Warships in the Komandorski Islands 1943 - (New Vanguard) by Mark Lardas (Paperback)

About the Book

With ship profiles and original artwork, this study explores the warships that fought World War II's last pure surface battle, the battle itself, and why the outnumbered US Navy prevailed.

Book Synopsis

With ship profiles and original artwork, this study explores the warships that fought World War II's last pure surface battle, the battle itself, and why the outnumbered US Navy prevailed.

The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was unique among World War II naval battles. It was the last daytime naval surface battle of World War II where aircraft played no role, and saw a squadron of US Navy cruisers and destroyers engage their Japanese counterparts over a convoy to reinforce Attu and Kiska.

Exploring the warships, the battle, and why it was won, naval expert Mark Lardas explains that due to an intelligence failure, the Japanese escort was twice the size expected, with the US outnumbered 2:1 in heavy and light cruisers. Although both sides had the same number of destroyers (four each) the Japanese destroyers were newer and more powerful than their US counterparts.

A 12-hour brawl of a surface action took place. Despite being badly outnumbered and badly outgunned - and even though the largest US ship was dead in the water at one point - the US Navy emerged victorious. Illustrated with archive photos, profiles of all the major warships involved, and action scenes illustrating key moments in the battle, this book explains how the US victory was achieved, and particularly highlights the importance of superior damage control.

Review Quotes

"Mark Lardas takes us inside a fascinating fight and an implausible American victory." --Neil Smith

"As you would expect, there are plenty of archive images throughout the book, and the ship profiles and battle scene artwork is excellent as ever." --Military Model Scene

"The result is a highly readable and informative account of this little-known battle." --The Naval Review

About the Author

Mark Lardas has always been fascinated by things related to the sea and sky. From building models of ships and aircraft as a teen, he then studied Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, but his interest in aviation led him to take a job on the then-new Space Shuttle program, where he worked for the next 30 years as a navigation engineer. Currently he develops commercial aircraft systems as a quality assurance manager. He has written numerous books on military, naval or maritime history.