Seventy-five years after the end of the World War II the details of
Soviet ships, their activities and fates remain an enigma to the West.
In wartime such information was classified and after a brief period of
glasnost ('openness') the Russian state has again restricted access to
historical archives. Therefore, the value - and originality - of this
book is difficult to exaggerate. It sees the first publication of
reliable data on both the seagoing fleets and riverine flotillas of the
Soviet Navy, listing over 6,200 vessels from battleships to river
gunboats, and mercantile conversions as well as purpose-built warships.
Divided into three volumes, this first covers major surface warships
down to MTBs and armored gunboats, as well as submarines. For every
class there is a design history analyzing strategic, tactical, and
technical considerations, and individual ship detail includes
construction yard, key building dates, commissioning, fleet
designations, relocations, and fate. Once a closely guarded secret, the
wartime loss of every ship and boat (over one thousand) is described.
Furthermore, the confusion caused by frequent name changes is clarified
by an index that runs to sixteen thousand items. By following the ships
through both their wartime and earlier history, the book reveals many
aspects of Russian history that remain highly -sensitive: clandestine
co-operation with Weimar Germany and fascist Italy, the NKVD-enforced
closure of Soviet borders, the 'Gulag Fleet', the faked Metallist
sinking that excused the military occupation of Estonia, and the
ill-conceived pact with Nazi Germany. Restrictions recently imposed on
historical publications in Russia mean this book could certainly not
have been published there - as proven by the fact that most of the
authors' Russian collaborators preferred not to disclose their
identities. This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval
reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an
interest in warships, the Soviet Navy, or maritime aspects of World War
II.
