TARGET TIRPITZ by Patrick Bishop
X-craft, Agents, and Dambusters -
The Epic Quest to Destroy Hitler's Mightiest Warship
Bishop is a solid writer, brings much research to the table and methodically covers a wide variety of events in 372 pages related to the ultimate destruction of the Tirpitz, Germany's largest battleship and sister ship to the (perhaps) better-remembered Bismarck.
In the prologue I read why PM Winston Churchill relentlessly pursued the mighty ship's destruction throughout the war:
As long as Tirpitz was afloat she cast a shadow over British
naval planning, mesmerizing the Home Fleet and forcing its
most powerful ships to keep a constant watch against a
breakout into the Atlantic where, in the anxious eyes of those
watching her, she might cut Britain's trans-atlantic lifeline.
The book is an exciting read. First, it takes readers through the various events that led to the sinking of the Bismarck (May 27, 1941) and then through various methods of attack on Germany's Tirpitz - including a brave and unsuccessful dash made by mini-submarines - until it was finally sent to the bottom, with the help of Lancasters loaded with Tallboy bombs, on November 12, 1944.
["Locations of some Tallboys dropped during final attack"]
Though exciting, and recommended here to students of World War 2, the book is definitely a thick reminder of the chief consequences of human conflict.
"But even now you can still find, amid the rocks and seaweed
of the peaceful shoreline (near Tromso, Norway), a hunk of
steel, flaking and rusted through, a small memento of the folly
and waste of war." Page 372
Link to Recommended Reading 7
Photos by GH
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