German Battleships 1914–18 (2) Kaiser, König and Bayern classes

Supported by official documents, personal accounts, official drawings and specially commissioned artwork, this volume is an enlightening history of the key classes of Kaiser, K¿nig and Bayern that formed the backbone of the German Imperial Navy throughout World War I. It details the technological revolution that had taken place to ensure the building of these largest dreadnought classes, in particular the developments in size and armament as well as the steps taken to prevent battle damage as Germany readied herself for war. This account of design and technology is supplemented by individual ship histories detailing combat experience complete with first-hand accounts. The specially commissioned artwork also brings this history to life with a cutaway recreation of the fleet's flagship and the Battle of Moon Sound in the Baltic in 1917 where the battleship Konig caused the destruction of the Russian battleship Slava.

Gary Staff has had a life-long passion for the history of the German Imperial Navy and has translated many contemporary and original documents on the subject. He contibuted to a Channel 4 documentary on Jutland, exploring the Imperial Navy's experience of the battle. He grew up in Australia and currently lives on the island of Palau.