Examines the disastrous Allied Convoy PQ 17 of 1942, exploring how strategic errors and one critical decision led to its near-destruction.In early June 1941, few optimists would have forecast that beleaguered Britain would see victory or even be joined by new military allies. Yet on June 22, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, its surprise attack on the Soviet Union, which in six months reached the very gates of Moscow. Then, on December 7, Japan l...

"D eserves consideration from anyone interested in how the ship design process is translated into actual product which in turn can win a war." — Warship InternationalThe Battle of the Atlantic, fought by the Allies to maintain lines of communication and vital trade routes for armaments, men, and basic sustenance, could not have been won without the 2,710 Liberty ships that were designed and built for those critical one-way voyages to Europ...

"A very interesting book tracing the development and service of . . . one of the iconic destroyers of the Second World War." — Australian Naval InstituteIn this book John Henshaw takes the reader through all the developmental stages of the V & W Class with a detailed history of the step-by-step lessons that were learned, not all of which were fortuitous. In one package the Royal Navy finally acquired a hull that possessed not just good sea-keeping capabilit...

Holding the small island of Malta, the British Empire's strategic centerpiece in the Mediterranean Sea, was critical to the Allied cause in World War II--and taking it was essential for Axis victory. German forces laid siege to the island beginning in June 1940, and it soon became the most bombed place on Earth. By August 1942, with supplies running out, Malta was in dire need of relief. In what was then the largest Royal Navy force yet assembled in the war, two battleships, three aircraft...

Early in World War II, fifty obsolete US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy in return for a 99-year lease on British bases in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Newfoundland. Though they were obsolete and far from ideal, they played a vital role in the Royal Navy's campaign. This is their complete story. Topics covered include the background to the acquisition of the ships, the Battle of the Atlantic; their specification and design, and modifications in RN service; operations and a...

All 12 episodes featuring the comic goings-on of the Stockport-based Conroy familyGet ready to be dragged kicking and screaming into the world of family life, Stockport-style, as 15-year-old Jason introduces us to the Conroy clan. There's dad Eddie, cabby and wannabe champion organist; mum Maureen, who's easygoing but wasn't born yesterday; older brother Michael, lead singer of The Sweater Girls; and sisters Colette (married to uptight bank clerk Dave) and Karen (n...

After ten years, Peter leaves Gillian for Laura. Distraught, Gillian goes round to Peter's parents to be consoled. They take her in - then things go a little weird. Starring Diane Morgan, Colin Hoult, Janine Duvitski, John Henshaw, Zoe Gardner, Zahra Barri, John Biddle, Tony Marshall, Christine Hall and Sean Grundy. Written by Sean Grundy. Director: Alison Crawford.