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The Kaiser's Cruisers, 1871–1918 (Hardback)

Maritime > Naval Maritime > Seaforth Publishing Military > Pre-WWI Photographic Books WWI > By Year > 1914 WWI > By Year > 1915 WWI > By Year > 1916 WWI > By Year > 1917 WWI > By Year > 1918

By Aidan Dodson, Dirk Nottelmann
Seaforth Publishing
Pages: 320
Illustrations: 175 illustrations & 50 line drawings
ISBN: 9781526765765
Published: 16th November 2021

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While bookshelves groan with works on the capital ships of the German Third Reich, there is little in English devoted to their predecessors of the Second Reich, so this new book will fill a clear gap in its study of German cruisers of the period, from wooden-hulled corvettes, through the fusion of ‘overseas’ and ‘home’ vessels into the modern small cruisers that evolved and fought in the First World War.

The book covers the full range of cruising vessels operated or ordered by the Imperial German Navy between 1871 and 1918, excluding the large cruisers, previously covered by the author’s companion volume The Kaiser’s Battlefleet. These include corvettes, avisos, sloops, torpedo cruisers, III- and IV-class cruisers and small cruisers, and are described and arranged in a chronological narrative. This includes both design and operational histories, the latter continuing down to the end of ships’ service after the fall of Imperial Germany, and it is accompanied by an extensive selection of many rare photographs. The ships’ technical details are tabulated in the second half of the book which also includes sketches of ships’ internal layouts and armour and changes in appearance over time.

The authors have made extensive use of archival material, particularly relating to the political and technical background to design and procurement, and present a developmental history of this ship class which is unique in the English language. It will have huge appeal to all those with an interest in the German navy and to those who have been waiting avidly for the sequel to The Kaiser’s Battlefleet.

The Kaiser’s Cruisers is an excellent resource for those interested in the Imperial German Navy’s cruiser forces, both in design and service history. Dodson and Nottlemann provide a strong core of basic information paired with an excellent standardized data guide creating a solid research tool for historians, scholars, and those generally interested in the time-frame. This work not only fills a hole in the historiography of German naval history, but also provides English-language readers with one of the first proper dives into the subject of Imperial small cruisers and their predecessors.

The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord

"The authors of this excellent book have written a definitive account of the Kaiser’s (and Tirpitz’s) cruisers."

Warship Annual - 2023

As featured on Army Rumour Service

Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)

The wealth of information provided is impressive, and I have no doubt that the book will be seen to be the definitive book of reference for anyone interested in ‘The Kaiser’s Cruisers’.

Read the Full Review Here

The Naval Review

A comprehensive guide to how and why each ship was built, with details of the global political situation at the time. With the advent of WW1 there is much more on actual sea battles, including many that we have also covered. There are some excellent photos of the ships.

The Armourer March 2022

"Readers of Warship International will recognize Nottelmann as the author of a major (about 450 pages) series of twelve articles covering German battleships and battle cruisers published in the magazine between 2011 and 2020 with the overall title of “The Development of the German Navy 1864-1918.” In these Nottelmann demonstrated a mastery of German archival materials that he then brought to the cruiser book. The result is a depth of detail in the design histories of the ships that is rarely encountered and a wealth of ship plans (single page width), some of which came from the archives and some of which Nottelmann drew. Particularly unusual is a series of drawings (longitudinal sections and multiple deck plans) issued by the Imperial Admiralty at the end of the 1870s and covering early cruising ships from Vineta (1860) to Carola (1879) and including the torpedo vessel Zieten (1875). The book also benefits from Nottelmann’s large photograph collection and from both authors’ thorough coverage of the ships’ operational histories."

Warship International Vol. 59

"This an exceptionally well researched and produced volume and is a must for those with an interest in the German navy. Highly Recommended as the start point for research in this area."

Martin Willoughby, The Wessex Branch of the Western Front Association

In conclusion, this is another excellent reference book from Seaforth publishing that covers one of the most interesting periods in German Naval history and concentrates on a portion of that history that is less well documented. As such the book is likely to be a welcome addition to anybody’s library of books on the Naval subjects.

Cher Ami, GWSIG Newsletter – International Plastic Modellers Society (UK) – March 2021

If you have an interest in Naval History, this book is an essential addition for your collection. A wonderful historical reference book, which can be constantly re-visited.

Jon Sandison

This book is valuable in many respects, but it stands out in the analysis of ship performance; the insights it provides on German Government and naval thinking at the time; and last but not least it is a quality book in English on a foreign warship type which is little covered in detail elsewhere. It is highly recommended.

Read the review here

Australian Naval Institute

A superb record of the ships of the Third Reich.

Books Monthly

As featured in

The Armourer

I like the structure of the book, with the technical aspects of ship design and their pre-war careers dealt with first, followed by two chapters on the First World War. As a result we get a clearer view of the way in which these designs evolved, without sizable combat histories in between, and then a good overview of how the available cruisers performed without too many technical details to disrupt the flow.

Read the full review here

History of War

"A truly well researched book which deserves careful study."

Les Brown, Small Warships

A remarkable book which will appeal to anyone interested in the development of naval history, especially that of Germany. It is well written and detailed, to the point of including the plans and blueprints for the development of the first German fleet.
The book begins with an excellent overview of the establishment of Germany as a nation - which reminds us that this only occurred as recently as 1871. Before then, Germany consisted of an amalgam of independent states. With the foundation of the new Germany, the process commenced of planning a national fleet which then consisted of a handful of elderly training ships, mostly still relying on sail as the means of propulsion. More modern warships were then planned, mainly to secure the German coastline of the North Sea and Baltic where Germany’s neighbour, Denmark, had long since acted malevolently towards Germany.
Interestingly, the book reminds the reader that, at that point in time, Germany had no overseas colonies. It was not until the following year, 1872, that the first German cruiser, the Nymph, reached the South Pacific. A ‘flying squadron’ of cruisers was then commissioned to represent Germany’s interest’s worldwide, to begin with, to encourage the payment of any outstanding monies to Germany or it’s citizens then resident overseas.
The book then turns to the detailed account of the development and construction of the numerous naval vessels necessary to support Germany’ growing interests worldwide. I was pleased to see the book included maps to support these accounts.
This is a technical work best suited to experts in the field, a ‘stand alone’ work which completely covers the subject. I strongly recommend it to anyone fitting this description.

Dr Adrian Greaves, The Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society

Featured in

Great War IPMS, Great War SIG newsletter – October 2021

Featured in

Cher Ami, Great War Sig Newsletter - IPMS, June 2021
 Aidan Dodson

About Aidan Dodson

Aidan Dodson is Hon Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Anthropology & Archaeology at the University of Bristol, where he has taught since 1996. He has also maintained parallel research interests in naval history, and worked as a civil servant in defence procurement for 25 years, including  project leader for the offshore patrol vessel HMS Clyde. He is the author of more than 300 articles and reviews, plus some twenty books, including The Kaiser’s Battlefleet: German capital ships 1871–1918 ,Before the Battlecruiser: the big cruiser in the world’s navies 1865–1910 and Spoils of War: the fates of the ex-enemy fleets after the two World Wars, with Serena Cant, all published by Seaforth.


About Dirk Nottelmann

Dirk Nottelmann is a marine engineer by profession, presently working as a civil servant for the German flag-state administration (Deutsche Flagge), and has been working on the history of the Imperial Navy for more than 30 years. He was the last editor of the former Hamburger Rundbrief, and the author of more 150 articles and reviews, and three books: Halbmond und Kaiseradler: Goeben und Breslau am Bosporus, 1914-1918, with Bernd Langensiepen, Die Brandenburg-Klasse: Höhepunkt des deutschen Panzerschiffbaus, and Das Kanonenboot Iltis (ii) – seine Vorgänger und Nachfolger, with Lothar Wischmeyer.

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