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Killing the Bismarck: Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet
In May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck, accompanied by heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, broke out into the Atlantic, to attack Allied shipping. The Royal Navy's pursuit and subsequent destruction of Bismarck was an epic of naval warfare.
In this new account of those dramatic events at the height of the Second World War, Iain Ballantyne draws extensively on the graphic eye-witness testimony of veterans, to construct a thrilling story, mainly from the point of view of the British battleships, cruisers and destroyers involved. He describes the tense atmosphere as cruisers play a lethal cat and mouse game as they shadow Bismarck in the icy Denmark Strait. We witness the shocking destruction of the British battle cruiser Hood, in which all but three of her ship's complement were killed; an event that filled pursuing Royal Navy warships, including the battered battleship Prince of Wales, with a thirst for revenge. While Swordfish torpedo-bombers try desperately to cripple the Bismarck, we sail in destroyers on their own daring torpedo attacks, battling mountainous seas.
Finally, the author takes us into the final showdown, as battleships Rodney and King George V, supported by cruisers Norfolk and Dorsetshire, destroy the pride of Hitler's fleet. This vivid, superbly researched account portrays this epic saga through the eyes of so-called 'ordinary sailors' caught up in extraordinary events. Killing the Bismarck is an outstanding read, conveying the horror and majesty of war at sea in all its cold brutality and awesome power.
516 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2010
343 people are currently reading
655 people want to read
About the author
Iain Ballantyne
26 books36 followers'Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom - 80th anniversary edition' is Iain's latest book and an updated and expanded new version of the 2016 original, this time published both as an e-book and a shop paperback. His previous book was 'Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' (Sept 2019), also for Agora Books.
Although he has written several naval history books, including those on the Second World War and the Cold War, Iain Ballantyne has, during the course of his career as a journalist, editor, and author, also covered the activities of land forces.
Those assignments took him to Kuwait, Oman, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Hong Kong, sometimes during times of conflict. Iain has visited WW2 battlefields in company with those who fought there as young men, while also spending hours in conversation with Arnhem veterans.
As a teenager, Iain embarked on an expedition to follow the course of the Rhine, including a pilgrimage to Oosterbeek and Arnhem. He retraced the route of the British Airborne soldiers in 1944 as they tried to take the famous ‘bridge too far’.
Iain Ballantyne’s assignments as a writer on naval affairs have taken him from the Arctic to mine infested waters off war-torn Kuwait, aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier off Libya, into the South China Sea and below the Irish Sea in a hunter-killer submarine.
Iain has contributed to coverage of naval and military issues in national and regional newspapers, and provided analysis and commentaries for radio and television, as well as prestigious publications by NATO and the Royal Navy.
His most recent naval history book was 'The Deadly Trade: The Complete History of Submarine Warfare from Archimedes to the Present' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2018). It was published in the USA in December 2018, as 'The Deadly Deep' (Pegasus Books).
Iain's other books include ‘Hunter Killers’ (Orion, 2013), which was published in the USA in September 2019 as 'Undersea Warriors' (Pegasus Books).
Iain won a Mountbatten Certificate of Merit for his action-packed depiction of the pursuit and destruction of Hitler's flagship as recounted in ‘Killing the Bismarck’ (Pen & Sword, 2010).
In 2017 he was awarded a Fellowship by the UK’s Maritime Foundation. One of its top annual awards, it recognised Iain’s immense contribution to the maritime cause since 1990, as a journalist, author of naval history books and Editor of 'WARSHIPS International Fleet Review' magazine from 1998 to the present.
Although he has written several naval history books, including those on the Second World War and the Cold War, Iain Ballantyne has, during the course of his career as a journalist, editor, and author, also covered the activities of land forces.
Those assignments took him to Kuwait, Oman, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Hong Kong, sometimes during times of conflict. Iain has visited WW2 battlefields in company with those who fought there as young men, while also spending hours in conversation with Arnhem veterans.
As a teenager, Iain embarked on an expedition to follow the course of the Rhine, including a pilgrimage to Oosterbeek and Arnhem. He retraced the route of the British Airborne soldiers in 1944 as they tried to take the famous ‘bridge too far’.
Iain Ballantyne’s assignments as a writer on naval affairs have taken him from the Arctic to mine infested waters off war-torn Kuwait, aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier off Libya, into the South China Sea and below the Irish Sea in a hunter-killer submarine.
Iain has contributed to coverage of naval and military issues in national and regional newspapers, and provided analysis and commentaries for radio and television, as well as prestigious publications by NATO and the Royal Navy.
His most recent naval history book was 'The Deadly Trade: The Complete History of Submarine Warfare from Archimedes to the Present' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2018). It was published in the USA in December 2018, as 'The Deadly Deep' (Pegasus Books).
Iain's other books include ‘Hunter Killers’ (Orion, 2013), which was published in the USA in September 2019 as 'Undersea Warriors' (Pegasus Books).
Iain won a Mountbatten Certificate of Merit for his action-packed depiction of the pursuit and destruction of Hitler's flagship as recounted in ‘Killing the Bismarck’ (Pen & Sword, 2010).
In 2017 he was awarded a Fellowship by the UK’s Maritime Foundation. One of its top annual awards, it recognised Iain’s immense contribution to the maritime cause since 1990, as a journalist, author of naval history books and Editor of 'WARSHIPS International Fleet Review' magazine from 1998 to the present.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
August 30, 2022
A gripping account of the sinking of the Bismarck, as seen through the eyes of the participating British sailors
In May 1941 the Bismarck, up until then the most modern battleship and the pride of the Kriegsmarine, set out on the Atlantic to challenge the Royal Navy. Together with the Prinz Eugen they kept the Royal Navy busy for quite some time. After the Bismarck succeeded in sinking the Hood, the flagship of the Royal Navy and had the Prince of Wales on the run, the whole Royal Navy was determined to take revenge and make sure the Bismarck would never reach its port again. In this book, the author tells us the story from the point of view of the sailors of the Royal Navy, who were determined to avenge their comrades of the Hood, who went down with all her crew. According to the author, this book adds new material and additional and different reflections on this action has previously raised. His sources are the interviews with surviviors and veterans he had during the 80's and 90's and therefore tell a personal story through the eyes of the sailors who witnessed the desctruction of the Bismarck.
The Bismarck was the most modern battleship during its age. Finished in 1939, laid down under the Anglo-German navy agreement, she had a replacement of 45,000 tons, where the official figure handed over to the British was 35,000 tons. However, although the Royal Navy was quite open to the idea that the Germans were breaking the rules, the political leadership did not want to rock the boat.
During the build up to World War II, when the Germans had completed the Bismarck and its sister ship, the Tirpitz, the Royal Navy had only two modern battleships close to commisioning (the Rodney and Nelson), while three were still being built and a long way from finished. The rest of the Royal Navy's capital ships were a mixture of reconstructed First World War-era or, worse, vessels hardly changed at all since that conflict. The ships were also spread across the globe trying to safeguard the Empire, while Germany could concentrate its smaller, but more modern and deadlier surface fleet in home waters, ready to send them out on raiding missions. The likelihood of the Royal Navy having its capital ships, and enough of them, in the right place at the right time to intercept the German raiders were slim.
In this lay the real danger of the raid of the Bismarck. If the Bismarck succeeded in sinking one or more capital ships during her raid, the British supremacy on the high seas would (temporarily) be done for, especially with the Tirpitz, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst still in reserve. Their national morale would be dealt a fatal blow.
The British first spotted the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark strait, when the officers on the cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk had to abandon their sherry when the enemy was sighted. Immediately the Royal Navy was put on high alert and the Prince of Wales and Hood were dispatched to check the German advance on the high seas.
The so-called 'mightyHood', flying the flag for the British Empire, was an impressive ship, benefiting from an exaggerated reputation as the world's most beautiful and powerful warship. However, she was ill prepared to fight with the latest capital ships. Lacking essential full modernization and armour, she was no match for the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. The Prince of Wales however, was one of the most powerful vessels in the Navy.
When the engagement started, eight minutes later the Hood was destroyed and the Prince of Wales was retreating. The Bismarck succeeded in destroying the pride of the Royal Navy. But the result was that now the whole of the Royal Navy was determined to revenge the Hood and to let the Bismarck not escape.
Convoy escorts were ordered to set course for intercepting the Bismarck, leaving the merchant ships on their own, and additional forces were scrambled as far as Gibraltar. Due to miscommunication, the Bismarck was thought to continue on a northern course, whereas in reality the Bismarck was aiming for a French port. Once the error was corrected, the Bismarck was lost, only to be found by airplanes from the Ark Royal. But luck was still not on the British side, when airplanes from the Ark Royal erroneously targeted the British cruiser Sheffield, who only narrowly managed to escape the torpedoes.
However, in a second sortie, the Swordfishes from the Ark Royal managed to damage the rudder from the Bismarck, disbaling her to set course for the French ports, reducing her speed and basically change her in a sitting target.
It was the turn for Rodney and King George V to sink the Bismarck. In a one sided duel, it took only forty minutes or less to reducte the Bismarck to a floating hell, littered with ripped apart corpses, her interior an inferno and letting in huge amounts of water.
The book really captures the tension and suspense, but also the horros of the war by describing the action from a point of view of the surviviors and veterans themselves. The easy reading and intense style lets you almost imagine yourself standing on the brigde of the British ships. There are some fun anecdotes, such as the brave Polish destroyer Porion, taunting the Bismarck by signaling 'I Am a Pole' to the Bismarck, only to be answered by a salvo from Bismarck's guns, which she narrowly managed to avoid. Later on, once the Bismarck was reduced to a floating wreck, that same Polish crew were found belowdecks sharpening their knives and bayonets, expecting a 16th century pirate raiding party.
One of the flaws however, is the fact that the story only tells the British side of the battle. There are few stories from Bismarck's point of view, the reasons behind the choices the German admiral Lindemann was making. This would really have added to a more balanced story, and would have made the already excelent story even better.
But all-in all, this book succeeds in capturing the personal stories from the sailors who in the end were able to sink the most modern German battleship. This is something that you won't find in any of the other history books about this episode in the war.
At the end of the book, the author tells about the fate of the participating ships, of which most were subsequent sunk during the rest of the war, the Prince of Wales being the prime example. The description of the reunion of the survivors of the Bismarck and their British colleagues from the Rodney and King George V leaves you in tears.
In May 1941 the Bismarck, up until then the most modern battleship and the pride of the Kriegsmarine, set out on the Atlantic to challenge the Royal Navy. Together with the Prinz Eugen they kept the Royal Navy busy for quite some time. After the Bismarck succeeded in sinking the Hood, the flagship of the Royal Navy and had the Prince of Wales on the run, the whole Royal Navy was determined to take revenge and make sure the Bismarck would never reach its port again. In this book, the author tells us the story from the point of view of the sailors of the Royal Navy, who were determined to avenge their comrades of the Hood, who went down with all her crew. According to the author, this book adds new material and additional and different reflections on this action has previously raised. His sources are the interviews with surviviors and veterans he had during the 80's and 90's and therefore tell a personal story through the eyes of the sailors who witnessed the desctruction of the Bismarck.
The Bismarck was the most modern battleship during its age. Finished in 1939, laid down under the Anglo-German navy agreement, she had a replacement of 45,000 tons, where the official figure handed over to the British was 35,000 tons. However, although the Royal Navy was quite open to the idea that the Germans were breaking the rules, the political leadership did not want to rock the boat.
During the build up to World War II, when the Germans had completed the Bismarck and its sister ship, the Tirpitz, the Royal Navy had only two modern battleships close to commisioning (the Rodney and Nelson), while three were still being built and a long way from finished. The rest of the Royal Navy's capital ships were a mixture of reconstructed First World War-era or, worse, vessels hardly changed at all since that conflict. The ships were also spread across the globe trying to safeguard the Empire, while Germany could concentrate its smaller, but more modern and deadlier surface fleet in home waters, ready to send them out on raiding missions. The likelihood of the Royal Navy having its capital ships, and enough of them, in the right place at the right time to intercept the German raiders were slim.
In this lay the real danger of the raid of the Bismarck. If the Bismarck succeeded in sinking one or more capital ships during her raid, the British supremacy on the high seas would (temporarily) be done for, especially with the Tirpitz, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst still in reserve. Their national morale would be dealt a fatal blow.
The British first spotted the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark strait, when the officers on the cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk had to abandon their sherry when the enemy was sighted. Immediately the Royal Navy was put on high alert and the Prince of Wales and Hood were dispatched to check the German advance on the high seas.
The so-called 'mightyHood', flying the flag for the British Empire, was an impressive ship, benefiting from an exaggerated reputation as the world's most beautiful and powerful warship. However, she was ill prepared to fight with the latest capital ships. Lacking essential full modernization and armour, she was no match for the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. The Prince of Wales however, was one of the most powerful vessels in the Navy.
When the engagement started, eight minutes later the Hood was destroyed and the Prince of Wales was retreating. The Bismarck succeeded in destroying the pride of the Royal Navy. But the result was that now the whole of the Royal Navy was determined to revenge the Hood and to let the Bismarck not escape.
Convoy escorts were ordered to set course for intercepting the Bismarck, leaving the merchant ships on their own, and additional forces were scrambled as far as Gibraltar. Due to miscommunication, the Bismarck was thought to continue on a northern course, whereas in reality the Bismarck was aiming for a French port. Once the error was corrected, the Bismarck was lost, only to be found by airplanes from the Ark Royal. But luck was still not on the British side, when airplanes from the Ark Royal erroneously targeted the British cruiser Sheffield, who only narrowly managed to escape the torpedoes.
However, in a second sortie, the Swordfishes from the Ark Royal managed to damage the rudder from the Bismarck, disbaling her to set course for the French ports, reducing her speed and basically change her in a sitting target.
It was the turn for Rodney and King George V to sink the Bismarck. In a one sided duel, it took only forty minutes or less to reducte the Bismarck to a floating hell, littered with ripped apart corpses, her interior an inferno and letting in huge amounts of water.
The book really captures the tension and suspense, but also the horros of the war by describing the action from a point of view of the surviviors and veterans themselves. The easy reading and intense style lets you almost imagine yourself standing on the brigde of the British ships. There are some fun anecdotes, such as the brave Polish destroyer Porion, taunting the Bismarck by signaling 'I Am a Pole' to the Bismarck, only to be answered by a salvo from Bismarck's guns, which she narrowly managed to avoid. Later on, once the Bismarck was reduced to a floating wreck, that same Polish crew were found belowdecks sharpening their knives and bayonets, expecting a 16th century pirate raiding party.
One of the flaws however, is the fact that the story only tells the British side of the battle. There are few stories from Bismarck's point of view, the reasons behind the choices the German admiral Lindemann was making. This would really have added to a more balanced story, and would have made the already excelent story even better.
But all-in all, this book succeeds in capturing the personal stories from the sailors who in the end were able to sink the most modern German battleship. This is something that you won't find in any of the other history books about this episode in the war.
At the end of the book, the author tells about the fate of the participating ships, of which most were subsequent sunk during the rest of the war, the Prince of Wales being the prime example. The description of the reunion of the survivors of the Bismarck and their British colleagues from the Rodney and King George V leaves you in tears.
June 17, 2014
A gripping account of the chase and final destruction of the Bismarck.
Told from the view of the officers and men of the Royal Navy this book gave more insight into the stresses of naval warfare than other books I have read on the subject mainly due to extensive use of first hand accounts.
To paraphrase Wellington "a damn close run thing". Bismarck almost escaped following some navigational screw ups by the RN, but it was a single hit on her steering from an air launched torpedo that had her turning in circles awaiting her doom at the hands of the Home Fleet.
Highly recommended for anyone interested on WW2 naval history.
Told from the view of the officers and men of the Royal Navy this book gave more insight into the stresses of naval warfare than other books I have read on the subject mainly due to extensive use of first hand accounts.
To paraphrase Wellington "a damn close run thing". Bismarck almost escaped following some navigational screw ups by the RN, but it was a single hit on her steering from an air launched torpedo that had her turning in circles awaiting her doom at the hands of the Home Fleet.
Highly recommended for anyone interested on WW2 naval history.
September 5, 2016
As with a lot of people my age, I came to the story of Bismarck through the Kenneth More film Sink the Bismarck, made when memories of the event were still fresh (More also played Lightoller in 1958's A Night to Remember, the film about Titanic that was shot with the most number of survivors still around to consult). The movie, despite Dana Wynter lurking around as a WREN who fancies More, is a terrific look at the brief life of the ship, working in as much of the German point of view as possible.
Killing the Bismarck (excellent title) is only concerned with the British side. Despite a wealth of books on the sea combat, no one has really come at it as what it was, according to Ballantye. The German ship was, quite simply, "killed" as vengeance for her own destruction of HMS Hood a few days before the climactic battle. Every available British ship that could be spared converged upon the German battleship. She was hit by torpedoes fired from carrier-based Swordfish (biplanes. Biplanes!) and cruisers, and when her rudder was fatally hit, left to fend off the attacks of major warships intent upon avenging the loss of the 1,415 comrades who died when the Hood self-destructed.
Ballantyne is an interesting writer, and has definite attitudes: the British seaman is plucky and honorable, Winston Churchill was a general pain in the plucky, honorable seaman's nether parts through his inveterate meddling, and war is hell. The last is fair warning. When battle is joined between Bismarck and her consort Prinz Eugen with the Hood and her +1 Prince of Wales, the writing gets as graphic as the first-hand accounts Ballantyne has mastered, and in many cases brought forward for the first time. The slaughter wreaked by explosions aboard ships is sickening. It reaches its height as the Bismarck is being killed --- shells blow groups of her sailors to smithereens as they make their way onto deck to try and abandon the burning hulk. Those in gun turrets are eviscerated. Bridge commands are hit on both sides (one of the most gruesome scenes in the movie, of a seaman at one end of a speaking tube to the bridge who watches blood drip down it and onto the white paper on his table, turns out to be factual). Ballantyne wants the reader to understand why this slaughter was necessary. He frequently comments that the attitudes seventy years on were not those of the British in 1941. In May, when the Bismarck broke free into the North Atlantic, the United States had not entered the war, and the United Kingdom was alone (the Soviet Union was still an official ally of Nazi Germany). The German battleship could literally have tipped the scales in the ferocious battle to starve Great Britain. And, as Ballantyne makes clear, nearly everyone on board Rodney and King George V had served with someone on the Hood or, in many cases, served on the flagship himself. The pursuit and killing of Bismarck was highly personal.
What struck me most while reading this book was the distance between the events depicted and 2016. While even in 1941 the ships of the World War I British fleet were obsolete without major modernization (which Depression-era budget cuts prevented for the Hood), these floating gun platforms required enormous manpower to staff. And the conditions aboard, while considerably better than those enjoyed by British sailors at, say, Trafalgar, were incredibly labor intensive and flat-out unpleasant. Ballantyne's descriptions of the travails of destroyers and cruisers on station in the ice fields of the North Atlantic is enough to make a confirmed landlubber out of this reader.
He discusses why Dorsetshire left the bulk of the Bismarck survivors in the water without apologies, although he does tell the incredible story of the British seamen who went into the sea to help the Germans up the ropes flung over Doresetshire's side. History is written by the winners, of course, and Ballantyne never apologizes for that, either. However, his compassion for the enormous suffering endured by Bismarck's crew during the ninety or so minutes it took for Rodney and King George V to reduce her to a sinking hulk is evident throughout the account.
Recommended for anyone interested in Bismarck because of Ballantyne's approach and the quality of his research: the list of sources and websites at the end is exhaustive.
Killing the Bismarck (excellent title) is only concerned with the British side. Despite a wealth of books on the sea combat, no one has really come at it as what it was, according to Ballantye. The German ship was, quite simply, "killed" as vengeance for her own destruction of HMS Hood a few days before the climactic battle. Every available British ship that could be spared converged upon the German battleship. She was hit by torpedoes fired from carrier-based Swordfish (biplanes. Biplanes!) and cruisers, and when her rudder was fatally hit, left to fend off the attacks of major warships intent upon avenging the loss of the 1,415 comrades who died when the Hood self-destructed.
Ballantyne is an interesting writer, and has definite attitudes: the British seaman is plucky and honorable, Winston Churchill was a general pain in the plucky, honorable seaman's nether parts through his inveterate meddling, and war is hell. The last is fair warning. When battle is joined between Bismarck and her consort Prinz Eugen with the Hood and her +1 Prince of Wales, the writing gets as graphic as the first-hand accounts Ballantyne has mastered, and in many cases brought forward for the first time. The slaughter wreaked by explosions aboard ships is sickening. It reaches its height as the Bismarck is being killed --- shells blow groups of her sailors to smithereens as they make their way onto deck to try and abandon the burning hulk. Those in gun turrets are eviscerated. Bridge commands are hit on both sides (one of the most gruesome scenes in the movie, of a seaman at one end of a speaking tube to the bridge who watches blood drip down it and onto the white paper on his table, turns out to be factual). Ballantyne wants the reader to understand why this slaughter was necessary. He frequently comments that the attitudes seventy years on were not those of the British in 1941. In May, when the Bismarck broke free into the North Atlantic, the United States had not entered the war, and the United Kingdom was alone (the Soviet Union was still an official ally of Nazi Germany). The German battleship could literally have tipped the scales in the ferocious battle to starve Great Britain. And, as Ballantyne makes clear, nearly everyone on board Rodney and King George V had served with someone on the Hood or, in many cases, served on the flagship himself. The pursuit and killing of Bismarck was highly personal.
What struck me most while reading this book was the distance between the events depicted and 2016. While even in 1941 the ships of the World War I British fleet were obsolete without major modernization (which Depression-era budget cuts prevented for the Hood), these floating gun platforms required enormous manpower to staff. And the conditions aboard, while considerably better than those enjoyed by British sailors at, say, Trafalgar, were incredibly labor intensive and flat-out unpleasant. Ballantyne's descriptions of the travails of destroyers and cruisers on station in the ice fields of the North Atlantic is enough to make a confirmed landlubber out of this reader.
He discusses why Dorsetshire left the bulk of the Bismarck survivors in the water without apologies, although he does tell the incredible story of the British seamen who went into the sea to help the Germans up the ropes flung over Doresetshire's side. History is written by the winners, of course, and Ballantyne never apologizes for that, either. However, his compassion for the enormous suffering endured by Bismarck's crew during the ninety or so minutes it took for Rodney and King George V to reduce her to a sinking hulk is evident throughout the account.
Recommended for anyone interested in Bismarck because of Ballantyne's approach and the quality of his research: the list of sources and websites at the end is exhaustive.
August 8, 2015
While the great struggle between the Royal Navy and the Bismarck is well-known, this book also reflects on the other ships who took part besides King George V and Rodney. Seen as a battle of revenge for the loss of the Hood,it was imperative for the Bismarck to be sunk. The damage caused by Prince of Wales, and Swordfish from the Ark Royal played a huge role in the sinking of the huge ship. Nearly 75 years after the battle, it is possible to appreciate the bravery on both sides. It is just regrettable that so many men had to die because of an egomaniac' s desire for world conquest.
April 26, 2019
Lacking some flavor.
The author set about retelling the oft told tale of the Bismarck/Prinz Eugen sortie, but his angle was to tell the story almost entirely from the RN's point of view. I found this angle to be severely limiting in appreciating the cat and mouse nature of the hunt for Bismarck as well as cutting out the German understanding of how they were supposed to carry out their sortie after Hood was sunk. While the author dives into a large number of mini biographies of crewmen aboard the various ships hunting Bismarck to give us the flavor of the day and their 'man on the street' eyeball view, there are so many of these presented in a short space as just to be name after name after name, until halfway through the book.
I did find the Denmark Straight engagement to be the high point of the book. Hood's abrupt demise is well told, and the 3 survivors' tales are presented well at this moment.
What really galled me was the author's insistence, time after time, of letting his feelings on the matter intrude forcefully into the text. It's a mix of 'they weren't really that good' and 'the Bismarck was actually a bad design' argument that is just cheer leading and a bit propagandist. How is a reader to come to any judgement about Bismarck possibly being a bad design when we know nothing about the ship's design because the author has restricted himself to the RN side of the story? How can we know if the German leadership was poor or good when we rarely get any insight into the command decisions from German sources?
The lengthy chapter near the end following Prince of Wales to Placentia Bay is just padding that is irrelevant to the story of Bismarck. It could be chopped entirely and you wouldn't notice any lack in the manuscript.
It feels to me the book, over 300 pages, is attempting to distract the reader from the single crucial fact of the entire hunt for Bismarck; without that one in a million Death Star like moment of the torpedo strike against the rudder of the German ship, Bismarck gets away to France and the Royal Navy is left looking stupid. It was just blind luck that permitted victory snatched from the jaws of defeat, and no smoke screen is thick enough (for me, at least) to disguise it. One on one, with her steering intact and gunnery radar, Bismarck was the equal or better of any RN battleship they could throw at her at that moment in 1941. And for some reason I can't understand, 70 plus years later, British historians are still struggling to promote the view that it was more than luck, or no luck at all; it was grit and determination and superior skill that prevailed over German amateurism.
All in all, readable, but not very good.
The author set about retelling the oft told tale of the Bismarck/Prinz Eugen sortie, but his angle was to tell the story almost entirely from the RN's point of view. I found this angle to be severely limiting in appreciating the cat and mouse nature of the hunt for Bismarck as well as cutting out the German understanding of how they were supposed to carry out their sortie after Hood was sunk. While the author dives into a large number of mini biographies of crewmen aboard the various ships hunting Bismarck to give us the flavor of the day and their 'man on the street' eyeball view, there are so many of these presented in a short space as just to be name after name after name, until halfway through the book.
I did find the Denmark Straight engagement to be the high point of the book. Hood's abrupt demise is well told, and the 3 survivors' tales are presented well at this moment.
What really galled me was the author's insistence, time after time, of letting his feelings on the matter intrude forcefully into the text. It's a mix of 'they weren't really that good' and 'the Bismarck was actually a bad design' argument that is just cheer leading and a bit propagandist. How is a reader to come to any judgement about Bismarck possibly being a bad design when we know nothing about the ship's design because the author has restricted himself to the RN side of the story? How can we know if the German leadership was poor or good when we rarely get any insight into the command decisions from German sources?
The lengthy chapter near the end following Prince of Wales to Placentia Bay is just padding that is irrelevant to the story of Bismarck. It could be chopped entirely and you wouldn't notice any lack in the manuscript.
It feels to me the book, over 300 pages, is attempting to distract the reader from the single crucial fact of the entire hunt for Bismarck; without that one in a million Death Star like moment of the torpedo strike against the rudder of the German ship, Bismarck gets away to France and the Royal Navy is left looking stupid. It was just blind luck that permitted victory snatched from the jaws of defeat, and no smoke screen is thick enough (for me, at least) to disguise it. One on one, with her steering intact and gunnery radar, Bismarck was the equal or better of any RN battleship they could throw at her at that moment in 1941. And for some reason I can't understand, 70 plus years later, British historians are still struggling to promote the view that it was more than luck, or no luck at all; it was grit and determination and superior skill that prevailed over German amateurism.
All in all, readable, but not very good.
August 27, 2023
"Pre svega, pre bitke obucite čisto donje rublje." Ima ovde interesantnih anegdota o životu mornara - o tome koliko te more kvasi na razaračima, koliko je ispod palubna mraka i koliko smrada na povraćanje.
Pre 2. svetskog rata, Kraljevska mornarica jeste bila najveća evropska pomorska sila, ali je počela opasno tehnološki da zaostaje. Ovo je najpre priča o ostarelom ponosu imperije (battlecruiser Hood), a nakon njegovog potapanja o lovu na dva sjajna broda uz pomoć kojih su Nemci želeli da preokrenu balans u Atlantiku: Tripic i Bizmark.
Pre 2. svetskog rata, Kraljevska mornarica jeste bila najveća evropska pomorska sila, ali je počela opasno tehnološki da zaostaje. Ovo je najpre priča o ostarelom ponosu imperije (battlecruiser Hood), a nakon njegovog potapanja o lovu na dva sjajna broda uz pomoć kojih su Nemci želeli da preokrenu balans u Atlantiku: Tripic i Bizmark.
May 7, 2024
I gave a 3 rating because the author spent so much time talking about what individuals said or felt at the time that it completely disrupted the flow and details of the battle. I don’t mind commentary or personal anecdotes to add color to the this amazing sea battle, but when there is too much it takes away from it. Saying that, the book did provide a lot of details about the whole event that really does a good job of explaining it. Note: the whole book is from the perspective of the British navy so if you are looking for a book that describes both sides….this is not it.
December 27, 2021
Killing the Bismarck appropriately started with the breakout of the Bismarck and the rapid and alarming sinking of the Hood, and ended with the meeting of Churchill and Roosevelt in Placentia Bay and the signing of the Atlantic Charter. The description of the delicate job of a shadowing cruiser was incredible. I had never thought about the difficulty of the job - a cruiser following a battleship around the Atlantic Ocean, trying to stay out of shell range while still maintaining contact, knowing the battleship could blow her out of the water should she come in range. Once the shadowing cruisers lost contact, it became obvious that in comparison to the Northern Atlantic, even the largest and fastest ships are small and slow and 1941 radar range is tiny.
The description of the final battle and the incredible resilience of the Bismarck was gripping. The Bismarck took hits from shells from Prince of Whales, torpedoes from Swordfish launched from Ark Royal, and heavy and sustained shelling from King George V, Rodney, Dorsetshire, and Norfolk, and still she wouldn’t sink. Archeological evidence indicates she was ultimately sunk by a combination of the damage sustained from British ships and aircraft and intentional scuttling by her own crew.
I appreciate the conclusion of this book looking forward to the ultimate fate of the Prince of Whales and Repulse. The 3 day effort to sink the Bismarck offered early lessons on the importance of naval air power. Without the torpedo hit from the carrier launched Swordfish, Bismarck almost certainly would have made it to the safety of France. Lessons on aircraft vs. battleship would be driven home more clearly only months later after Churchill made the decision to send two of his most powerful battleships into the heart of Japanese controlled waters and airspace without a supporting aircraft carrier, resulting in the loss of both.
The description of the final battle and the incredible resilience of the Bismarck was gripping. The Bismarck took hits from shells from Prince of Whales, torpedoes from Swordfish launched from Ark Royal, and heavy and sustained shelling from King George V, Rodney, Dorsetshire, and Norfolk, and still she wouldn’t sink. Archeological evidence indicates she was ultimately sunk by a combination of the damage sustained from British ships and aircraft and intentional scuttling by her own crew.
I appreciate the conclusion of this book looking forward to the ultimate fate of the Prince of Whales and Repulse. The 3 day effort to sink the Bismarck offered early lessons on the importance of naval air power. Without the torpedo hit from the carrier launched Swordfish, Bismarck almost certainly would have made it to the safety of France. Lessons on aircraft vs. battleship would be driven home more clearly only months later after Churchill made the decision to send two of his most powerful battleships into the heart of Japanese controlled waters and airspace without a supporting aircraft carrier, resulting in the loss of both.
August 16, 2018
I really wanted to like this book. I have always been interested in World War II books, and the Bismarck is not something I am more than generally familiar with. That being said, I can't really recommend it.
I was very interested on the British side and this was perfect for that. Except it reads less like a historical writing about what happened on the British side, and more some weird personal agenda. I think what threw me off was the forward where the author was really upset that there are die hard supporters of the Bismarck who thought well of the Germans.
I personally don't have a dog in that fight, but the anger and frustration the author had in the forward came through and made me feel less like this is an unbiased look at the British and more like he was trying to prove a point. I absolutely agree the British Navy, especially WWII and earlier was an incredible thing, but you could read the almost propaganda writing as it was.
That made the book hard. The stories were all over the battle, which I did partially expect considering you want to keep it interesting, but it became more of a historical novel and less of a historical documentary that I was hoping it would be. There was no detail on the command of the British forces and it really felt like it was missing a lot of things.
If you have read everything else about the Bismark, I would recommend it. I did give it three stars because it was written well. It was smooth, but just fluffy... too fluffy for me.
I was very interested on the British side and this was perfect for that. Except it reads less like a historical writing about what happened on the British side, and more some weird personal agenda. I think what threw me off was the forward where the author was really upset that there are die hard supporters of the Bismarck who thought well of the Germans.
I personally don't have a dog in that fight, but the anger and frustration the author had in the forward came through and made me feel less like this is an unbiased look at the British and more like he was trying to prove a point. I absolutely agree the British Navy, especially WWII and earlier was an incredible thing, but you could read the almost propaganda writing as it was.
That made the book hard. The stories were all over the battle, which I did partially expect considering you want to keep it interesting, but it became more of a historical novel and less of a historical documentary that I was hoping it would be. There was no detail on the command of the British forces and it really felt like it was missing a lot of things.
If you have read everything else about the Bismark, I would recommend it. I did give it three stars because it was written well. It was smooth, but just fluffy... too fluffy for me.
July 6, 2017
Ballantyne's work is unique in that it presents Operation Rheinübung entirely through the viewpoint of the British sailors and ships that opposed the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. The narrative is constructed from primary sources, and does a good job of reflecting on the true horror of modern warfare. Prior knowledge of this sortie is highly recommended to get the most out of this book.
July 5, 2016
Good, told the story well
Good read. Better illustrations of mentioned ships would help.
Ship destinies was good information. Would like to have seen more pictures & diagrams in reference section
Good read. Better illustrations of mentioned ships would help.
Ship destinies was good information. Would like to have seen more pictures & diagrams in reference section
August 8, 2017
I found the book a bit too one sided when recounting the horrors of naval warfare.
March 20, 2019
Definitely one of the best accounts of this important part of British World War Two naval history.
September 18, 2020
This book is about the week in May 1941 when the Nazi's greatest battleship escaped into the open Atlantic and the British pursuit to destroy the pride of the German Navy. The Bismarck had many advantages over its British adversary but its greatest advantage is that is was the latest in design and technology. The British Empire had the largest navy but many of the ships were 20 years old. Plus the newer designed ones did not possess the firepower of the Bismarck. But the British had the numbers and a desperate need to end this threat to England's existence.
Too many people fall in love with what the Bismarck was as a machine and pay little attention to what that machine stood for. IF unleashed onto the open sea it had the potential of changing the way the battle of the atlantic was being fought. An ultimate game changer. In the Battle of the Denmark Straits, west of Iceland, the Bismarck became the primary concern of the British government. In the battle, on the 5th volley fired from the Bismarck's huge guns, she destroyed the pride of the Royal Navy, what had been the largest most powerful battleship for over a decade between the wars, the HMS Hood, with one lucky shot. The Hood exploded and sank within seconds killing 1,415 sailors and leaving only 3 survivors. It is at this moment that the Bismarck becomes an obsession for Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, but more so the entire Royal Navy. The destruction was met with awe. One of the parts of Iain Ballantyne's book that is excellent was his point of view. He tells enough of the Bismarck to move the story but his entire focus is on the British side of the fight. The shock throughout the fleet, which by this point in the story has been set up nicely by the author, is felt. The other part of Ballantyne's book is that he does not tell the story through reflection whereby those recalling events put a more humane spin on it. We see much of the British fleet personnel wanting revenge, full of hate and wanting dead german sailors. This is an ugly side of war that gets ignored too much in retelling of the past.
Whereas the Bismarck got lucky so do the British. One swordfish bomber, no one is sure which one, launched its torpedo and struck a lucky hit in the weakest area of any ship, the stern. The destruction done to the rudder left the Bismarck stuck making circles and allowed the Royal Navy to catch up with it and at dawn the next morning destroy it. What would impress the British sailors was how much punishment the Bismarck took before being sunk by torpedoes. The big guns of the British battleships destroyed much of the deck of the ship and made the powerful Bismarck guns impotent very quickly. Ballantyne also quotes British veterans who recalled seeing German sailors trying to surrender only to be blown away by the next rounds from the big guns, an ugly side of the conflict.
The final chapter looks at what happened to the British ships involved in this great hunt. Many of the destroyers do not survive the war. It gets to a point where one wonders, with the ability of science to create destruction, can any ship really survive in a modern war? The science of destruction will always outpace the science of preservation so one wonders even today how safe are navy vessels, especially in times of changing technology. The Prince of Wales battleship has a most interesting point in history of this viewpoint. The Prince of Wales was the other battleship that accompanied the Hood into the Battle of Denmark Straits. After the Hood was sunk a shell killed much of the Prince of Wales' bridge crew. The ship hastily retreated not being able to damage the Bismarck anymore. The Prince of Wales would miss the destruction of the Bismarck as she headed in for repairs. Afterwards the great battleship was sent to Singapore to send a message that Japan should not attack. After Pearl Harbor the ship went out to sea looking to deal with the Japanese. She was attacked by 85 Japanese aircraft which eventually sunk her. The Prince of Wales was involved in the last artillery duel between battleships and then became the first battleship sunk in the open sea by aircraft.
This book was a good read and I appreciate the British perspective more than knowing what the Germans were doing.
Too many people fall in love with what the Bismarck was as a machine and pay little attention to what that machine stood for. IF unleashed onto the open sea it had the potential of changing the way the battle of the atlantic was being fought. An ultimate game changer. In the Battle of the Denmark Straits, west of Iceland, the Bismarck became the primary concern of the British government. In the battle, on the 5th volley fired from the Bismarck's huge guns, she destroyed the pride of the Royal Navy, what had been the largest most powerful battleship for over a decade between the wars, the HMS Hood, with one lucky shot. The Hood exploded and sank within seconds killing 1,415 sailors and leaving only 3 survivors. It is at this moment that the Bismarck becomes an obsession for Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, but more so the entire Royal Navy. The destruction was met with awe. One of the parts of Iain Ballantyne's book that is excellent was his point of view. He tells enough of the Bismarck to move the story but his entire focus is on the British side of the fight. The shock throughout the fleet, which by this point in the story has been set up nicely by the author, is felt. The other part of Ballantyne's book is that he does not tell the story through reflection whereby those recalling events put a more humane spin on it. We see much of the British fleet personnel wanting revenge, full of hate and wanting dead german sailors. This is an ugly side of war that gets ignored too much in retelling of the past.
Whereas the Bismarck got lucky so do the British. One swordfish bomber, no one is sure which one, launched its torpedo and struck a lucky hit in the weakest area of any ship, the stern. The destruction done to the rudder left the Bismarck stuck making circles and allowed the Royal Navy to catch up with it and at dawn the next morning destroy it. What would impress the British sailors was how much punishment the Bismarck took before being sunk by torpedoes. The big guns of the British battleships destroyed much of the deck of the ship and made the powerful Bismarck guns impotent very quickly. Ballantyne also quotes British veterans who recalled seeing German sailors trying to surrender only to be blown away by the next rounds from the big guns, an ugly side of the conflict.
The final chapter looks at what happened to the British ships involved in this great hunt. Many of the destroyers do not survive the war. It gets to a point where one wonders, with the ability of science to create destruction, can any ship really survive in a modern war? The science of destruction will always outpace the science of preservation so one wonders even today how safe are navy vessels, especially in times of changing technology. The Prince of Wales battleship has a most interesting point in history of this viewpoint. The Prince of Wales was the other battleship that accompanied the Hood into the Battle of Denmark Straits. After the Hood was sunk a shell killed much of the Prince of Wales' bridge crew. The ship hastily retreated not being able to damage the Bismarck anymore. The Prince of Wales would miss the destruction of the Bismarck as she headed in for repairs. Afterwards the great battleship was sent to Singapore to send a message that Japan should not attack. After Pearl Harbor the ship went out to sea looking to deal with the Japanese. She was attacked by 85 Japanese aircraft which eventually sunk her. The Prince of Wales was involved in the last artillery duel between battleships and then became the first battleship sunk in the open sea by aircraft.
This book was a good read and I appreciate the British perspective more than knowing what the Germans were doing.
January 25, 2017
This is the story of the early World War II episode in which the British fleet chased down and killed the powerful new German battleship Bismarck before it could be used as a commerce raider; a saga that only lasted a week, but during which both the British flagship HMS Hood and the Bismarck were destroyed. It is a story that has been told many times in many ways since the events occurred in May of 1941. This is a book that presents something that no previous account had: copious interviews with British sailors and aviators serving in the bulk of the fleet sent to take Bismarck down, from the often-overlooked battleship HMS Prince of Wales, badly damaged during the Hood sinking, to crew members of the surviving battleships, destroyers, and aircrews that engaged and sank the Bismarck. Most past survivors' stories, especially those from before the 2000s, had been framed in either a British or German nationalistic context parallel to their government's over-arching narrative of the incident and in a way that sought to play up glory over carnage.
In publishing this book, Ballantyne tells a much more complete and multidimensional story. The most effective theme pervasive throughout is that war creates cognitive dissonance between that which is needed to accomplish an objective and that which is needed to be a functional human. The British sailors all firmly believed that Bismarck had to be sunk because she was a symbol of the Nazi war machine, and because many of them wanted to avenge friends on the Hood. But they also respected the gallantry and dedication of the German sailors who resisted their bombardment against impossible odds, even as they fired the shells that killed many of them. The otherwise extremely militant captain of the ship credited with the final "kill", HMS Dorsetshire even sent out a cable saluting this gallantry afterward, which was suppressed by the Admiralty.
The other theme is that there aren't really winners in war: people just die. After chronicling what happened with the Bismarck episode, Ballantyne goes where most other authors telling this story do not: to highlight the horrible casualties inflicted to most of the victorious British ships that participated in the episode.
Those points aside, this book also makes clear several details potentially considered contentious or embarrassing that were missing from earlier accounts. There is the revelation that Winston Churchill believed the new King George V class battleships lacked critical firepower and was largely proven correct (Bismarck was largely brought down by the then-sixteen year old battleship HMS Rodney, which had much larger guns). There is also the revelation that in order to pretend to comply with international treaties, Bismarck, supposedly the mightiest battleship in the world, had been built to an even older design which resulted in her being a very ineffective ship when put into a situation when she could take damage, and contributing to its crew's extremely high death toll in the final action. He also speculates that the ship was almost certainly sunk by torpedoes, and that the common story that the Germans had successfully scuttled it first was fabricated by German survivors to protect nationalistic pride. Additionally, some long-simmering controversies, such as exactly who fired the torpedo that crippled the Bismarck's rudder, are finally explored in detail. Many of these points are not original (although they largely reference newer sources I had not read), but they are certainly intruiging compared to older accounts.
Ultimately, this is arguably the best book ever written on the Bismarck affair, at least from the British perspective. It replaces the excitement of some earlier accounts with more mature emotions of pride, remorse, horror, and human brotherhood, and its sourcing is exhaustive. Considering that almost every eyewitness involved in this action had passed away as of the 2014 revised edition, it is unlikely that a better book on the subject will ever be written. Therefore, I believe it is fair to consider it the last word on the subject. A must-buy for WWII naval history fans, and seriously worth a look if you have any interest whatsoever in the more mature and human aspects of the subject of war.
In publishing this book, Ballantyne tells a much more complete and multidimensional story. The most effective theme pervasive throughout is that war creates cognitive dissonance between that which is needed to accomplish an objective and that which is needed to be a functional human. The British sailors all firmly believed that Bismarck had to be sunk because she was a symbol of the Nazi war machine, and because many of them wanted to avenge friends on the Hood. But they also respected the gallantry and dedication of the German sailors who resisted their bombardment against impossible odds, even as they fired the shells that killed many of them. The otherwise extremely militant captain of the ship credited with the final "kill", HMS Dorsetshire even sent out a cable saluting this gallantry afterward, which was suppressed by the Admiralty.
The other theme is that there aren't really winners in war: people just die. After chronicling what happened with the Bismarck episode, Ballantyne goes where most other authors telling this story do not: to highlight the horrible casualties inflicted to most of the victorious British ships that participated in the episode.
Those points aside, this book also makes clear several details potentially considered contentious or embarrassing that were missing from earlier accounts. There is the revelation that Winston Churchill believed the new King George V class battleships lacked critical firepower and was largely proven correct (Bismarck was largely brought down by the then-sixteen year old battleship HMS Rodney, which had much larger guns). There is also the revelation that in order to pretend to comply with international treaties, Bismarck, supposedly the mightiest battleship in the world, had been built to an even older design which resulted in her being a very ineffective ship when put into a situation when she could take damage, and contributing to its crew's extremely high death toll in the final action. He also speculates that the ship was almost certainly sunk by torpedoes, and that the common story that the Germans had successfully scuttled it first was fabricated by German survivors to protect nationalistic pride. Additionally, some long-simmering controversies, such as exactly who fired the torpedo that crippled the Bismarck's rudder, are finally explored in detail. Many of these points are not original (although they largely reference newer sources I had not read), but they are certainly intruiging compared to older accounts.
Ultimately, this is arguably the best book ever written on the Bismarck affair, at least from the British perspective. It replaces the excitement of some earlier accounts with more mature emotions of pride, remorse, horror, and human brotherhood, and its sourcing is exhaustive. Considering that almost every eyewitness involved in this action had passed away as of the 2014 revised edition, it is unlikely that a better book on the subject will ever be written. Therefore, I believe it is fair to consider it the last word on the subject. A must-buy for WWII naval history fans, and seriously worth a look if you have any interest whatsoever in the more mature and human aspects of the subject of war.
January 13, 2019
Reader Harder Challenge 2019 (Book Published Before Jan 1 2019 w/less than 100 reviews)
(Audiobook) This book surprised me a little bit. It retells the saga of the Bismarck, one of the most famous naval aspects of World War II. The author recounts how the ship was built, how it slipped out into the Atlantic, how it managed to sink the pride of the British Navy, the famous, but flawed battle cruiser Hood, how a few biplanes launched torpedos that damaged its rudder, leading to its final battle against a combination of battleships and cruisers, to finally meet its end in the Atlantic. Yet, the author manages to make this well-worn tale engaging. He is upfront that he is mostly telling this saga from the point of the British Navy, with a few key inputs from the Germans.
What stood out to me was how the author managed to create a suspenseful tale. He is stating that he wants to create a sort of page-turner regarding this tale, and for the most part, he succeeds. I am familiar with the Bismarck tale, but there were aspects of the saga that I hadn’t heard before, so that really captured my interest. What was very interesting was how the author made a point to follow the stories of not only the Bismarck, but of the other ships involved in the chase. Some made history, such as the Prince of Wales, but others managed to end up in the scrap yard.
The narration of the audiobook is solid, and the material is easy to follow. However, I am surprised that the author doesn’t mention a lot about when the ship was found in 1989, aside from a line about how the ship didn’t look like it had been beaten up by the Rodney and the King George V, trying to give some credence to the German insistence that they scuttled the ship rather than the British sinking the ship. He does offer a tale of how former foes meet up in the 1970s in England and Germany to honor those killed in the Bismarck chase.
This book is a good read for those who want an overview of the Bismarck saga. It won’t cover everything, but it is a good starter for those with little knowledge. For those who know the story, there are plenty of insights and tales that haven’t previously been told, so there is something for everyone. Worth the time, either reading or listening.
(Audiobook) This book surprised me a little bit. It retells the saga of the Bismarck, one of the most famous naval aspects of World War II. The author recounts how the ship was built, how it slipped out into the Atlantic, how it managed to sink the pride of the British Navy, the famous, but flawed battle cruiser Hood, how a few biplanes launched torpedos that damaged its rudder, leading to its final battle against a combination of battleships and cruisers, to finally meet its end in the Atlantic. Yet, the author manages to make this well-worn tale engaging. He is upfront that he is mostly telling this saga from the point of the British Navy, with a few key inputs from the Germans.
What stood out to me was how the author managed to create a suspenseful tale. He is stating that he wants to create a sort of page-turner regarding this tale, and for the most part, he succeeds. I am familiar with the Bismarck tale, but there were aspects of the saga that I hadn’t heard before, so that really captured my interest. What was very interesting was how the author made a point to follow the stories of not only the Bismarck, but of the other ships involved in the chase. Some made history, such as the Prince of Wales, but others managed to end up in the scrap yard.
The narration of the audiobook is solid, and the material is easy to follow. However, I am surprised that the author doesn’t mention a lot about when the ship was found in 1989, aside from a line about how the ship didn’t look like it had been beaten up by the Rodney and the King George V, trying to give some credence to the German insistence that they scuttled the ship rather than the British sinking the ship. He does offer a tale of how former foes meet up in the 1970s in England and Germany to honor those killed in the Bismarck chase.
This book is a good read for those who want an overview of the Bismarck saga. It won’t cover everything, but it is a good starter for those with little knowledge. For those who know the story, there are plenty of insights and tales that haven’t previously been told, so there is something for everyone. Worth the time, either reading or listening.
October 4, 2019
A lot has been written about the RN hunt for the Bismarck, but it was superficial or extensively a German POV given the dynamic short life the battleship existed and her ability to temporarily avoid contact with her Royal Navy pursuers. When she did go into first combat with her foe it appeared lopsided given the destruction she wrought on the famed and considered most powerful warship afloat HMS Hood. When Bismarck finally did meet her demise she took overwhelming punishment primarily from HMS Rodney, the RNs most power warship on the hunt. All of this led to a legend that has placed historical focus on the dramatic Bismarck.
But Iain takes a different approach and looks at the hunt, and fight through the eyes of the men and women who tenaciously chased Bismarck. From the highest levels of strategy planning with the irascible bulldog that was PM Winston Churchill, with his anger, tenaciousness, and determination on display, to lower seaman standing watch in a destroyers for any sign of the elusive giant, to the pilots of the flimsy Swordfish torpedo bombers determined to find and gut their elusive pray, or the gunnery officer on the RN’s newest Battleship attempting to trade blows with the most powerful ship in the Kreigsmarine while dealing with brand-new temperamental and faulty machinery, Iain allows the reader to live the lives that combined to hunt down and kill Bismarck.
It was by know means a forgone conclusion that the RN would come out victorious, but after the lost, and painful sting of the loss of Hood everyone was determined to find and kill Bismarck no matter the cost, as the RN’s very reputation was now in question. And when the 2nd encounter happened you discover just how hard the Royal Navy was willing to go to ensure Bismarck never saw port again.
But Iain takes a different approach and looks at the hunt, and fight through the eyes of the men and women who tenaciously chased Bismarck. From the highest levels of strategy planning with the irascible bulldog that was PM Winston Churchill, with his anger, tenaciousness, and determination on display, to lower seaman standing watch in a destroyers for any sign of the elusive giant, to the pilots of the flimsy Swordfish torpedo bombers determined to find and gut their elusive pray, or the gunnery officer on the RN’s newest Battleship attempting to trade blows with the most powerful ship in the Kreigsmarine while dealing with brand-new temperamental and faulty machinery, Iain allows the reader to live the lives that combined to hunt down and kill Bismarck.
It was by know means a forgone conclusion that the RN would come out victorious, but after the lost, and painful sting of the loss of Hood everyone was determined to find and kill Bismarck no matter the cost, as the RN’s very reputation was now in question. And when the 2nd encounter happened you discover just how hard the Royal Navy was willing to go to ensure Bismarck never saw port again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2020
The battleship Bismarck and its sister ship Tirpitz were the largest battleships built by any European nation when they launched in 1939 and were commissioned in 1940. Most of the allied ships at that time were World War I era many of which were outdated and in need of updating. Killing the Bismarck: Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet by Iain Ballantyne tells the dramatic story of the attempts by the British navy to intercept and sink the Bismarck before it could bust out into the Atlantic and wreak havoc on allied shipping. During one of the first encounters the Bismarck sank the battle cruiser HMS Hood with only three survivors and severely damaged the HMS Prince of Wales which was forced to withdraw. This caused everyone in the British navy to want to avenge their fellow sailors who lost their lives. The rest of this well written book deals with the attempts to track the Bismarck and when spotted to attack and disable her, eventually sinking her. The author describes in riveting detail the action of modern warships slugging it out over some distances until one or the other is sunk or damaged and forced to withdraw. Because of the focus of the entire British navy to destroy the Bismarck, she had a very short life of less than a year before she was sunk. Most historians claim that the crew of Bismarck scuttled the severely damaged ship to prevent it from falling into allied hands. This author leaves open the idea that the damage inflicted by the British during the battle likely caused the sinking. If you are looking for an exciting blow by blow account of a fierce WWII naval battle, this is probably for you.
December 18, 2022
The book overall was great! My annoyance came from the authors inability to comply with his disclaimer in the introduction!
He makes it very clear in the introduction that his goal is to tell the story differently than previous history's have, meaning he is focusing solely on the British side and showing their perspective without the German side as it might ruin the suspense or take away from understanding the British mindset during the crisis.
I thought this was a fascinating idea, only he does it anyway! He talks about what the Bismark does to elude the British following Hood's destruction! Worst of all he gives quite a bit of detail on the mindset of the Bismarks crew once the battleships steering has been disabled.
This does precisely what he claims he wants to avoid by ruining the suspense of how the final battle plays out. I say this as someone who is very familiar with the Bismark story. Overall it's great but the author needs to stick to what he sets out to do!
He makes it very clear in the introduction that his goal is to tell the story differently than previous history's have, meaning he is focusing solely on the British side and showing their perspective without the German side as it might ruin the suspense or take away from understanding the British mindset during the crisis.
I thought this was a fascinating idea, only he does it anyway! He talks about what the Bismark does to elude the British following Hood's destruction! Worst of all he gives quite a bit of detail on the mindset of the Bismarks crew once the battleships steering has been disabled.
This does precisely what he claims he wants to avoid by ruining the suspense of how the final battle plays out. I say this as someone who is very familiar with the Bismark story. Overall it's great but the author needs to stick to what he sets out to do!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2018
This is perhaps one of the more over done events of the Second World War. It was one of the last significant Battleship actions in history. As such, there is amble literature. This work distinguishes itself by trying to tell only as much from the German side as absolutely necessary for the narrative, and to do as little discussion of politics and a host of other subjects as needed for clarity, and nothing more. Like so many modern authors, the author is trying to convey something of what it was like to experience the breakout and destruction of Bismarck from the perspective of the sailors and airmen who hunted down, and ultimately destroyed Bismarck. The author has succeeded admirably. I appreciate the authors description, which while clear as to the horrific nature of the spectacle, are not overly graphic.
December 3, 2019
When I was a kid my parents - including my WWII veteran Dad - took me to see the 1960 movie “Sink The Bismarck” and I was transfixed. But even then I knew the movie was drama, not history. This book did a lot to fill in the real story, if only from the British side.
It illustrates the valor that existed on both sides, as well as the brutality of war and the short-sightedness of such fights. After all, we’re all allies now, but a different outcome of the war, and specifically of this sea battle would have produced a much different and, I believe, much less satisfactory world.
As the U.S. currently toys with its own brand of fascist leadership, it might behoove us all to recall what our forbearers were fighting and dying for.
For that reason alone, it is a worthwhile read.
It illustrates the valor that existed on both sides, as well as the brutality of war and the short-sightedness of such fights. After all, we’re all allies now, but a different outcome of the war, and specifically of this sea battle would have produced a much different and, I believe, much less satisfactory world.
As the U.S. currently toys with its own brand of fascist leadership, it might behoove us all to recall what our forbearers were fighting and dying for.
For that reason alone, it is a worthwhile read.
December 7, 2022
While I appreciate the telling of this story from the British perspective, I take issue with two “errors” in this book. First, the author gives full credit to radio direction finding stations in Britain for locating the Bismarck, when in fact stations from the Federal Communications Commission’s Radio Intelligence Division captured the lines of bearing when Bismarck made a nearly 30 minute transmission following the sinking of the Hood. Second, the author states a British Catalina spotted the Bismarck, but failed to state it was flown by an American.
Both “errors” conveniently ignored the contributions made by Americans while making it appear as though the credit should be given to the British.
Both “errors” conveniently ignored the contributions made by Americans while making it appear as though the credit should be given to the British.
June 18, 2017
In depth perspective on the hunt and successful killing of the most infamous German warship
An excellent, but highly technical account of the hunt for and subsequent destruction of the most feared and hated German warship of all time. The details can get very time consuming; but the main chapters and the appendices are quite easy to read and understand.
The book does a good job of capturing the incredible need for the Royal Navy to bring the Bismarck to 'justice; not just for Britain's sake, but for the sake of the Western Democracies. It shattered the myth of the 'invincibility' of The Third Reich.
An excellent, but highly technical account of the hunt for and subsequent destruction of the most feared and hated German warship of all time. The details can get very time consuming; but the main chapters and the appendices are quite easy to read and understand.
The book does a good job of capturing the incredible need for the Royal Navy to bring the Bismarck to 'justice; not just for Britain's sake, but for the sake of the Western Democracies. It shattered the myth of the 'invincibility' of The Third Reich.
May 8, 2022
The author’s approach in placing the reader on-board the various ships and putting them in the mindset of the sailors adds greatly in engaging and gripping the reader. Clearly a well researched and thought-out book.
Alas, the narration of the audiobook was incredibly dull and counteracted the good work of the author. The choice of narrator was a poor one and I think it does the book a disservice. Microsoft Sam would have been a better choice. Comments from other reviewers regarding the narrator’s North American accent and pronunciations of Royal Navy terminology in the American manner are secondary, but do grate on the reader / listener. It has an unauthentic feel to it.
Alas, the narration of the audiobook was incredibly dull and counteracted the good work of the author. The choice of narrator was a poor one and I think it does the book a disservice. Microsoft Sam would have been a better choice. Comments from other reviewers regarding the narrator’s North American accent and pronunciations of Royal Navy terminology in the American manner are secondary, but do grate on the reader / listener. It has an unauthentic feel to it.
September 24, 2021
An engrossing tale of bravery and desperate courage- on both sides of the divide. This story has the doomed certainties of treatment of this subject that make its emotional impact so much greater. The first-hand accounts from both sides are harrowing and sad. If you want to read about the Battle of the Denmark Strait and a dark week in European history, this is the best book. Greek drama, and yet is played out for all the world to see in modern times. An epic of seafaring adventure set amid the cold and claustrophobic North Atlantic. there is great pathos in Ballantyne's t
February 7, 2019
This book principally covers the week when Bismarck and Prinz Eugen broke out of the Baltic into the Atlantic to get to Allied shipping. Bismarck sank HMS Hood and was then chased down by cruisers and battleships and torpedo planes of the Royal Navy. There are also preparatory sections on the types of ship and the pre-war building programmes, and some tragic history of what to some of the victorious ships later in the war. Good book, with a lot of first hand testimony from all ranks.
January 1, 2020
Book was an outstanding account of the sinking of the pride of the German Fleet. The only issue I had was in the beginning the author mentions the Bismarck had “murdered” people on ships it sunk, yet, the same tone was not mentioned of the British Navy who threw a lot of ordinance, personnel and resources to avenge the sinking of the HMS Hood. That is a minor point, but one I found a little off putting. Both countries were at war. Great account of the hunt and ultimate sinking. Well done
June 8, 2021
Ballantyne presents the great saga of the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck 80 years ago last month in a rich and detailed account. Drawing heavily on eyewitness accounts, he presents the saga from the perspective of Royal Navy crewmen on each and every ship that crossed paths with Bismarck: providing a rich, detailed, and nuanced depiction of the zeal and fervor with which the battleship was hunted following its destruction of HMS Hood during the Battle of the Denmark Strait.
March 13, 2017
Ballantyne does a truly superb job illustrating the British side of the Bismarck's famous voyage. His careful, detailed research helps you understand the loss of the fabled Hood and the mistakes made through Churchill's sometimes ham-handed interference. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in modern naval history or the thinking of sailors and their captains. Superb!!!!
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