MOST FAMOUS BATT
Author: Angus Konstam Publisher:Os
A DETAILED AND COMPELLING ACCOUNT OF A GREATN
Angus Konstam is a veteran Osprey writer, havingp
books in the company’s military history catalogue.
attention to the short life of the German battleship
Bismarck was a particularly arresting ship, with
terrifying firepower. As one of the ship’s crew proud
stronger than anything faster, and faster than anyt
only was this a rather neat phrase, it also encapsu
of warship design at the time, where the threeelem
armour and firepower had to be weighed againstea
it is widely held, achieved the near-perfect balance
And yet, for all its power, this mighty battleshipw
than a commerce raider. Germany could not hopet
numerical strength of the Royal Navy, so evenship
Bismarck were forced to concentrate their effortso
vessels – enemy capital ships were to be avoided.
Konstam’s book has a rather uncertain start,es
he talks of cruisers, light cruisers, heavy cruisersa
without specifying what the different designations
page 70, he explains the different terms and theb
focus, developing into a riveting account of Bismar
encounter with HMS Hood and its ultimate destruc
impression from this excellent book is that Bismar
arguably the best battleship in the world, spentthe
existence running for its life. DS
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spreyPrice:£25
NAVALCONFRONTATION
pennedmany
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pBismarck.
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dly boasted,“We’re
hingstronger.”Not
latedthequestion
mentsof speed,
achother.Bismarck,
.
wasnothingmore
to matchthe
ps aspowerfulas
on sinkingmerchantspeciallyconsidering
andbattlecruisers
mean.Then,on
ooksnapsinto
ck’sfamous
ction.Theoverriding
ck, despitebeing
e entirety of its short“A RIVETING ACCOUNT OF BISMARCK’S
FAMOUS ENCOUNTER WITH HMS HOOD AND
ITSULTIMATEDESTRUCTION”
Image: Mary EvansThe sinking of the Battleship Bismarck
by Malcolm Greensmith