On the night of 22-23 April 1918 the Royal Navy carried out a raid on the German held ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend operation Z-O. Under the cover of clouds and smoke, over 70 ships and an assault force of 1,800 Royal Marines embarked on a daring mission which involved a vicious battle of incredible intensity. However, despite the gallant and courageous efforts of the attackers, 11 of whom were later awarded the Victoria Cross, the raid was only partly successful. Discover the successess and failures of this dramatic operation in this in-depth account, and how the raid demonstrated to Germany that Britain was still capable of offensive action, even as its armies were forced back.
Giuseppe Rava was born in Faenza in 1963, and took an interest in all things military from an early age. Entirely self-taught, Giuseppe has established himself as a leading military history artist, and is inspired by the works of the great military artists, such as Detaille, Meissonier, Röchling, Lady Butler, Ottenfeld and Angus McBride. He lives and works in Italy.
Donato Spedaliere was born in Switzerland and moved to Italy. He served as a paratrooper in the
Italian Army and studied at Belle Arti in Florence. As a 2D artist, he is a professional illustrator for
publishers and museums; as a 3D artist he has worked on complex projects with archaeologists,
architects and military institutions. He can be contacted at: 3threedimart@gmail.com.