Being there . . . among and on the decks of America’s most potent weapon on the world’s seas,
our battleships and battlecruisers by class, ranging from the early Dreadnought-type of the
South Carolina-class to the gigantic but never-built Montana-class, providing us a clear
overview of each ship’s career, its fate and its significance in our naval history. The wonderful
encyclopedic Illustrated-special text from CASEMATE PUBLISHERS entitled, “U.S. BATTLESHIPS
1939 – 45”, by Ingo Bauernfeind, not only embodies the enlightened thought of overall
battleship growth and development phase, but also a summary of technical, or branch,
knowledge hitherto unpublished and rare in open discussion and demonstration. In short, us
buffs, enthusiasts, and aficionados, to say nothing of the casual in search of something
interesting to read, are presented unbelievable, nay, unparalleled detail into the weapons,
equipment, and newly designed shooting machinery for sea battles. Hundreds of photographs,
illustrations, and diagrams provide us with a surprising wealth of visual information, not only
for historians, modelers, and researchers, but also for me and you, especially if searching for
one of the best buys of the New Year.
Reviewed and highly recommended by bibliophile Don DeNevi
“U.S. BATTLESHIPS 1939 – 45”, by Ingo Bauernfeind. CASEMATE PUBLISHERS, Havertown, PA
19083: 2024, 249 pages, hardcover, 8 ¼” x 10 ¼”, an Illustrated Special, $49.95. Visit,
www.casematepublishers.com.
In his Foreword, Daniel A. Martinez, Historian of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, wrote a
warm, nay, brilliant tribute to the author: “Ingo Bauernfeind is an ardent student of the history
of the world’s warships during World War II. His expertise has been shown with his previous
publications and his experience in working as an employee in various departments at the U.S.S.
Arizona Memorial and the U.S.S. Missouri in Pearl Harbor. These are examples of his abilities as
a naval historian. It has been my pleasure, as the historian for the National Service (now
retired), to work with Mr. Bauernfeind on several historical inquiries regarding the Pacific War.
It is my hope that you will enjoy this book.”
Reader, and presumably purchaser of this classic reference now that Xmas-gift exchanging
has seen its day, aren’t we fortunate to have two of America’s leading experts co-author just
about all we need ever dreamed of knowing about U.S. Battleships between 1939-45?
In addition to the core of the book covering accurately all the major battles we fought and
usually dominated, the co-authors describe how our battleships provided shore bombardment
during the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa as well as during the landings in Normandy,
illustrating their contribution to the major Allied victories in World War II. The two writer-
editors culminate their literary mini-masterpiece with a guided photo tour through the mighty
U.S.S. Missouri, one of our nation’s eight U.S. battleships serving as floating must-see museums.
