The Bismarck Episode

by Russell Grenfell

"Captain Grenfell has both the background and literary ability to bring the whole dramatic story brilliantly alive.” — San Francisco Chronicle “A remarkably lucid account.” — Time Magazine “Thoroughly rewarding.” — New York Times “Full of dramatic interest.” — Times Literary Supplement The British Navy’s sinking of a notorious symbol of Nazi Germany, the battleship Bismarck, in May 1941 ranks as one of the most significant victories of the Second World War. It was imperative that Britain find and destroy the Bismarck, a true threat to Britain’s ocean lifeline, before it could escape into the Atlantic. In The Bismarck Episode a veteran naval writer tells the intense and dramatic story of how the battleship was discovered, pursued, and ultimately destroyed.

Genres: History, Military History, Military Fiction, World War II, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1948

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not an easy book to read as it is extremely detailed about every move made by the British Home Fleet as they search for and sink the Bismarck. It begins when a large German ship is sighted, by British aircraft, off the coast of Denmark and the Admiralty must determine if it is actually the Bismarck. And if it is the Bismarck, where is she going? The author, a Captain in the RN, had access to the Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Tovey, who provided him with an eye witness account of the complete operation from beginning to end. The use of nautical terms can be disconcerting for the layman and this tends to slow down the narrative. But it is a fascinating tale of a chess game upon the high seas as each side must try to outguess the other. The loss of the HMS Hood in the first encounter with the Bismarck was a major tragedy for the Royal Navy and heightened their determination to find and sink her. I would recommend this book only to those who are familiar with or interested in naval history; otherwise it can be a difficult read.

[Rick B.H. Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hunt for the Bismarck. The tactics and methods used to follow the Bismarck by the British. Gives a good understanding of the ups and downs of tracking the Bismarck until the time was right to sink her.

[Tim Richman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who knows a little about the hunt for the Bismarck, I was pleasantly surprised by this account, originally written in 1948 “while memories of the operation were still fresh”. The narrative was livelier than I’d expected and, while there was very little from the perspective of the aircraft carriers or the Swordfish flyers, there was plenty of interesting detail to be found in the challenge of locating and shadowing the Bismarck, notably onboard the Suffolk and Norfolk.
Trailing their fearsome quarry down the Denmark Strait, the former had a more sophisticated radar system, thus she could reliably keep her distance in the clear air of the Bismarck’s starboard quarter, while the Norfolk was obliged to stay on her port quarter near the safety of an entrenched mist bank along the east of the strait into which she could flee if she suddenly found herself in range of the German guns.
At one point, the Suffolk detects the Bismarck’s sudden change in course back towards her and turns sharply to escape, making smoke from her funnel to lay a protective screen once the German beast starts firing on her. As she turns away she opens fire in return:

“[H]er guns came round more and more on to an after bearing until the foremost turrets at high elevation had their muzzles pointing unpleasantly close to the bridge. As one of their salvoes went off there was a crash of glass as all the bridge windows were blown in. Since there were no wind baffles nor other weather protection once the windows had gone, the Captain and others of the bridge personnel soon began to feel the effects of exposure to the bitter wind that was now sweeping unimpeded through the bridge.”

The poor bastards then had to continue their pursuit of the monster battleship while exposed to the elements of the North Atlantic, all on minimal sleep. Later, in the final battle with the Bismarck, the Rodney did similar, when the shockwave of its even bigger 16-inch guns also blew out the bridge windows.
By the time I was finished reading The Bismarck Episode, I was convinced this story would make a brilliant four- or five-part mini-series, along the lines of Band of Brothers or Masters of the Air, with each episode providing a different perspective of the pursuit of the Bismarck: German and British Admiralty, the shadowing cruisers, the gunnery crews on the British and German battleships, the aircraft carriers and Fairy Swordfish pilots, and so on. I’d watch that!

[Trilby · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not a very exciting narrative of the battles, this is a well-researched history of the British Navy's chase of the Bismarck after she escaped into the North Atlantic. The book was published in 1948, so the memory of the incident was fresh in the minds of the many participants Grenfell interviewed. Much of the narrative is devoted to the strategy and consideration of various moves as the action unfolded. Admittedly, I skipped over much of the "what-if" discussion of the participants.

I loved the little stories embedded in the narrative, for instance, the one about the captain of one the cruisers shadowing the Bismarck in the Denmark Strait. Remembering "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," he refused to allow crew members to shoot a goose who had dropped out of a flock to fly with the ship.

I was very impressed with the skill, dedication, and perseverance of the officers and crews of the ships and aircraft that chased down the Bismarck and sank her. They kept on through gale force winds, heavy seas and squalls, losing amazingly few craft and personnel after the sinking of the Hood in the first battle of the chase. I've seen what gale force winds do to Lake Superior, and I can't image managing a chase through a storm, sending out aircraft from carriers when the stern was rising and falling 50 feet in the swells.

The British Navy undoubtedly had the most experience of any in the world at that time. They certainly had an incredible fighting spirit, changing the course of the war during a very dark hour for the Allies.

[Veronica M. Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, if a bit dry

If you don't know anything about the Bismark or this particular part of the second World War then I would give this a read. It is a well-written account of this battle, which has a legacy that is impossible to deny. The writing is a bit dry a d the author doesn't go into much detail about certain hardware or anything, but it is a nice overall view without getting bogged down with details.

[OLIVER BRAIME · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absorbing Detailed & Researched Account around the Sinking of the Bismark

Seemingly well researched history but sometimes difficult to distinguish fact from the author’s personal interpretation. Nevertheless very absorbing account of a complex & major team effort in finally achieving a major success in overcoming what would otherwise have been a major morale boost for Germany and posed a major threat to UK merchant shipping.

[Pat Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hunt for the Bismarck

Good read historical account of the search for the Bismarck . The hide and tactics the British used to hide from and track the Bismarck

[Gerry Boocock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed

The Author definitely did his research. He made you feel you were there. Great detail. A great moment in history.

[Paul A Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent detailed account account and gives a reasonably in depth discussion so a quite thoughtful read,not a quck novel

[don watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot Pursuit

Could not put the book down, such drama. What a sad loss of life on both sides. Just the start of the terrible losses.