Description:
"This book covers all of that and more. ...full color profiles as well as a number of well chosen period photographs." - ModelingMadness.Com
While Soviet and Russian combat aircraft, tanks, and air defence systems have long attracted significant attention in the West, far less has been written about the warships built by the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Yet these vessels -- particularly destroyers -- played crucial roles in shaping multiple navies around the world.
Soviet and Russian Destroyer Exports examines the export and service history of destroyer-class warships between 1904 and 1954. Often overlooked in Western literature, these ships were instrumental in the development of the fleets of Estonia, Finland, French Indochina, Germany, Japan, Peru, and others -- and later fought on several important fronts during the Second World War.
This volume explores in depth the negotiations and political context behind each transfer, the wartime careers of the vessels, their modernisation and upgrades, and the personal stories of many of their commanding officers. It also offers valuable insight into the shipbuilding industries of Imperial Russia and the USSR, and how their influence extended to emerging naval powers such as China and India.
Covering destroyers built between 1904 and 1941, this first volume presents a rich and previously under-documented history, supported by a wealth of rare archival photographs and specially commissioned colour profile illustrations.
Brief description: Dmitry Zubkov from Russia, a banker with 25 years of experience, has a lifelong interest in the subject of military history and has written a number of books and articles in Russian on a variety of related subjects. His particular area of interest is the little-studied issue of Soviet arms export during the Cold War, especially warships. His studies little known details of the warships' careers, the warships' influence on the buildup of the recipient navies, and the experiences of their crews.
Review Quotes: "The book is almost certainly the most detailed work in English on this niche subject. Zubkov has researched extensively in primary and secondary sources in multiple languages for both text and the extensive photography he has included in this volume."-- "National Maritime Historical Society"