Conway’s The War at Sea in Photographs, 1939-1945

243 Pages·2007·81.327 MB·English

by  Stuart Robertson, Stephen Dent

CONWAY'S
T H E W A R A T S E A
IN PHOTOGRAPHS
1939 1945
Stuart Robertson
Stephen Dent
CONWAY
Frontispiece
The FrenchbattleshipRichelieu.on passageto the FarEast
inMarch 1944.
Page 6
Manningthe gunson USSArkansas.1944.
In memory ofJ.E. Horwood and D. G. Robertson a BE
A Conway Maritime book
Copyright © Stuart Robertson and Stephen Dent 2007
First published in Great Britain in 2007 by
Conway
an imprint ofAnovaBooks,The Old MagistratesCourt,
10 Southcombe Street, London WI4 ORA
www.anovabooks.com
Allrights reserved.No part ofthispublication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any
means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording or
otherwise,without the prior permission ofthe publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A record ofthistitle isavailable on request from the British Library.
ISBN 13:9 781844 860456
Edited by:Alison MossandJohnJordan
Designed by Nichola Smith,Stephen Dent and Georgina Hewitt
Printed and bound by CT Printing Ltd,China
CONTENTS
ACK OWLEDGEME TS 7
INTRODUCTION 8
1939-1940
22
1941
56
1942
88
1943
156
1944
184
1945
216
PICTURE CREDITS 236
BIBLIOGRAPHY 236
INDEX 239

Acknowledgements
T he authors wish to express their grateful thanks to the following information from theirown collections,aswellastheir time andknowl
people and institutions for their assistance:Ian Proctor,Matt Lee, edge.Principal among these are several contributors to Conway'snaval
Thom Eaton,Yvonne Oliver, and the rest of the staff at the annual Warslrip.First and foremost our thanks go to JohnJordan.John
ImperialWarMuseum photographic and filmarchives;LauraWaayers,Ed Jordan isthe editor of Hilrslripand also the author oftwo bookson the
Finney, Charles E. Brodine Jr and William Dildo of the US Naval Soviet Navy,and is at present working on a book on the navies ofthe
Historical Center; Debbie Corner, Keeper of Photographs at the Royal inter-war period. Enrico Cernuschi is the author ofEceroTinti if Loro
Navy Submarine Museum;Jo Lawler,Director ofExplosion! Museum of Dovere (Rome: Rivisra Marittima, 2006), now a standard text on the
Naval Firepower;BrianWilliams,Mark FrostandJohn Iverson ofDover history ofthe Italian Navy commissionedby the Italian NavalAcademy.
Museum;Kevin Mcl.aren, KristinaWatson and Lydia Fisher at the Royal Vince O'Hara is the author of Germall Fleet at War 1939-1945
CommissionontheAncient and HistoricalMonumentsofScotland;Leon (Annapolis:Naval Institute Press,2004) and TI,e U.S. NavyAgaillst tire
M.A.Homburg,curator,Marinemuseum,den Helder;Gerry Rendle and Axis:SuifaceCombat 1941-1945(Annapolis:NavalInstitute Press,2007).
Paul Burkhalter of Devonport Dockyard and Museum; Commander Henk Visser is a retired officer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, and
Erminio Bagnasco, director, Storia Militare; Volkmar Konig; Terry works at the Marinemuseum, den Helder. He is the author of De
McGovern;Dave Bassett.jean Hood;Bert Purches;DK Brown;Stephen KoninklijkeMarine, 1922-1964.ConradWatersisamember ofthegroup
Johnson; Geoffrey Hudson;WilliamJ. Crawford;Dee Dent;AJFox;Leo working to return theWorldWarTwo frigate HMS vVlrimbrelto the UK
van Ginderen; Hans Lengerer; Waldemar Trojca; Charles Blackwood; asapermanent memorial to the Battle ofthe Atlantic.ChrisSavillisan
David Evans; Martin Le Poidevin of Flyermagazine;Andy Field; Kary aviation and social historian who works at The National Archives
Goodwin; Geoff Dennison; Ian Hancock;Tony at ColorWorks, Bath; (formerly the Public Record Office)in Kew,London,and haswritten a
Steve Mclaughlin, Bill Schleihauf the staffofBath Central Library;and number of books on aviation history. Richard Worth and Vladimir
John Lee andAlison Moss at Conway.The authors would like to thank Yakubov are the authors ofRaisingtire Red Ballller:TI,e Pictorial History
their families,friendsand publisher for their forbearance. ofStalill~ Fleet 1920-1945 (Spellmount,2007).Thisbook has benefited
In particular,thisbook could not havebeen compiledwithout the aid greatly from all their input; any errors of fact or interpretation remain
of a number ofpeople who generously provided images and caption the sole responsibility ofthe authors.
The Camera at Sea
phorogr.iphi« equipment, imluding rhc Spt.'l'd (;r.lphit"c.uucr.i, which
A, th.u gt.'lh.'r,ltioll of1111..'11 .md WOlllell who l'xpCriCIKcdWorldWarTwo he..'LII11t.' the domin.mr port.iblc protl'"iOIl.tIc.uucr.i.WorldW.lr One .iko
.It fir-a h.md n.'ct'dcs into hisrory.[0 g.lin .m impression of",Jut lift., \\";1'" '.IWthe first wide-pre..id use ofphotographic' rcconn.u-x.uuc Oil l.md .md
like tll[ them Wt,.' IllllS{ rely 011the.: 'OURe' lett behind by the p.util.:ip.lIlt'i.. over it. At 't.'.I..lcri.ll rt.·t.:olllui".It1t.:c W,I\ conducted trom .urship-,.md
The.: photogr.lph. pl'fh.lp'" betref {h.m .IIlY other J1le.IIl' of primitivc .unr.itt.originally tor rlu-,potting ofcnCll1Y\'l·"t.,ls .ind tor the
l"OIllIlHlllic.ltioll. cm bring u\ fill' to t~ln.· with rhe.: ,cellc.:s tl1.lt nnn' corn-crivc dirccnon of<hellfire ill .m t.'ng.lgt.·Illt·.tH.
l"onfrolltcd £Ill" pcopk thefe .1Ild thcll. By the c.trlv 1').'\os. tcchnologv - .md otllt.:i.tI iutcrcsr in photogr.lphy
SOIlll' photogr.lph... of t11.lt glob.11 ,,:nlltlin .In.' \0 t~lJ1101l'" .1' to tun' - h.id growll such rh.ir the .irt h.id bcronu- .111 iutcgr.rl .ispcct ofw.ir,
.H:quircd .1Inc.mingoftheir0\\'11 .1\ \.·IH:luring'ylllbokl'\'CIl work... of.Irt: scil'lltitll",llIv .md docrrin.illv woven into tlHt.:l'S· modus opcr.uidi.
thl' N.1Zi Ic.:.ldcr-,hip 'trolling .trfOg.lIltly in trollt ofthe Find Towcr in l'horogr.iph-, wcrv .t1so.I powerful medium tor recording SlKCl''i,'i,l'S.md
,uhdul'd P.uj,:the.: f.tisingoftht.' US tl.lg011 bloody 1\\'0 Jilll.l:rhe So\"ic{ t.ulurc ofopcr.uionv..md could he used by n.ivic-,.md govt.'rllllll'llt' to
t'mbkm tlYln~'litHy owr Iht' R,'id"I.I~ in ,ku'I.Il,·d [k rllll. But 1I1.l11Y proillote ccrt.nn sdt.'d l'd ide.is.
other picture.'.''', Ilcn.:r dC'itincd (0 .KhicYl' \ueh inlllir 't~ltlh. .d,o l1.In... Iluring rh,u troubled de..·Cldl' of Ill'prt.''i,'i,ion III Anu-ric.i .md
powl'rtitl illllJ)c,...di.h:Y.1Jld "'pl.'.lk pcrl1.lp' IIlOfC .H:ruf.ltdy ofwh.n it W.l' cl-cwhcn-. rhc rivc of t.ivcivm .md N.IZi'l11 in Europe, of tot.ilit.iri.m
like to hl' ill .1titHe ~lI1d pLtn.' .Itlt.,l"tl,d by W.lf. conuuuuivm in Eur.ivi.i.md milir.mr n.rtion.ilivm illJlp.lI1 - photogr.lphy
The \',lst Ill~~lority of photOgr.lplh cfl'.ltl.'d betwl'l"1l 1t)J() .md 1t)4.:l cemented it'io povirion .llollt-".,idt.' the prinrcd word .IS .l v.ilu.rblc
n.'.lll.1in ullpublished .Ind little knowll .Hld Yl'( (:ollcdin'ly they n.'.prl"l'llt conunodirv .1I1d.1tool. European Ill'W\p.lpt.'rs.ind Jwriodic.llssuch .1\ Hrr;.'
rhl' biggl.'·a "OUfCl" oft.lI1giblc l,\'idClll"C tlH" wh.lt.1ll'.Ir1y '(.'\"l'l1 dcc.llk, .\lclf(1J .md the Berliner lllusuicn« Zeit"'I,\! t.'l11ployt.'d photogr.lphers ill
.1gO.rhe expericllce ofwaf W;I\ fe.llly Iikl'.Not ;dlthe phorogr;lph... ha\"c greater numbcr-, rh.in .lIlY.irmcd tllrt"t.'Sever did.though the burgeoning
dr.lIluri,,: impact or Illilit.lry ,ignitic.lIKl'.Yl'(l'.lt"h photOgr.lph fl'pn.·...l'llt\ Nazi ,Ute clcvcrlv blurred tilt.' linc-,between rcport.igc and propag.lIlda
.1cOlllpositl' of not only the t:lCh of .1 'n'lll' - .1\ t:u ;1' they may be in print ,lI1d 011moving tilm.Thc techniquesotphorojournaliou m.irun-d
l'\'idl'llt - hut al,o the photographer\ choin" whidl led hilll to st.'!l't.:t .1'.111increasingly globalizingworldsought intorm.mon 011 cvcnt«such .1\
and re..·t.:ord that st.:t.'nt.'"Eat.:h illlagt.' thus rdlt.'t.:t'io tht.' world ht.'yond tht.' the Ir.ili.in cOllqUl" l ofAhv-sini»,the Sp.mish CivilWar and theJa1'.1Ill''''
k", bUI .•1", Ihl' hUlIl.IIl proCl'''l'' bl'hilld it. l.ikl' .111war',World War inv.i-ion ofChina.
Two lTe....1tt.'d;Ill t.'1l\"irOIlIlH..·nt punctuatt.'dwith at.:tion and dram.l hut.as ByWorldW.nTwo.largt.' numbcr-,ofphorogr.iphcr-, were occupied ill
l'\Tr. 1110St t.:ol11b;lt;lnt, and ci\"ili.ms spt.'nt tht.' lJujority of tht.'ir tillle..· recording the enormities and intinucic-, of w.ir, either tor immcdi.uc
waiting tlH sOlllt.'thing to happt.'n"Tht.' photogr.lphic rt.'t:ord rdlt.'t.:t'io this milir.trv application Of for prop.l~.lt1da .md even deliberate posterity"All
\"lri.lbll' st.Hl' of atIlirs. though 1110st pictori.11 historit.'\ of war prdl'f (;l'fll)all .md Soviet otllcialphorogr.rphcrs were p.lrt ofthe .mncd tlHCl'\.
to ignore it. .ind .111110st l'\"l'ry photograph thl'Ytook W.IS\ubjl't."t to otllci.11s.mrtion
Llrly photography ill\"Okt.'d t"llJllht.'r\ol11t.' yet fr.lil tt.'chnolo!-'-;o·: the b.iwd on its usetulnc« in 'winning rhe war. Ccnsorvlnp and otllcial
1t.'llgth ofl'xpo\ure..·did not Ilukt.' it e..\l\Y to Llpturl' slurply tllCU\t.'d~Iction control wa\ rite. Tht.' s.unc held true tllr Allied phorographer«.
iJ11.lge..'S. not 1e.lst ill tluid l'll\"irOlJJllt.'l1t'io" It W.IS Ilot ulltil dry pbtl' IJIHHllg:r;lphs h.id to undergo ~I long ch.un of(ltllcial vl'tting hctorc they
tl'chllolo~~' .lrrivc..'d at tht.' t.'l1d of tht.' 1X7(k th.lt it hl'C.lIlll' po"ible could be rclc..l'i.ed tor publication.The true rcalitic- ofW;If..1S captured Oil
properly to photograph the 1110ti0l1ofthe..' \e..\1 .lIld objl'ct\ upon it"And film,were seen by rhc public only .iticr the w.ir.... end.
.1\ SOOIl ~IS photographit.: tt.'t.hl1olo!-~- " lIuturt..d enough it wa\ put to The .'\.:lnllll single-shot CII11cr.i - the Lt.'it..) .uid the Cont,ix in
Illilit.try .lpplicltion. World W;lr ()nt.' witllt.'\Sl'd tot.ll war 011 I.md. .111 p.irticular - .md the COll1p.KI twin-leu- reflex Rollcitlcx domin.uc
t.'IlVirOI1l11t.'nt ottt.'11 ripe tllr sytl1pathetit.: vi\u.11 trl';lUl1t.'nt using new much ofthe phorographic reportage of[he W.1fye.If\.Aloll!--"idt.' otlici.t1
8