Expanding on their range of naval reference books, Pen & Sword Books Limited have announced the release of French Battleships 1922-1956.

Written by John Jordan and Robert Dumas both respected authors in the area of French naval history. John is the editor of the Warship annual and a lifelong student of French naval history on which he has written extensively and Robert is considered one of France's leading experts on warship design, and the author of numerous books and monographs on the ships of the Marine Nationale.

We understand that the main topic of this book are the WWII-era French battleships Dunkerque, Strassbourg, Richelieu, and Jean Bart, from both a technical and historical perspective.

The battleships of the Dunkerque and Richelieu classes were the most radical and influential designs of the interwar period, and were coveted by the British, the Germans and the Italians following the Armistice of June 1940.

We understand that using a wealth of primary-source material, some of which has only recently been made available, the authors have embarked on a completely new study of these important and technically interesting ships. A full account of their development is followed by a detailed analysis of their design characteristics, profusely illustrated by inboard profiles and schematic drawings.

We also understand that the technical chapters are interspersed with operational histories of the ships, with a particular focus on the operations in which they engaged other heavy units: Mers el-Kebir, Dakar and Casablanca. These accounts include a detailed analysis of their performance in action and the damage sustained, and are supported by specially-drawn maps and by the logs of Strasbourg and Richelieu.

Twenty-two colour profile and plan views illustrate the various ships' appearance at the various stages of their careers.

The book is 224 pages long and contains 180 illustrations/photogrpahs.

This book surely promises to be a fine addition to any modelshipwrights reference library.

This book is available now.

Image courtesy of Pen & Sword Books Limited.