After WWI, Germany was severely limited as to what it could build in the way of military equipment. Its navy was not allowed to build ocean going submarines nor have battleships, but was allowed some cruisers and destroyers. However, those were quite limited in number and in tonnage. However, the Germans tended to fudge the size of the ships and after Hitler came to power, all of that went out the window. A major ship building program was put into motion and a modern surface navy was part of that program.

The cruisers that were built were modern and quite capable. Though not matching the numbers of those of the other major powers, they would be a threat if war broke out and they were. This volume covers the more modern of these ships. This includes the Nurnberg, Admiral Hipper, Blucher, Prinz Eugen and the incomplete Seydlitz and Lutzow. There is also a section on auxilliary cruisers.

Each chapter on the major ships provides information on its design, construction and its full wartime history. Some had a short history such as the Blucher while others had a more successful career. Each chapter is complete with nicely done drawings and there is a section at the end of the book with full color profiles.

The author has done his homework in telling the story of these ships. It is quite readable and chock full of great period photographs. In all, it makes an excellent reference on these important German ships. Highly recommended.

November 2022

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