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Review
`This well written and absorbing book clearly illustrates home truths about war at sea. I commend it to you.' --From the Foreword to Killing the Bismarck by Admiral Sir Jonathon Band GCB Former First Sea Lord & Chief of Naval Staff
`Iain Ballantyne plunges you into the thick of the action. Lashed by salt spray, deafened by roaring guns and choked by cordite smoke, the sheer intensity of the battle scenes leaves you shell-shocked. Even so, you dare not put the book down. Killing the Bismarck does not release its grip until a final, macabre twist. This book surely confirms Iain Ballantyne's position in the front rank of contemporary naval historians.' --Captain John Roberts, MBE, Royal Navy, author of Safeguarding the Nation, the story of the modern Royal Navy.
Iain Ballantyne plunges you into the thick of the action. Lashed by salt spray, deafened by roaring guns and choked by cordite smoke, the sheer intensity of the battle scenes leaves you shell-shocked. Even so, you dare not put the book down. Killing the Bismarck does not release its grip until a final, macabre twist. This book surely confirms Iain Ballantyne's position in the front rank of contemporary naval historians.' --Captain John Roberts, MBE, Royal Navy, author of Safeguarding the Nation, the story of the modern Royal Navy.
'I have just finished reading Iain Ballantyne's magnum opus - an aphorism I use entirely without irony, for `Killing the Bismarck' is a truly towering work. It will surely become - indeed I imagine it is already - a `must read' for any future historian looking at these dramatic and terrible events. In `Killing the Bismarck' the author superbly combines a literally blow-by-blow account of the campaign to destroy a Nazi battleship, with intensely human accounts from those who took part. He has left no stone unturned, no story untold, in his exposition of those vital days. Iain Ballantyne has also deftly placed the destruction of Bismarck in the wider context of the war as a whole, and its crucial importance, revealed as much implicitly through his account of the steely determination displayed by the Royal Navy.' --Rob White, award-winning documentary film-maker, whose notable works include the remarkable `The Battle of Hood and Bismarck'.
`Iain Ballantyne plunges you into the thick of the action. Lashed by salt spray, deafened by roaring guns and choked by cordite smoke, the sheer intensity of the battle scenes leaves you shell-shocked. Even so, you dare not put the book down. Killing the Bismarck does not release its grip until a final, macabre twist. This book surely confirms Iain Ballantyne's position in the front rank of contemporary naval historians.' --Captain John Roberts, MBE, Royal Navy, author of Safeguarding the Nation, the story of the modern Royal Navy.
Iain Ballantyne plunges you into the thick of the action. Lashed by salt spray, deafened by roaring guns and choked by cordite smoke, the sheer intensity of the battle scenes leaves you shell-shocked. Even so, you dare not put the book down. Killing the Bismarck does not release its grip until a final, macabre twist. This book surely confirms Iain Ballantyne's position in the front rank of contemporary naval historians.' --Captain John Roberts, MBE, Royal Navy, author of Safeguarding the Nation, the story of the modern Royal Navy.
'I have just finished reading Iain Ballantyne's magnum opus - an aphorism I use entirely without irony, for `Killing the Bismarck' is a truly towering work. It will surely become - indeed I imagine it is already - a `must read' for any future historian looking at these dramatic and terrible events. In `Killing the Bismarck' the author superbly combines a literally blow-by-blow account of the campaign to destroy a Nazi battleship, with intensely human accounts from those who took part. He has left no stone unturned, no story untold, in his exposition of those vital days. Iain Ballantyne has also deftly placed the destruction of Bismarck in the wider context of the war as a whole, and its crucial importance, revealed as much implicitly through his account of the steely determination displayed by the Royal Navy.' --Rob White, award-winning documentary film-maker, whose notable works include the remarkable `The Battle of Hood and Bismarck'.
Product Description
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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an outstanding addition to naval history.Other books about the Bismarck have tended to focus on the political/strategic aspects of the chase and eventual destruction of this mighty vessel, giving prominence to the senior officers involved. This book tells the story through the eyes and ears of those officers and sailors further down the pecking order located below decks or in a gun turret. It draws extensively on the memories and words of those who participated and and captures the extraordinary way that the heat of action overtook their senses to the extent that, against all the odds of normal common sense, ordinary sailors continued to function normally in the midst of death and destruction all round them. The book also captures the driving force that revenge for the loss of HMS Hood played and which imbued everyone from top to bottom both ashore and afloat. Lastly it poses answers to some interesting questions that are still discussed - and disputed - today. Above all the book is an excitingly good read which I finished in a few days always reluctant to put it down lest I lost the gripping sense of atmosphere that pervades every page.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I did enjoy this account of Bismarck's one operational foray into the Atlantic it is well written and reads well , the sources are well documented and linked to the text and the illustrations are very good - sharp clear and have been well chosen.
The quality of production very good good quality paper and the font size is easy on the eye.
There are a few things which did not appeal , the maps are quite poor and are too small appearing in the appendices , they would have been better located in the relevant chapters - larger clearer would have been better.
How does the author give his account - very well in particular how he tells of the loss of Hood and the sinking of Bismarck.
The myths of the Bismarck - these could by and large have been addressed (IMO) within the main text of the book and the "Dark Secret" of the Royal Navy does not really work for me.
A good account of her career and the circumstances of her loss .
The quality of production very good good quality paper and the font size is easy on the eye.
There are a few things which did not appeal , the maps are quite poor and are too small appearing in the appendices , they would have been better located in the relevant chapters - larger clearer would have been better.
How does the author give his account - very well in particular how he tells of the loss of Hood and the sinking of Bismarck.
The myths of the Bismarck - these could by and large have been addressed (IMO) within the main text of the book and the "Dark Secret" of the Royal Navy does not really work for me.
A good account of her career and the circumstances of her loss .
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Top marks for a well researched and enthralling book. Very well written and easy to read as the sequence of events and important backround info is so well put together. Many less well known elements of the operation are included in the chapters plus aspects of great interest appear in the appendices. In these respects the choice of what went where is spot on as otherwise some aspects would have interupted the flow of events. Having read a number of books on the subject over the years this, (to me), stands out head and shoulders above, so unsurprisingly I highly recommend it. A set of well printed photos is included and the general quality of the entire book is excellent.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Death of a battleship
A good read but not the best. it dispelled the myth of the "mighty Hood" and showed the damage caused by the Prince of Wales. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. P. G. Aylott
Excellent - Reads like a novel
I would really recommend this book - it combines excellent detail from the British side and combines it with the stories of the men who were there. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Sparky
Killing the Bismarck -My opinion
Excellent, well written and very informative. I couldn't put it down. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject. Well worth the money....
Published 19 months ago by Steve
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