United States PT-Boats of World War II in Action
John Batchelor Poole, Dorset, England: Blandford Press, 1980. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Format is approximately 8.75 inches by 11.25 inches. 159, [1] pages. Illustrations. Appendix. Index. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Details the development of the patrol torpedo boat, the myths and controversies surrounding its production, and its use in the Solomon Islands, the Mediterranean, New Guinea, and the Philippines. John Henry Batchelor MBE (born 1936) was an English artist and technical illustrator, particularly known for his clear and detailed cutaway illustrations of vehicles and military equipment and stamp illustrations.[1][2] His work can be seen in many hundreds of late-20th-century works on armour, fighting vehicles, ships, firearms, etc.. Batchelor's work is particularly sought after by scale model makers for its accuracy. He provided illustrations for many magazines such as Radio Times, TV Times and technical interest publications such as Popular Mechanics, Air & Space, and The Aeroplane. Batchelor joined the RAF at 18. After leaving the RAF he worked in the technical illustration departments of Bristol Aeroplane Company, Saunders-Roe (where he worked on the first hovercraft) and Martin-Baker, developing a hobby of drawing and painting antique pistols and becoming adept at portraying metal and wood finishes. As a freelance illustrator in 1966 he became involved with Purnell's partwork History of the Second World War, for which he produced a total of 1163 illustrations. This partnership extended to the same publisher's subsequent History of the First World War and Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare. From a review found posted on-line: The author has traced the development of PT boats in the pre-WW2 years to the eventual mass production of boats to supply both the Pacific and European (and Mediterranean) theatres. He looks at how the boats were first conceived and also covers the aspect of how, initially, the US Navy was 'shy' on the concept of PT boats. Amazingly Gen. Douglas MacArthur championed the PT boat cause and this was picked up by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy to push the idea of fast boats that could not only deliver a quick 'punch', but had other useful capacities such as covert travel around the Pacific's many island groups. This book traces the development of the US PT boats and their variants and the service these boats gave in both theatres of war. It also examines the various armaments and ordnance the boats were endowed with; I particularly was interested in reading about the two different torpedoes the boats were armed with; the early Mk VIII torpedo and its tube launching system as compared to the later Mk XIII and it's 'roll off' system. The book is divided into various chapters concerning development, armament, myths (could these boats do fifty knots?) and also some of the gallant men who crewed them. The book is very well illustrated with many photographs of the various types of boats, their armament and where they were based. In summary, a well presented work on the short history of US PT Boats in WW2; very informative and with a great amount of pictorial references that would benefit either a historical, or model makers interest. This book was first released in 1980 and copies of it may be hard to procure. Well done, Frank Johnson on a very good reference source! Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Patrol Torpedo Boat, PT-Boat, Motor Torpedo Boat, MTB, Guadalcanal, Battle for New Guinea, Leyte Gulf, Warships, Naval Operations, Naval Tactics
ISBN: 071371025X
[Book #81642]
Price: $50.00