Battleships of the Bismarck Class: Bismarck and Tirpitz : Culmination and Finale of German Battleship Construction [Hardcover]

Bernard Koop (Author), Klaus-Peter Schmolke (Author), Geoffrey Brooks (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

The Bismarck and the Tirpitz were the German Navy's most formidable, and most famous, warships of World War II. Each was superbly equipped and carried the highly effective armament of eight 15in guns. Not only did they pose a very real danger to the ships of the Royal Navy, but they were also a serious threat to Britain's transatlantic trade. This reference book traces the development of the class from inception to destruction and provides detailed technical specifications for the ships with notes on design and layout. The 'ships' careers and service histories are also described. With over 180 contemporary photographs of the ships and the sailors who served on board as well as plans, maps and camouflage drawings, this lavishly illustrated book is a complete and indispensable guide to two extraordinary warships.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 159 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557500495
• ISBN-13: 978-1557500496
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,579,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best review on the Bismarck Class., June 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Battleships of the Bismarck Class: Bismarck and Tirpitz : Culmination and Finale of German Battleship Construction (Hardcover)

This book adds very little by way of new knowledge to the existing information that is available on the Bismarck Class in a variety of other texts. The fine photographs are the text's main plus, although the diagrams and internal schematics are too small to be of much use. The design criteria and historical context discussion, what little there is, reflects some degree of revisionism via its use of often observed critisms of the Bismarck Class' design vs those used by other powers during WWII. Nonetheless, this discussion is not well detailed with regard to a host of specifics, most notably a detailed review of the ship's immune zones vs certain shells at specified ranges. All and all, some fine photography, but very little new information.