Best Selling Books by David Wragg

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This vividly detailed WWII history chronicles the bitter conflict at sea between Allied and Japanese naval forces. The Pacific War was primarily fought at sea. Naval power allowed the Japanese to mount their attack on Pearl Harbor and then advance westwards and southwards. It also enabled the Allies to strike back and even take the war to Japan itself. The tide turned very quickly, with the US victory at Midway in June of 1942 ending any Japanese hope of domination. The book begins with the decisions that led Japan into war, and the difficult situation faced by the Royal Navy elsewhere. It then describes how, within a couple of years, the Royal Navy was able to send the strongest and most balanced fleet in its history to severely disrupt Japanese operations. Historian David Wragg also covers how the Royal Australian Navy developed into a viable naval force ready to become a major fleet in the immediate postwar years. The progress of the war is supported by eyewitness accounts from those involved in the fighting at sea.

Compiled by the author of Janes Air Forces of the World, this book is a must for naval experts and enthusiasts. In one volume the reader will find the composition and details of all naval elements of a staggering 137 nations armed forces including paramilitary organizations as the US Coast Guard Service. The book starts with an introduction based on the situation today and the response of the leading maritime powers. This is an interesting period with considerable uncertainty for the Royal Navy following the Strategic Defense Review. Many other countries, including Australia and Spain are boosting their naval strength to achieve strategic reach, while piracy has become a major problem in at least four different areas of the world. In each case, the history is followed by details of current fleet sizes, composition and deployments.

Seapower was a crucial element in the outcome of the Second World War. The U-Boat campaign almost brought Britain to her knees; the Arctic convoys were crucial to keeping Russia in the War; Pearl Harbor brought America into the conflict with massive repercussions; allied naval supremacy made the D-Day landings possible.This book examines in detail the key naval commanders of both sides including five British (Pound, Cunningham, Ramsay, Horton, Somerville) and five US admirals (King, Nimitz, Spruance, Halsey, Fletcher), three German (Raeder, Doenitz, Lutjens) three Japanese (Yamamato, Nagumo, Koga) and two French (Darlan, de la Borde), the latterjustified by the problems faced by Vichy France, including the courageous decision to scuttle the fleet rather than let it fall into German hands in late 1942. In selecting the list, the author has made their decisive role in the war the only criterion.

Compiled by the author of Janes Air Forces of the World, this book is a must for aviation experts.In one volume the reader will find the composition and details of all air elements of a staggering 169 nations air forces and, where they exist, army air, naval air and such paramilitary organizations as the US Coast Guard Service.By definition such a book must be regularly updated and David Wragg has researched his subject right up to the minute. This latest book supersedes the authors early book in the Jane series.

Long-awaited, the Normandy landings were the largest amphibious operation in history. Success was achieved by the advent of specialised landing craft, heavy naval firepower and the creation of two artificial harbours and an underwater pipeline. Operation Neptune: The Prelude to D-Day tells the story of this incredible feat using eyewitness accounts of the landings and the breaching of Hitler''s famed ''Atlantic Wall''. David Wragg explores the earlier Allied and Axis experiences with amphibious operations and the planning for Neptune and Overlord. He reveals the naval support needed once the armies were ashore and before continental ports could be captured and cleared of mines, with operations such as minesweeping off the Normandy coast, which led to one of the worst ''friendly fire'' incidents of the war. This is the must-read book to understand what made D-Day possible.

Overstretched from the start of the Second World War in 1939, the Royal Navy acquired First World War surplus destroyers from the United States Navy and embarked on a massive programme of construction, building and buying aircraft carriers, escort carriers and frigates and corvettes, building up a powerful submarine arm and, almost from scratch, re-creating the naval air arm taken from it in 1918. The service had to learn fast. It soon became clear that the Germans would not provide an opportunity for a major battleship to battleship fleet action along the lines of Jutland, but that submarine warfare and surface raiders were to be just as effective at undermining the British war effort. The Royal Navy was expected to be active in the North Atlantic and in British waters, and then after the Soviet Union was invaded by Germany, it had to protect the Arctic convoys. Meanwhile, it also had to keep control of the Mediterranean, alone after the fall of France, supporting ground forces in North Africa and then in Greece, send convoys to Malta and disrupt the Axis supply lines both in the Mediterranean and off the coast of Norway, and then it had to face the Japanese in the Far East. By the war''s end the Royal Navy had grown from its pre-war strength of 129,000 to 863,000 men. Its fleet had also grown from 12 to 61 battleships and cruisers, seven to 59 aircraft carriers, and 100 to 846 destroyers, by 1945.

Equally loved and loathed by the public and the media, airports are crucial to the operation of passenger and airfreight services worldwide. The World’s Top 500 Airports is the leading guide on the subject. It contains a brief history of each airport, details of runways and terminals, annual passenger numbers and aircraft movements. For the ‘Top 250’ airports there is a map, details of the main user airlines, and details of whether traffic is scheduled, chartered, passenger or freight. Freight traffic figures and ranking for freight are also given. Data and world rankings are supplied by the US-based Airports Council International.

How much can you really find out about the War at Sea during the First World War in five minutes? This handy little history book will surpass all your expectations and leave you well versed on all you wish to know, and maybe even a little bit more... Which was stronger, the German or British navy? What was the biggest battle? Who were the heroes? Who led the navies? And how successful were they? Jam-packed with facts, stats and first-hand accounts of the action, all woven together in an accessible way by an expert in the field, this 5 Minute History is a valuable addition to anyone''s bookshelf, ready to be delved into at a moment''s notice.

The epic new finale to the unmissable Tales of the Plains trilogy from the master of modern fantasy, David Wragg. Rebellion’s about the journey, not the destination.

This is a narrative account of the operations of the Fairey Swordfish throughout World War Two. The most famous of these was the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, crippling three battleships and damaging several other ships as well as the seaplane base and an oil storage depot. The Swordfish played a prominent part in the Battle of Matapan and in the sinking of the Bismarck. Less happily, Swordfish were used in the unsuccessful and ill-prepared raid on the Germans at Petsamo and in the abortive attack on the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during the Channel Dash in 1942.

From the American Civil War onwards, railways have been an important aspect of war. So important were the railways that in the First World War, the state took control of the railways, and then repeated this exercise in the Second World War. Wartime on the Railways describes the part played by Britain''s railways during the Second World War, dealing not simply with operational matters or the impact of enemy actions on the railways, but also looking at financial arrangements, the part played by railway workshops in producing equipment for the military, the wartime experience of the railways'' ships, with the narrative augmented by personal accounts from railwaymen, and women as the war years saw much change. The book includes chapters on the railways during the final years of peace, and on each of the ''Big Four'' companies, London Transport''s underground system, the impact of wartime restrictions on travel and scheduling, the role of the railway workshops, and ports and shipping, as many railway ships were lost during the battle for France and at Dunkirk.

To the US Navy they were CVEs! To the Royal Navy auxiliary carriers! To crews of endangered merchantmen in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans they were heaven-sent protection! To their crews they were Combustible, Vulnerable, Expendable!The need for air cover against enemy aircraft and submarines brought unprecedented demand for carriers. Over 100 vessels were converted on specially built for convoy duty. This is their story, warts and all.

The London Midland & Scottish Railway was the largest of the Big Four railway companies to emerge from the 1923 grouping. It was the only one to operate in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as having two short stretches of line in the Irish Republic. It was also the world''s largest railway shipping operator and owned the greatest number of railway hotels. Mainly a freight railway, it still boasted the best carriages, and the work of chief engineer Sir William Stanier influenced the first locomotive and carriage designs for the nationalised British railways. Packed with facts and figures as well as historical narrative, this extensively illustrated book is a superb reference source that will be of interest to all railway enthusiasts.

Covers the Second World War Operations of the Royal Navy in One Concise Volume On the declaration of war in 1939, the British Admiralty signaled all warships and naval bases: “Total Germany, Total Germany.” It was fortunate that of Germany’s three armed services, the Kriegsmarine, under Grosseradmiral Erich Raeder, was the least well prepared. They had not expected to fight all-out war for another two to three years. While Admiral Karl Dönitz’s U-boat force was to give the Allies much anxiety, Hitler was never comfortable or competent in his handling of naval surface forces. The all-important technological breakthroughs that played so crucial a role, particularly in the Battle of the Atlantic, are given due weight. Total Germany is a concise yet comprehensive account of the Royal Navy’s part in the war at sea and the measures taken to ensure victory. It examines the markedly different approaches taken by the warring countries and reviews the differing strategies and tactics of the various theaters, such as the Far East, Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Arctic. It also addresses the influence of individual commanders on the outcome of the war at sea. Total Germany is a first-class read that covers World War II operations in one concise volume. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.