At the outbreak of World War I Austria-Hungary had four modern light cruisers and twenty modern destroyers at their disposal, constructed in the early 20th century to defend their growing overseas interests. It was these fast light vessels, not the fleet's prized battleships, which saw most action during the war; from the bombardment of enemy batteries during the Montenegrin Campaign to their victory over the Allied fleet at the Battle of the Strait of Otranto in 1917. Using specially-commissioned artwork author Ryan Noppen examines the cruisers and destroyers that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had at their disposal during World War I. His study covers their design and development, with thrilling combat reports highlighting the way in which the strategies evolved throughout the Adriatic Campaign.

Author Biography

Ryan Noppen is a military author and aviation analyst originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan. A Master of Arts holder from Purdue University, he specialized in the history of aviation, completing a major thesis on German trans-Atlantic aviation in the interwar years. He has worked as a subject matter expert for a defense firm on projects involving naval and aviation logistics, and has taught several college courses on the World Wars. He has written four New Vanguard titles for Osprey: Austro-Hungarian Battleships 1914-18, US Navy Dreadnoughts 1914-45, Ottoman Warships 1914-18, and German Commerce Raiders 1914-18. Paul Wright has painted ships of all kinds for most of his career, specializing in steel and steam warships from the late 19th century to the present day. Paul's art has illustrated the works of Patrick O'Brian, Dudley Pope and C.S. Forester amongst others, and hangs in many corporate and private collections all over the world. A Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, Paul lives and works in Surrey.