Category: Royal Navy Battle Summaries

No. 32       Malta Convoys 1942 (T.S.D. 266/45). 60p., plans, index. London: Admiralty, 1945.

This was combined with Battle Summary 18 and re-issued as Selected Convoys (Mediterranean), 1941-1942 in 1957. It was then reprinted in 2007 as The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys: A Naval Staff History with a preface by Malcolm Llewellyn-Jones. ISBN: 0415390958. Also published with No. 32 and related documents in 2013 as Between Hostile Shores in the Britannia Naval Histories series, ISBN: 1841023531.

Reprinted and edited with a preface by David Brown in 2000 as part of a set of three reports along with nos. 39 and 43.

BENNETT, G. H., BENNETT, R. & BENNETT, E. Bismarck: The Chase and Sinking of Hitler’s  Goliath (Britannia Naval Histories of World War II). 154, [6]p., illus. Plymouth: University of Plymouth Press, 2012. ISBN: 9781841023274.

Consists of the Admiralty’s Battle Summary No.5, along with the relevant sections of the   Fuhrer Conferences on Naval Affairs and two brief reminiscences from an Engine Room Artificer on Rodney and an Ordinary Seaman on Bismarck.

BENNETT, G.H. Hitler’s Ghost Ships: Graf Spee, Scharnhorst and Disguised German Raiders (Britannia Naval Histories of World War II). 216p., illus. Plymouth: University of Plymouth Press, 2012. ISBN: 9781841023076.

Combines three of the British official battle summaries: The destruction of the Graf Spee at the River Plate (Battle Summary 26); the sinking of the Scharnhorst at the Battle of the North Cape (Battle Summary 24); and some eight actions with German raiders in 1940-41(Battle Summary 13). The whole is linked with a good introduction.

LLEWELLYN-JONES, Malcolm. The Royal Navy and the Arctic Convoys: A Naval Staff History.  viii, 194p., illus. London: Routledge, 2007. ISBN: 0714652849.

First issued by the Historical Section of the Admiralty as a confidential internal study in 1954, this grew out of the earlier Battle Summary No. 22 compiled by Commander J. Owen issued in 1943 to cover the convoys run to North Russia in the last half of 1942 and early 1943. That wartime Battle Summary was finally revised and expanded by Commander L.J. Pitcairn-Jones to include all the main convoys run from August 1941 until the end of the war. This has a new introduction.

LLEWELLYN-JONES, Malcolm.  The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys: a Naval Staff  History. xvii, 154p., illus. London: Routledge, 2007. ISBN: 0415390958.

A facsimile reproduction of the Naval Staff History, originally issued by the Admiralty in 1957 as a confidential book. Describes the convoy operations in the Mediterranean to relieve Malta, covering the period from the beginning of 1941 until the end of 1942. Has a good new introduction.

PEARCE, M. J. Between Hostile Shores: Mediterranean Convoy Battles 1941-1942 (Britannia Naval Histories of World War II). 360p., bibliog., illus., index. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, 2013. ISBN: 1841023531.

Contains two Naval Staff History Battle Summaries, Nos. 18 and 32. These describe the major Mediterranean and Malta convoy operations, along with extracts from an unusual official document containing technical descriptions and plans of battle damage suffered by four Royal Navy warships escorting Mediterranean convoys - Nelson, Queen Elizabeth, Liverpool and Indomitable. Extracts from orders and despatches also give contemporary accounts of planning and the views of senior officers in command.

PEARCE, M. J. & PORTER, R. Fight for the Fjords: The Battle for Norway 1940 (Britannia Naval Histories of World War II). 378p., illus. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, 2012. ISBN: 9781841023052.

A reprint of Battle Summary No. 17 along with a German report prepared for the RN in 1948 with a good introduction by the editors.

No. 18   Mediterranean Convoys 1941 (T.S.D.563/43). 46p., plans, index. London: Admiralty, 1944.

This was combined with Battle Summary 32 and re-issued as Selected Convoys (Mediterranean), 1941-1942 in 1957. It was then reprinted in 2007 as The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys: A Naval Staff History with a preface by Malcolm Llewellyn-Jones. ISBN: 0415390958. Also published with No. 32 and related documents in 2013 as Between Hostile Shores in the Britannia Naval Histories series ISBN: 1841023531.

Reprinted in 2012 as Dark Seas: The Battle of Cape Matapan, by the University of Plymouth Press and with a preface and notes by J.E. Harrold. ISBN: 9781841023038.

BENNETT, G. H. Hunting Tirpitz: Royal Naval Operations Against Bismarck's Sister Ship (Britannia Naval Histories of World War II). 296p., bibliog., illus., index. Plymouth: University of Plymouth Press, 2012. ISBN: 9781841023090.

A strong introduction is followed by three official Battle Summaries. No 12. (Operation Chariot) Describes the raid on St Nazaire, aimed at limiting her access to Atlantic ports; No 27 (Operation Tungsten) describes the major Fleet Air Arm attack on the ship in Norway; no 29 (Operation Source) describes the X-Craft attack. The Naval Staff History follows along with a few brief survivors' accounts and several photographs.

No. 33 Raid on Dieppe (Naval Movements) 19th August, 1942 (T.S.D. 2/46). 79p., plans, index. London: Admiralty, 1945.

Reprinted in 2019 by Frontline Books, ISBN: 9781526752918.

No. 4 Naval Operations of the Battle of Crete 20th May to 1st June, 1941 (T.S.D. 522/42). 61p., plans. London: Admiralty, 1942.

A revised edition was published in 1960 as B.R. 1736 (2) which incorporated evidence from captured German documents and also made minor factual corrections.    

No. 41 The Evacuation From Dunkirk, Operation Dynamo, 26 May to 4 June, 1940. London: Admiralty, 1949.

         First published by the Admiralty in 1949 as Staff History No. 41. Reprinted and edited with a preface by Jock Gardner in 2000. ISBN: 0714651206. Reprinted by Helion in 2016 as Operation Dynamo: The Evacuation from Dunkirk, May-June 1940 with a new introduction by Tim Benbow, ISBN: 9781910294598. A further version was published in 2020 as Dunkirk: Operation “Dynamo” 26th May – 4th June 1940. An Epic of Gallantry as one of the Britannia Naval Histories of World War II series, and with an introduction by M. J. Pearce, ISBN: 9781838010706.

No. 14 Loss of HM Ships Prince of Wales and Repulse 10th December 1941 (T.S.D. 1679/42). 40p., plans, index. London: Admiralty, 1943

A revised edition was published in 1955 as B.R. 1736 (8)/1955 which made some minor corrections and incorporated evidence from Japanese sources.

GREAT BRITAIN. Admiralty. The Evacuation from Dunkirk: 'Operation Dynamo', 26 May-June 1940. xiv, 210p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Routledge, 2000. ISBN: 9780714651200.

 First produced in 1949 as the internally published Battle Summary No. 41, q.v., this is now published with a strong introduction by W.J.R. Gardner.

GREAT BRITAIN. War Office. The Dieppe Raid: The Combined Operations Assault on Hitler’s European Fortress August 1942 – An Official History. 314p., bibliog., illus. Barnsley: Frontline, 2019. ISBN: 9781526752918.

This official history was first produced in 1944 ahead of D-Day as an operational narrative and identification of lessons learned. It was revised at war’s end to incorporate lessons from captured German documents. These were private government publications (Battle Summary 33) and are now publicly published for the first time.

No. 17 The Conjunct Expeditions to Norway, April–June 1940 (T.S.D. 335/43). 99p., plans, index. London: Admiralty, 1943.

A 19-page supplement was published in 1947 as B.R.1736 (10) (1), which redrafted some of the original sections and a complete revision published as T.S.D. 57/50 in 1951. This was reprinted in 2000 with 18 added photographs and edited with a preface by David Brown as Naval Operations of the Campaign in Norway April-June 1940, ISBN: 0714651192. Again reprinted in 2012 by the University of Plymouth Press as Fight for the Fjords: The Battle for Norway 1940 (ISBN: 9781841023052).

STEWART, Andrew. Operation Dragoon: The Invasion of the South of France, 15 August 1944 (Naval Staff Histories of the Second World War, Volume 2) edited by Andrew Stewart. 129p., bibliog., illus., index. Solihull: Helion, 2015. ISBN: 9781909982987.

Originally produced in 1950 as Battle Summary No. 43 as a private Admiralty document, this is now reproduced with an excellent new introduction.

BENBOW, Tim. Operation Neptune: The D-Day Landings, 6 June 1944 (Naval Staff Histories of the Second World War, Volume 1), edited by Tim Benbow. 423p., bibliog., illus., index. Solihull: Helion, 2015. ISBN: 9781909982970

Originally published in 1948 by the Admiralty historical staff for internal use and covering the planning, preparation and execution of the landings, this edition has a new and strong introduction and a good bibliography and index, which make it very accessible. 

WINTER, Paul. D-Day Documents. xvii, 520p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN: 9781408194003.

Published in association with the National Archives, this miscellaneous collection of previously unpublished records contains the 21st Army Group intelligence reports on Omaha Beach, RAF Photographic Reconnaissance prints and the ship's log of Warspite as well as official documents covering different aspects of Operations Neptune and Overlord. It also brings together for the first time the war diary entries of all Anglo-Canadian 'spear-head' units and regiments who landed in France on 6 June 1944.

GREAT BRITAIN. Admiralty. German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II. 2 vols., bibliog., illus., index. London: Frank Cass, 2002.

A compilation of battle reports prepared by the Admiralty in the 1940’s for internal use. Reprinted with an introduction by Eric Grove, these volumes include Battle Summaries 5, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27, 29., q.v.  ISBN: 0714652083 (Vol.1); 0714652830 (Vol. 2). They cover the Graf Spee and Bismarck actions, attacks on the Tirpitz, the sinking of the Scharnhorst and actions against armed merchant raiders.   

PEARCE, M. J.  Confronting Italy: Mediterranean Surface Actions in 1940. Exploding the Myth of Mussolini’s ‘Mare Nostrum (Britannia Naval Histories of World War II). 192p., illus. Plymouth: University of Plymouth Press, 2019. ISBN: 1841024392.

This volume contains three previously classified Naval Staff Histories describing major naval surface actions of 1940, supported by a modern introduction setting them in context and also illustrates warships involved, using WW2 US Navy Intelligence Department documents. Two Official Despatches are also included. The Staff Histories are: No. 2, The Battle of Calabria; No. 8. The Battle of Spartivento; No. 9, The Battle of Cape Spada. The Despatches are no. 38273, The Battle off Calabria and no. 38281, The Battle of Cape Spartivento.

Reprinted by Frank Cass in 2002 as part of a two volume compilation of battle summaries entitled German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II, with an introduction by Eric Grove and including Battle Summaries 5, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27, 29. Numbers 12, 27 and 29 were further printed together, edited by G. H. Bennett as Hunting Tirpitz and published by the University of Plymouth in 2012 (ISBN: 1841023094).

A revised edition was published as T.S.D. 16/49 in 1949 to include information from captured German records. Reprinted by Frank Cass in 2002 as part of a two volume compilation of battle summaries entitled German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II, with an introduction by Eric Grove and including Battle Summaries 5, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27, 29. ISBN: 0714652083 (Vol.1); 0714652830 (Vol. 2).

A nine-page supplement giving an Italian account of the action was published in 1947 as B.R.1736 (6) (1).

A revised edition of no. 11 was published as T.S.D. 35/48 in 1948, incorporating information from the Official Enquiry and captured German records. No. 11 was reprinted by Frank Cass in 2002 as part of a two volume compilation of battle summaries entitled German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II, with an introduction by Eric Grove and including Battle Summaries 5, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27, 29. Numbers 12, 27 and 29 were further printed together, edited by G. H. Bennett as Hunting Tirpitz and published by the University of Plymouth in 2012 (ISBN: 1841023094).

Reprinted by Frank Cass in 2002 as part of a two volume compilation of battle summaries entitled German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II, with an introduction by Eric Grove and including Battle Summaries 5, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27, 29.

A revised and expanded version was published in 1954 as Arctic Convoys 1941-1945. A facsimile with a preface by Malcolm Llewellyn-Jones was published by Routledge in 2007 as The Royal Navy and the Arctic Convoys: A Naval Staff History. (ISBN: 0714652849).

A revised edition was published as T.S.D. 223/48 in 1948, incorporating information from captured German records. Reprinted by Frank Cass in 2002 as part of a two volume compilation of battle summaries entitled German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II, with an introduction by Eric Grove and including Battle Summaries 5, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27, 29. Numbers 24 and 26 were further printed together, edited by G. H. Bennett as Hitler's Ghost Ships and published by the University of Plymouth in 2012 (ISBN: 1841023078).

Reprinted by Frank Cass in 2002 as part of a two volume compilation of battle summaries entitled German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II, with an introduction by Eric Grove and including Battle Summaries 5, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27, 29. Numbers 24 and 26 were further printed together, edited by G. H. Bennett as Hitler's Ghost Ships and published by the University of Plymouth in 2012 (ISBN: 1841023078).

A revised edition was published as B.R. 1736 (22) (48) in 1948, containing information from captured German records and returned prisoners of war. Reprinted by Frank Cass in 2002 as part of a two volume compilation of battle summaries entitled German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II, with an introduction by Eric Grove and including Battle Summaries 5, 11, 13, 24, 26, 27, 29. Numbers 12, 27 and 29 were further printed together, edited by G. H. Bennett as Hunting Tirpitz and published by the University of Plymouth in 2012 (ISBN: 1841023094).

No copy seen

Reprinted and edited with a preface by David Brown in 2000 as part of a set including nos. 43 and 49.

No copy seen.

Reprinted and edited with a preface by David Brown in 2000 as part of a set including nos. 39 and 49.