388 NAVAL BATTLE OF CRETE 1941: The Royal Navy at Breaking Point

1-996388

Examines the 1941 naval battles around Crete as the British Royal Navy helped evacuate troops from Greece and then Crete, all the while under aerial attacks by the Italian and German air forces. Offers a fresh insight into this strategically important battle that marked a turning point in the naval war for the Mediterranean and also witnessed the first use of new elements in naval warfare: the mass use of aircraft to contest control of the sea, and the use of Ultra intelligence to forestall the Axis invasion of Crete. Despite a heavy butcher's bill of dozens of Royal Navy ships lost and damaged, and hundreds Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed, the Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet would live to fight another day. Usual graphical excellence of maps, photos, and artworks expected in a Campaign series volume.