After the Royal Navy’s bloody high seas campaign to kill the mighty Bismarck, the Allies were left with an uncomfortable truth—the German behemoth had a twin sister. Slightly larger than her sibling, the Tirpitz was equally capable of destroying any other battleship afloat, as well as wreak havoc on Allied troop and supply convoys. For the next three and a half years the Allies launched a variety of attacks to remove Germany’s last serious surface threat. “A thorough treatment, including material from interviews with survivors of their sinkings and the impact they had on the naval war in the Atlantic."—Seapower "The authors have woven Tirpitz's story quite well, and in doing so explain the strategic implications and dramatic battles surrounding the super battleship. Their book is an excellent study of an aspect of naval strategy the Germans used with such aplomb . . . a welcome addition to my library."—Naval Historical Foundation Table of Contents Preface Prologue Nordmeer “A Wonderful Opportunity” The War at Sea—The Initial Years New Weapons, Indirect Strategies Operation Chariot The Arctic Convoys PQ15 and PQ16 Prelude to Operation Rösselsprung PQ17—The Tragedy “Convoy is to Scatter” Operation Title—The Human Torpedos Wunderland PQ18—The Battling Convoy Shetlands-Larsen and the Fishing Boat “Have you any use for peats?” The Shifting Balance The Midget Submarines Sizilien—The One Offensive Operation Source Begins Ostfront Tungsten The Russian Adventure Operation Obviate Catechism The Tirpitz Sinks The Tirpitz and the War in the Arctic Notes Archival Records Published Sources

Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany's Last Super Battleship

History

Zetterling, Niklas

Tamelander, Michael

Europe

Casemate

A gripping tale of heroism —and doom—on the high seas . . . The sinking of the German battleship Bismarck—a masterpiece of engineering, well-armored with a main artillery of eight 15-inch guns—was one of the most dramatic events of World War II. She left the port of Gotenhafen for her first operation on the night of 18 May 1941, yet was almost immediately discovered by Norwegian resistance and Allied air reconnaissance. British battlecruiser Hood was quickly dispatched from Scapa Flow to intercept the Bismarck, together with new battleship Prince of Wales. They were ordered to find the ship quickly because, on their way from the USA, several large convoys were heading for Britain. On 24 May, Bismarck was found off the coast of Greenland, but the ensuing battle was disastrous for the British. The Hood was totally destroyed within minutes (only 3 crewmen surviving), and Prince of Wales was badly damaged. The chase resumed until the German behemoth was finally caught, this time by four British capital ships supported by torpedo-bombers from the carrier Ark Royal. The icy North Atlantic roiled from the crash of shellfire and bursting explosions until finally the Bismarck collapsed, sending nearly 2,000 German sailors to a watery grave. Tamelander and Zetterling’s work rests on stories from survivors and the latest historical discoveries. The book starts with a thorough account of maritime developments from 1871 up to the era of the giant battleship, and ends with a vivid account, hour by hour, of the dramatic and fateful hunt for the mighty Bismarck, Nazi-Germany’s last hope to pose a powerful surface threat to Allied convoys. Table of Contents Foreword Prologue Part 1 1 Lessons from Previous Wars 2 The First Attempt 3 Preparations 4 Cruiser Warfare 5 ‘Now you pretend to be dead’ 6 ‘For the first time in history…’ 7 Operation Berlin 8 Rheinübung 9 The Home Fleet 10 The Visit Part 2 11 Departure 12 Bunkering in Norway? 13 Holland and Tovey Put to Sea 14 Break-out 15 Pursued 16 Collision Course 17 Battle in the Denmark Strait 18 ‘Roll out the barrel!’ 19 Farewell, Bismarck! 20 Air Attack 21 ‘Have lost contact with the enemy’ 22 A Mysterious Signal 23 ‘Battleship sighted’ 24 The Second Air Attack 25 One in a Hundred Thousand Part 3 26 The Last Night 27 The Last Battle 28 The End 29 Epilogue Notes Index

Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany’s Greatest Battleship

Casemate Publishers

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