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Killing the Bismarck: Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet

In May 1941 the German battleshipBismarck, accompanied by heavy cruiserPrinz Eugen, broke out into the Atlantic to attack Allied shipping. The Royal Navy's pursuit and subsequent destruction of theBismarckwas 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 eyewitness 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, shadowing theBismarckin the icy Denmark Strait. We witness the shocking destruction of the British battle cruiser HMSHood, in which all but three of her ship's complement were killed, an event that fueled pursuing Royal Navy warships, including the battered battleshipPrince of Wales, with a thirst for revenge. WhileSwordfishtorpedo bombers try desperately to cripple theBismarck, we sail in destroyers on their own daring torpedo attacks, battling mountainous seas. Finally the author takes us into the last showdown, as battleshipsRodneyandKing George V, supported by cruisersNorfolkandDorsetshire, 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 Bismarckis an outstanding book, conveying the horror and majesty of war at sea in all its cold brutality and awesome power.Read more

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