German destroyers and escorts: A selection of German wartime photographs from the Bundesarchiv, Koblenz

The destroyers, torpedo boats and mine­sweepers of the Kriegsmarine were, in many senses, the backbone of German naval power. When, for example, three German capital ships scored a great propaganda victory over the Royal Navy by making a dash from Brest to German ports via the English Channel, they could not have accomplished it without the cover provided by their destroyers. Even when the Allies finally landed in Europe, it was the destroyers and torpedo boats of the Kriegs­marine which made a last-minute attempt to foil the invasion. With the aid of 150 first class photographs, all from German sources, this story is told as never before.