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.
