The Kaiser's Cruisers, 1871-1918

- Blurb -

While bookshelves groan with works on the capital ships of the German Third Reich, there is little in English devoted to their predecessors of the Second Reich, so this new book will fill a clear gap in its study of German cruisers of the period, from wooden-hulled corvettes, through the fusion of ' overseas' and ' home' vessels into the modern small cruisers that evolved and fought in the First World War. The book covers the full range of cruising vessels operated or ordered by the Imperial German Navy between 1871 and 1918, excluding the large cruisers, previously covered by the author' s companion volume ' The Kaiser' s Battlefleet' . These include corvettes, avisos, sloops, torpedo cruisers, III- and IV-class cruisers and small cruisers, and are described and arranged in a chronological narrative. This includes both design and operational histories, the latter continuing down to the end of ships' service after the fall of Imperial Germany, and it is accompanied by an extensive selection of many rare photographs. The ships' technical details are tabulated in the second half of the book which also includes sketches of ships' internal layouts and armour and changes in appearance over time. The authors have made extensive use of archival material, particularly relating to the political and technical background to design and procurement, and present a developmental history of this ship class which is unique in the English language. It will have huge appeal to all those with an interest in the German navy and to those who have been waiting avidly for the sequel to ' The Kaiser' s Battlefleet' . AUTHOR: Aidan Dodson is Hon Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Anthropology & Archaeology at the University of Bristol, where he has taught since 1996. He has also maintained parallel research interests in naval history, and worked as a civil servant in defence procurement for 25 years, including project leader for the offshore patrol vessel HMS ' Clyde' . He is the author of more than 300 articles and reviews, plus some twenty books, including ' The Kaiser' s Battlefleet: German capital ships 1871-1918' ,' Before the Battlecruiser: the big cruiser in the world' s navies 1865-1910' and ' Spoils of War: the fates of the ex-enemy fleets after the two World Wars' , with Serena Cant, all published by Seaforth. Dirk Nottelmann is a marine engineer by profession, presently working as a civil servant for the German flag-state administration (Deutsche Flagge), and has been working on the history of the Imperial Navy for more than 30 years. He was the last editor of the former ' Hamburger Rundbrief' , and the author of more 150 articles and reviews, and three books: ' Halbmond und Kaiseradler: Goeben und Breslau am Bosporus, 1914-1918' , with Bernd Langensiepen, ' Die Brandenburg-Klasse: Hoehepunkt des deutschen Panzerschiffbaus' , and ' Das Kanonenboot Iltis (ii) - seine Vorganger und ' Nachfolger' , with Lothar Wischmeyer. 175 illustrations & 50 line drawings