To challenge the Kriegsmarine, the Royal Navy dispatched destroyers, which took the fight to the German forces in the narrow fjords and inflicted considerable damage while also taking some losses. When initial reports arrived, some of the British leadership, among them Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound, doubted whether the Germans were really attempting an invasion of Norway at all due to the perceived challenges. In this case, the April 1940 campaign called Unternehmen Weserübung (“Operation Weser Exercise”), the ultimately successful Nazi invasion of Denmark and Norway. While only 80 pages in length, this Duel series title focuses on one particular historical matchup to give a better appreciation of the combatants along with their relative strengths and weaknesses in period context. For example, a two-page folio comparing destroyer armament replete with crisp images of main and anti-aircraft guns, and torpedoes gives a quick and useful reference. The book is well illustrated, with not only a number of period photographs covering both navies but also the typical vibrant color plates along with appropriate maps and handsome line drawings of the various destroyer classes with overhead and side views. The book is organized into multiple sections, which deal with technical aspects (such as chronology, design and development, technical specifications) but also considers the specific units involved, the larger strategic context, the two battles centered around Narvik and finally offers a brief analysis which culminates in discussions of the combat aspects of the 1940 Narvik fighting. German Destroyer: Narvik 1940 presents a concise yet detailed look at the destroyers of the two major belligerents during the oft-ignored 1940 Norway campaign that encompasses key aspects that provide the reader a refreshing glimpse from a lower level than the normal histories typically offer, the sea-tossed deck of a destroyer. David Greentree and David Campbell’s British Destroyer vs.
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