light cruisers during the 1920s. In the late 1930s, the Soviets built their first large warships, the Kirov class, and in 1940 Nazi Germany sold the unfinished heavy cruiser Lützow to the USSR. The final cruiser-sized warship to see action was the former Imperial royal yacht Shtandart, renamed Marti and armed as a minelayer, which was used in the defence of Leningrad.

Researched in the main from Russian-language sources, this study explores the cruiser fleet that saw considerable action in World War II, particularly in support of the Red Army.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472859334
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	03/26/2024
Series:	New Vanguard , #326
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Alexander Hill is professor of military history at the University of Calgary in Canada, and specialises in Soviet military history from 1917 to 1945. He has published a wide range of books and articles on the history of the Red Army and Soviet Navy, including The Red Army and the Second World War (2016), Soviet Partisan vs German Security Soldier (2019) and The War Behind the Eastern Front: The Soviet Union, 1941–1945 - A Photographic History (2021).

Paul Wright has painted ships of all kinds for most of his career, specializing in steel and steam warships from the late 19th century to the present day. Paul's art has illustrated the works of Patrick O'Brian, Dudley Pope and C.S. Forester amongst others, and hangs in many corporate and private collections all over the world. A Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, Paul lives and works in Surrey.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

CRUISERS LAID DOWN DURING THE TSARIST PERIOD

The Soviet cruiser force in the Revolution and Civil War, 1917–21

Aurora

Komintern (previously Pamiat' Merkuriia, Kagul)

Cruisers of the Svetlana class

Marti (formerly Shtandart)

CRUISERS LAID DOWN AND COMPLETED 1917–45

Cruisers of the Kirov class (Project 26 and Project 26-bis)

RADAR

Wartime service – Project 26 and 26-bis

Petropavlovsk (Lützow)

POST-WAR GUN CRUISERS

CONCLUSION

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX