The
idea of the battlecruiser made a lot of sense prior to WWI. What was needed was
a ship that was powerful enough to engage and destroy enemy cruisers, yet fast
enough to run away when confronted by dedicated battleships. It wasn't that the
battleships outgunned the battlecruisers, as both types had about the same size
main armament, it was that the latter did not have the armor protection to
survive a gun fight. Indeed, it was the lack of heavy armor that provided the
speed that was needed to chase down enemy cruisers.
However, during WWI, both the Germans and British included the lighter
armored ships in the main battle line. The result was that they were hit by the
opposing side with rather dire consequences in the few major engagements in
which they fought each other. For all intents and purposes, these battles put an
end to the battlecruiser and other than those already under construction, no new
ships of this class were built.
The 1920s and 1930s saw treaties reduce the size of world fleets and the
tonnage of new builds. However that did not disallow the upgrading of extant
ships and for the British, that meant not only upgraded systems, but more armor
plating for the battlecruiser. While most of this went to the sides to prevent
damage from torpedoes, some of it also went to the decks, though that was
minimal in comparison.
This revised volume of British battlecruisers during WWII covers the
history of the design, the upgrades made to each ship as well as all the extant
vessels. This means basically the Hood, Reknown, and Rupulse. In addition to the
historical section, there is a modeling section covering kits, accessories and
several photo essays of builds of various scales. The book also provides line
drawings and camouflage schemes carried by all the ships during this period. An
excellent resouce for the enthusiast and modeler alike.
July 2026
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