German Naval Camouflage

Product Description

For half a century German warship camouflage has been something of a mystery for warship enthusiasts & modelmakers. The widespread destruction of naval archives at the end of the war left little documentation while the ad hoc application of unofficial schemes in theatres like Norway led to many variegated & frequently altered patterns. This book therefore is based on close scrutiny of all available photos including many only recently discovered collated with the first-hand testimony of Kriegsmarine survivors. After decades of study the authors are the worlds leading experts & their work challenges many accepted views while greatly expanding the general understanding of the subject. The fruits of their labours are presented in the form of exquisite colour illustrations of every scheme & variation for which evidence is available. For major ships these are sometimes only months apart giving as complete a representation of their camouflage history as possible. There are no speculative views
- if for example only the starboard side is known there is no attempt to reconstruct a port side
- so all information is reliable. This volume covers destroyers & all larger ships during the early war years with a second part devoted to 1942-45 planned for completion in 2013. For warship enthusiasts its publication will be a major event & it is certain to become the standard reference.