The Destruction of the Bismarck

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced read but could be better
Review: This book offers a fast-paced read but could use some additional work to correct errors and make it easier to follow. I noticed the same errors and confusions as mentioned by other readers, and also found the lack of good diagrams and maps distressing. The maps in the front of the book are very basic, and there are no diagrams (or even particularly good pictures) of the Bismarck. On the plus side, I thought the authors were pretty objective in their treatment of the personalities on both sides of the conflict, and raised some interesting points about how the British tried to use the Bismarck/Prinz Eugen problem to try to draw the Americans into the war.

Rating:
Summary: Better than an adventure story, but...
Review: This is a fast and interesting read for those with little other knowledge of the subject. The authors are at their strongest when they describe actions, commander's choices, and the results of engagements. When they stray from this into wider socio-political arenas, they seem to have less knowledge and to get certain facts just wrong.

For example, they describe Churchill as essentially completely controlling the British War Cabinet after the fall of France. This is simply incorrect--according to Jenkins recent Churchill biography it took 9 contentious council meetings until Britain decided to fight on alone, and it was by no means certain Churchill would win the day over Halifax.

The authors make nasty 'asides' that reflect some ignorance--like "Why weren't the new British battleships like the Duke of York and Prince of Wales the equal of the Bismarck?" Well, the British built to comply with the Washington naval treaty of 1922 limiting battleship tonnage to 35,000 tons... Hitler, obviously, did not.

These factual errors grated on me, otherwise the book is certainly better done than the typical sinking of the Bismarck as an adolescent adventure story.

Rating:
Summary: Better than an adventure story, but...
Review: This is a fast and interesting read for those with little other knowledge of the subject. The authors are at their strongest when they describe actions, commander's choices, and the results of engagements. When they stray from this into wider socio-political arenas, they seem to have less knowledge and to get certain facts just wrong.

For example, they describe Churchill as essentially completely controlling the British War Cabinet after the fall of France. This is simply incorrect--according to Jenkins recent Churchill biography it took 9 contentious council meetings until Britain decided to fight on alone, and it was by no means certain Churchill would win the day over Halifax.

The authors make nasty 'asides' that reflect some ignorance--like "Why weren't the new British battleships like the Duke of York and Prince of Wales the equal of the Bismarck?" Well, the British built to comply with the Washington naval treaty of 1922 limiting battleship tonnage to 35,000 tons... Hitler, obviously, did not.

These factual errors grated on me, otherwise the book is certainly better done than the typical sinking of the Bismarck as an adolescent adventure story.