British Naval Weapons of World War Two (Hardback)
The John Lambert Collection, Volume II: Escort and Minesweeper Weapons
Pages: 240
Illustrations: 150
ISBN: 9781526750471
Published: 1st July 2019
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John Lambert was a renowned naval draughtsman, whose plans were highly valued for their accuracy and detail by modelmakers and enthusiasts. By the time of his death in 2016 he had produced over 850 sheets of drawings, many of which have never been published. These have now been acquired by Seaforth and this is the second of a planned series of albums on selected themes, reproducing complete sheets at a large page size, with an expert commentary and captioning.
The initial volumes concentrate on British naval weaponry used in the Second World War, thus completing the project John Lambert was working on when he died. His interest was always focused on smaller warships and his weapons drawings tend to be of open mountings – the kind that present a real challenge to modelmakers – rather than enclosed turret guns, but he also produced drawings of torpedo tubes, underwater weapons, fire-control directors and even some specific armament-related deck fittings. Following the first volume on destroyer armament, this one covers all such weapons carried by the various types of British escorts and minesweepers of this era, including the ‘passive’ elements like sweeping gear, decoys and electronics.
The drawings are backed by introductory essays by Norman Friedman, an acknowledged authority on naval ordnance, while a selection of photographs add to the value of the book as visual reference. Over time, the series will be expanded to make this unique technical archive available in published form, a move certain to be welcomed by warship modellers, enthusiasts and the many fans of John Lambert’s work.
As Featured on Dr Alexander Clarke Does Naval History Live Youtube (Bruships 90 - 3:18:06)
Dr Alexander Clarke
As featured by
ModellWerft, 02/2020
Another Masterpiece by naval cartoonist John Lambert.
Miniaturas JM
Read the full Spanish review here
As featured in
Marine News
"The book is most welcome, and again is essential for serious model makers. Strongly recommended."
John Roberts, 2019
Undoubtedly, the joy of these volumes is the extraordinary array of clearly presented technical drawings, the result of John Lambert’s lifetime of diligent research, skilled draughtsmanship and his abiding interest in small warships. These drawings are complemented by thoughtful and informed introductions by Norman Friedman which are, in themselves, a succinct insight into the pressures and strategic issues which resulted in the wide array of weaponry illustrated and described. Whilst these two handsome volumes (10 inches by 11½ inches) would fascinate any naval enthusiast with an interest in the World War Two era, they would be almost essential browsing for model makers and, taken together, are both a fitting testimony to John Lambert’s research and also a valuable contribution to the knowledge of the weaponry of that era.
The Naval Review, print & online
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This book will be of great value to anyone trying to model these ships, providing an impressive level of detail for the many weapons used during the war. I’m also finding it rather useful in my efforts to identify particular aspects of pictures of these ships.
History of War
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This is one of those books where the the most effective review is “WOW!!!”. The late John Lambert was a prolific technical illustrator who was highly regarded for the quality of his work and knowledge of naval vessels and weapons. The publishers have secured his extensive library of plans, many never before published, and are now releasing a series of books based on the images. This will be warmly welcomed by warship modellers and naval historians, but should be widely read and enjoyed by everyone with any interest in warships and their weapons – Most Highly Recommended
Firetrench
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As featured on The View From The Turret
The View From The Turret Vlog
The presentation by Seaforth is superb; my rating reflects the fact that the detail is so fine grain as to make the book a bit niche, an unavoidable result of editing down from the original much larger page sizes; but that doesn't fairly reflect the service Seaforth have done in publishing this material for future users.
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
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This large scale book shows how technical drawings were achieved before the era of computers and computer-aided design. Packed with intricate and highly detailed technical drawings of British Naval weapons that were designed and used in WWII, this is a worthy memorial to a man whose technical abilities were at the forefront of the war at sea. A hugely impressive volume.
Books Monthly
A truly fascinating and ground-breaking work.
Julian Stockwin Blog
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Modeller or just with a fascination with Royal Navy warships and weaponry from the WW2 period, then I am confident you will enjoy adding this second volume to your own reference shelf. I am so glad that Seaforth have been able to bring these marvellous plans to a wide audience by these new publications. Excellent.
Military Model Scene, Robin Buckland
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It goes without saying that this book is unreservedly recommended, and will remain the seminal reference on the subject for as far in to the future as any of us can see!
Neil Robinson, IPMS, 2019
This splendid large format quality book provides a tribute to the late Hugh John Lambert and his extraordinary comprehensive range of master plans of naval ordnance; he produced over 850 sheets of drawings, many of which have never been published. Seaforth intend to put that right and this first volume focuses on British destroyer weapons of World War II. Lambert died three years ago and the book includes a full obituary. Norman Friedman, one of the foremost authorities on twentieth century naval weaponry, has written a very good fifty-three page scene setter by way of an introduction. It provides a first class overview of British destroyer development and their weapons, mostly their guns, from the period before World War I up to 1945, illustrated by over fifty photographs. This is followed by 176 pages of weapon, mostly guns but also systems plans, beginning with ten pages of basic destroyer plans (‘S’ series) of HM Ships: Whitehall (1924), Harvester (1940), Matabele (1939), Napier (1940), Quilliam (1939) and Caesar (1944). The hundred sheets of original drawings have had to be reduced significantly to fit into and across the double page presentations, which inevitably reduces their readability and the expert may require magnifying glasses for full study. Nevertheless this section is the core of this book and the drawings are very fine. They start with the ‘G’ series main armament, 4-inch to 4.7-inch, followed by secondary armament, mostly 40mm Bofors, then Fire Control ‘F’ series, completing with torpedoes (‘T’ series) and other weapons, mines and depth charges (‘M’ series).
John Roberts, Friends of the Royal Navy Museum, 2019
This book is handsomely produced to Seaforth’s high standards and is naturally very well illustrated. Whilst being a rather narrow subject it is a must for serious naval model makers, naval ordnance professionals, researcher and enthusiasts.
About Norman Friedman
NORMAN FRIEDMAN is arguably America’s most prominent naval analyst, and the author of more than thirty books covering a range of naval subjects, from warship histories to contemporary defence issues. His most recent titles in a series of successful works for Seaforth are the two volumes of his history of British Submarines.
British Naval Weapons of World War Two The John Lambert Collection, Volume I: Destroyer Weapons (Hardback)
John Lambert was a renowned naval draughtsman, whose plans were highly valued for their accuracy and detail by modelmakers and enthusiasts. By the time of his death in 2016 he had produced over 850 sheets of drawings, many of which have never been published. These have now been acquired by Seaforth and this is the first of a planned series of albums on selected themes, reproducing complete sheets at a large page size, with an expert commentary and captioning. The initial volumes will concentrate on British naval weaponry used in the Second World War, thus completing the project John Lambert was…
By Norman FriedmanClick here to buy both titles for £56.00
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