December Book Vote and Last Month's Results

We would like to apologise for the glitch in the book vote. We are working getting this resolved as soon as we can. While we fix this issue, we have put this month's book vote here. We are very sorry for the inconvenience. 

This month's book vote sees five naval New Vanguard titles competing for your vote. Read the full descriptions and cast your vote by clicking on the link below Plus, check out the results of last month's Men at Arms vote.

Warships in the Baltic Campaign 1918–19

In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the Baltic states became a battleground between Russian Reds and Whites, German troops, and emerging Baltic independence forces. In November 1918 the British government decided to intervene, to protect British interests and to support the emerging Baltic states. This initial small force of cruisers and destroyers was eventually augmented by other British warships, including aircraft carriers, a monitor, and a handful of submarines and torpedo boats. Opposing them was the far more powerful Russian Baltic Fleet, now controlled by the Bolsheviks. The campaign that followed involved naval clashes between the two sides, the most spectacular of which was an attack on the Soviet naval base of Kronstadt in June 1919 by a force of small British motor boats. They torpedoed and sunk the Russian cruiser Oleg, an action which effectively bottled the Baltic fleet up in port for the remainder of the campaign.

Italian Submarines of World War II

The large Italian submarine fleet was designed to be one of the tools that would give Mussolini’s Italy control of the Mediterranean. While in quality they lagged behind the German and British forces, Italian submariners developed improved doctrine during the war, and in Operation Pedestal the submarines fought a tough and effective battle. In 1940 Italian submarines were based in Bordeaux to join their German counterparts in the Battle of the Atlantic, and at the time formed half the Axis submarine force there. Like the rest of the Regia Marina, Italy’s submariners suffered heavy losses during the war, with two-thirds being sunk.

The Modern Japanese Navy

The fourth-largest navy in the world by tonnage, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force is a key force in the world’s prime naval hotspot. Officially limited to defensive operations, Japan’s fleet is highly capable, exercises regularly with the USN and increasingly with Australia and India. With a unique set of challenges and history, it has developed some of the most advanced conventional submarines in the world, including the world’s first lithium-ion submarine, as well as operating F-35B-capable de facto aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, large helicopter carriers and Aegis destroyers.

US Midway-Class Aircraft Carriers

Designed during World War II and making use of the lessons learned in four years of relentless carrier warfare, the Midway class barely missed joining the wartime fleet. Instead they were the most advanced carriers of the immediate postwar US Navy, and they would soon pioneer jet age carrier operations, rebuilt with a new angled deck, revised elevators and steam catapults. The ships were stalwarts of the US Navy’s Vietnam War operations, and USS Midway was heavily modernized again in the late 1960s, which allowed this World War II-era carrier to remain useful long enough to fight once more in 1991’s Desert Storm.

British Midget Submarines of World War II

Inspired by Italian successes with manned torpedoes, the Royal Navy developed their own, the Chariot. These saw action against Italian heavy warships in the Mediterranean and were used in an unsuccessful raid against the Tirpitz in Norway. It was left to the Royal Navy’s follow-on development, the X-class midget submarine, to cripple the battleship in 1943’s Operation Source. Boats of the later XE-class, as well as Chariots, saw action later in the war in the Pacific, with the XE-class boats raiding Singapore harbour and cutting Japanese underwater communications. Both Chariots and midget submarines also played a role in the landings in Sicily and Normandy, conducting reconnaissance missions.

Last month we asked you what would you like to see published in our Men at Arms vote. Thank you to everyone who voted and provided feedback, the full results are listed below!

Did your favourite win? Which New Vanguard title did you vote for? Let us know in the comments!