It's the most complete--and immensely readable--operational history yet published of the German Navy's seven great World War Two capital ships: the Deutschland, Admiral Scheer, Admiral Graf Spee, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Bismarck, and Tirpitz. Even greatly outnumbered by the Royal Navy, these fast, powerful, well-armored and armed ships created havoc. Researched from the original German sources and from postwar Allied analyses and reports, profusely illustrated with line drawings, maps, and photographs, the technical chapters cover planning, design, construction, and modifications.