Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939-1945

Back in March I reviewed the first two volumes of this three-part study of the WARSHIPS OFTHE SOVIET FLEETS 1939-1945.

The third part deals with Naval Auxiliaries and includes the following chapters:

• Staff & communications ships and boats
• Dispatch ships
• Survey vessels
• Salvage vessels
• Depot ships
• Training ships
• Sanitary transport ships
• Icebreakers
• Transport ships
• Oilers
• Water carriers
• Tugs
• Experimental and special purpose vessels
• Cable layers
• Harbour vessels
• Ex-enemy ships acquired after the end of hostilities
• Armament and sensors
• Project numbers
• Enemy losses of warships inflicted by ships of the Soviet Navy
• Afterword
• Alterations & Additions
• Future updates

I have several other books that deal with the vessels used by the Soviet Navy during World War II, but these three volumes are by far the most extensive in their coverage. The line drawings are very useful, and the writers have tried to find photographs of as many of the vessels covered in these books as possible.

The chapter that covers the armament and sensors carried by Soviet Navy warships covers everything from the heavy guns that were designed to arm the never-completed 1930s battleships to the light machine guns carried by motor torpedo boats. It also covers:

• Torpedo weapons
• Anti-submarine weapons
• Rockets
• Mine warfare
• Sensors

This last section really helps the reader to understand the ship specifications featured in this series.

I thoroughly recommend these three volumes to anyone who has an interest in the development of and role of the Soviet Navy during the Great Patriotic War.

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WARSHIPS OF THE SOVIET FLEETS 1939–1945: VOLUME III: NAVAL AUXILLIARIES was written by Przemyslaw Budzbon, Marek Twardowski, and Jan Radziemski, and published by Seaforth Publishing in 2023 (ISBN 978 1 3990 2281 1).