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Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany’s Greatest Battleship Hardcover – June 9, 2009

by Niklas Zetterlling (Author)

81 customer reviews

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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. NIKLAS ZETTERLING, a researcher at the Swedish Defense College, is most recently co-author of The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East, 1944. Together with MICHAEL TAMELANDER, a part-time military author, they have written books about the battleship Tirpitz, the D-Day landings and the 1940 campaign in Norway.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

”... a very interesting and useful history …once you start… you will be very hard pressed to stop until the smoke has cleared and the ship is sunk.” (Internet Modeler)

“…unable to put it down…I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes the study of naval battles or just wants to read about an action-packed sea battle.” (IPMS)

“A fresh look at the life and death of the most famous German warship of World War II.” (NYMAS Review)

“…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)

“A fresh look at the life and death of the most famous German warship of World War II…a very good read…” (Strategy Page)

“essential background and new historical insights make otherwise inexplicable elements of the Bismarck story much clearer, without diminishing the drama of the epic sea chase and its vivid, human details.” (WORLD WAR II MAGAZINE)

"outstanding book about naval warfare…real time, you are there style that conveys all of the anxiety of actual combat at sea." (WWII History Magazine)

“A detailed account of one of the most dramatic events of the Second World War, including interviews with survivors” (Military History Monthly)

“…exciting story-telling. Besides recreating the thrill of the hunt and allowing the reader to trace the movements of both sides on easy to grasp maps and diagrams…presentation in vivid detail and captivating images of the final hours of the German battleship on the ninth day of its first and only combat mission. It is a terrifying tales and a striking reminder of how impersonal, cruel and unforgiving modern military engagements have become... well crafted epilogue to one of World War II’s most notorious naval engagements.” (International Journal of Maritime History)

About the Author

Niklas Zetterling is a military historian and researcher at the Swedish Defense College. His previous books include Bismarck, The Korsun Pocket, and The Drive on Moscow, 1941.

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Casemate Publishers; First American edition (May 26, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935149040
ISBN-13: 978-1935149040
Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6.2 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
Average Customer Review: 81 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #847,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #669 in Books > History > Military > Vehicles
- #1901 in Books > History > Military > Naval
- #2808 in Books > History > Europe > Germany

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Top customer reviews

Very informative

ByBotnik Rolleron June 18, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Without boring you to death with technical details, this book will give at least all the basic facts about this unbeliavable chase and unequal battle between dozens of ships (and airplanes!) against one German ship (even being a very powerful one).

It is a fast read, breathtaking and despairing at the same time.

However, there are indeed various typo errors. Also, a new world record for the use of the word "unfortunately" beginning a sentence must have been set in this book!

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Fascinating rough draft awaits final edit!

Bymeyestoneon March 7, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

(Review is of the Kindle edition) I have to agree with others that this is a fascinating story, and the author has clearly done his homework to assemble credible courses and to think through the events in a way that I found compelling - I really could not put this down.

At the same time, the book is more of a rough author's draft than a product ready to be published! It's repetitive; individuals are referred to repeatedly and only much later introduced; and, it's riddled with spelling and grammatical errors (some bad enough to make the meaning of sentences unclear.) On my Kindle (even when using the Kindle computer reading apps, so I could have the big screen) the various maps are pretty much illegible.

The book needs a good edit to be a great book. But, as I say, I still could not stop reading this compelling story, and I feel I understand what happened much better.

One substantive criticism is that there is little mention of some of the controversies about the sinking - in particular, whether it was scuttled or sunk by Allied action.

One other thing - the Bismarck was subsequently located on the ocean floor, which would, one might think, be worth at least a post-scriptural mention!

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Good Account; Numerous Errors are difficult to overlook

Bya_wienkeon February 15, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I must preface this review by saying that I am by no means an expert of the German Navy in World War II. I have read several accounts of the Bismarck that focused solely on 14FEB1939 and 19-27MAY1941. This book gives a good overall account. As other reviews have stated, this work draws heavily on Mullenheim-Rechberg's memoir (which I have yet to read). The authors do a good job placing the mission of the Bismarck in the context of the Kriegsmarine's overall strategy for naval warfare concerning surface ships.

The main drawbacks of the book are the numerous editing and proofreading mistakes. The main drawback--I was willing to overlook the grammatical errors with some effort--was that the footnotes in the back of the book do not match up with the ones in the text. They are off by one. This caused some confusion at first, as the first footnote does not seem to have a place in the text. The footnote was interesting, and I would have liked to see how it matched up within the main text.

If one is willing to overlook these moderately serious shortcomings, the main text and the explanation of Cruiser Warfare and what the Germans were hoping to accomplish are quite interesting.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A good reading for the naval enthusiast

ByAlberto R.C.on August 12, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

There must be hundreds of books, TV shows, and magazine articles dedicated to the sinking of the Bismarck therefore it may be difficult to find anything new on any work about this battleship. Nevertheless it is a good reading for the naval enthusiast. The book beginds with a brief history of the battleship including of course the Dreadnought era. The central characters are the commanders of both the German and the English squadrons, Churchill makes only a brief appearance here therefore this is a book about ships, naval strategy and naval commanders and does not mess much with the politics nor the politicians from both sides.
The Kindle version has several typos and minor editorial flaws that should be corrected, the maps aren't a great deal either but you must have into account that this is not a book that should valued by its graphic content but by its narrative.

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"Bismarck, the final days..." Hardcover edition.

ByAlberto Bassion October 20, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A good book which could have been better.

I like how the authors include an account of Operation "Berlin" before getting into Operation "Rheinübung," thus enlightening the reader regarding how alert the British were when the Bismarck sailed out. I like, as well, the good amount of first hand accounts from survivors. I have to mention though, the book does not present much new material, unless of course the reader is new to the subject. The accounts of "cat and mouse" situations are too long in my opinion, sometimes making the reading repetitive and loose momentum. I was expecting more material on how life was on board the Bismarck, her construction; armament; power plant, etc; but on this the book has little. There is little as well of the new material collected by research after the wreck was discovered and investigated in recent years.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Arrogance brings and end to the battleship era.

ByDr Lawrence Manglitzon August 26, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The research reflected in this works is amazing. The book moves the Bismarck from departure to the dramatic explosions that doomed her. The character of the officers and sailors powerful. The intelligent mind of the admiral is undone by his arrogance and failure to listen to the captain.

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Engaging story worth reading

Bysilmarillion August 20, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The author had done quite a thorough research to put this engaging historical event together. I haven't read any other account on the sinking of the Bismarck therefore I can not comment on this book's accuracy. However I can see it's adequately referenced which enables curious readers to conduct their own research / verification if they wish.
The book contains numerous typos and would require some professional editing and proofreading. However I don't find these things are significant enough to put me off reading.
I wish the author have spent a little bit more time on developing his characters. Sometimes people just jump in without introduction. Afterall, the battlecruiser was only a pile of metal without its commander and all the officers and seamen lived and died with it.
The maps on Kindle are unreadable, might be better to get a paperback.