This is an enlightening account of the Bismarck action that concentrates on the human aspect of an event that can turn into a technological tale. Author Iain Ballantyne delivers an emotional book filled with personal testimony from both historic and modern sources. The book takes on the Bismarck operation from the Royal Navy's perspective; there is minimal coverage from the German side that is present mainly to clarify the British view. The author presents technical information about ships, weapons, and tactics only as much as is needed to make the narrative easier to understand.

In his 320 pages, author Ballantyne unfolds the story of the Bismarck episode in 24 chapters. Starting with a forward by former First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, Ballantyne begins the narrative that focuses on HMS Prince of Wales (perceived as a jinxed ship) just prior to the engagement in the Denmark Strait. What follows in the subsequent chapters laid out chronologically, starting with the German battleship's design and construction, a ship seemingly aimed at disputing the Royal Navy's dominance of European waters.

The Bismarck chase really begins in Chapter 3 ("Storm Tossed Sentinels"), which outlines the Royal Navy's activities anticipating Bismarck's foray into the Atlantic. Chapters 4-8 detail the Denmark Strait action, culminating in the loss of HMS Hood. Ballantyne's narrative preserves the anticipation, anxiety, and confidence of the various ships' crews as they position their vessels to engage the German battleship and its cruiser consort. Ballantyne also highlights the concern of the Royal Navy's leadership as its interwar symbol of power, the battlecruiser HMS Hood, moved to engage the Germans with known vulnerabilities in its material condition and armor protection.

After Chapter 8, the tone of the story changes. The shock of Hood's loss after such a brief engagement affected Britons from Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the lowliest ordinary seaman--I don't think even the loss of USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor affected Americans in the same way. So Chapters 9-22 are all about the emotional chase and destruction of the Bismarck at the hands of a frustrated, tired, and emotionally spent group of ships from every source the Royal Navy could muster. Ships that should not have been allowed to leave port (the refit-bound HMS Rodney, for example) or had important missions elsewhere (like Somerville's Force H) gathered to prevent the Bismarck from reaching any port. Ballantyne reminds his readers of the sheer horror of naval combat during the Bismarck's final hours, where the British warships closed to point-blank range in a frustrating effort to sink the German ship before everyone ran out of fuel. The fact that Churchill was willing to let the Home Fleet flagship, HMS King George V, empty her fuel tanks to drift helpless in mid-ocean to complete Bismarck's destruction speaks volumes about the emotions of the moment.

"Killing the Bismarck" is a fast-paced read because of its focus on the people that crew the Royal Navy's ships. He captures accurately the savage and relentless effect of combat between large surface ships--something the vast majority of Ballantyne's readers have no clue about. This book is an important read that provides significant insight into the British perspective of the Bismarck operation. I highly recommend this book to naval historians and those students of war and modern culture. ( )

Killing the Bismarck, another great history by Iain Ballantyne, takes us through the horrifying, yet exciting time when the entire world watched a naval hunt with incredible anticipation. Bismarck was the pride of Germany’s new navy and well she should be. At the time, the most modern and deadly battleship afloat, the devastation this ship, along with her smaller sister, Prinz Eugen, could have wrought on North Atlantic convoys had they broken out was incalculable.

Winston Churchill ordered the German dreadnought destroyed—at ANY cost. HMS Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy, would pay that cost first, with the loss of nearly her entire crew save three.

Ballantyne takes us through the at times frustrating hunt for Bismarck and as he does in his book, Warspite, shows us that there are a great many details of this story most of us are unaware of.

Having read more than a few books about this very subject, I was (once again) surprised by how much I don’t know. If you have even a passing interest in naval or military history in general, you will want to acquire this book. Frankly, if you just love a great chase, this is one of the best.

www.daniellittle.com ( )

A gripping account of the chase and final destruction of the Bismarck.

Told from the view of the officers and men of the Royal Navy this book gave more insight into the stresses of naval warfare than other books I have read on the subject mainly due to extensive use of first hand accounts.

To paraphrase Wellington "a damn close run thing". Bismarck almost escaped following some navigational screw ups by the RN, but it was a single hit on her steering from an air launched torpedo that had her turning in circles awaiting her doom at the hands of the Home Fleet.


Highly recommended for anyone interested on WW2 naval history. ( )