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Target Tirpitz
(2012)The Epic Quest to Sink Hitler's Greatest Battleship
A non fiction book by Patrick Bishop
From best-selling author of Bomber Boys, an account of the epic hunt for Hitler's most terrifying battleship - the legendary Tirpitz - and the brave men who risked their lives to attack and destroy this most potent symbol of the Nazi's fearsome war machine. Like Operation Mincemeat, this is gripping WW2 storytelling at its best.
The Tirpitz was Hitler's greatest weapon. The largest battleship in Europe, 'the Beast' as Churchill called it was reputed to be unsinkable. Lurking off Norway, it threatened vital convoys to Russia, tied up key British resources and - despite firing its guns only once - cast an almost supernatural shadow over the war effort. Nothing in the Allied armoury could compete. So profound was the ship's psychological effect that, in 1942, rumour of its presence scattered an Allied convoy, leaving undefended 35 merchantmen, 24 of which were sunk.
The fear the ship inspired would stoke an Allied obsession: to sink the Tirpitz, at any cost. Many men, over many years, would attempt what came to seem almost impossible. In total 13 major operations were launched. Midget submarines planted explosives beneath her hull, with no lasting damage. Bold attacks by Fairey Barracuda dive-bombers had little effect. It was not until 1944 that a daring raid by the RAF, under the command of one of the heroes of the Dambusters raid, finally destroyed this potent symbol of Hitler's ambition.
Target Tirpitz is a triumphant return to the RAF territory Patrick Bishop has made his own, with Bomber Boys and Fighter Boys. It is the story of a four-year struggle to sink the unsinkable, told through the stories of the many men who risked their lives time and again in perilous missions to sink this monster.
The book is magnificent - accessibly written war-time adventure - and will be snapped up by his fans, and all who have enjoyed Ben Macintyre's Agent Zig Zag or Operation Mincemeat.
The Tirpitz was Hitler's greatest weapon. The largest battleship in Europe, 'the Beast' as Churchill called it was reputed to be unsinkable. Lurking off Norway, it threatened vital convoys to Russia, tied up key British resources and - despite firing its guns only once - cast an almost supernatural shadow over the war effort. Nothing in the Allied armoury could compete. So profound was the ship's psychological effect that, in 1942, rumour of its presence scattered an Allied convoy, leaving undefended 35 merchantmen, 24 of which were sunk.
The fear the ship inspired would stoke an Allied obsession: to sink the Tirpitz, at any cost. Many men, over many years, would attempt what came to seem almost impossible. In total 13 major operations were launched. Midget submarines planted explosives beneath her hull, with no lasting damage. Bold attacks by Fairey Barracuda dive-bombers had little effect. It was not until 1944 that a daring raid by the RAF, under the command of one of the heroes of the Dambusters raid, finally destroyed this potent symbol of Hitler's ambition.
Target Tirpitz is a triumphant return to the RAF territory Patrick Bishop has made his own, with Bomber Boys and Fighter Boys. It is the story of a four-year struggle to sink the unsinkable, told through the stories of the many men who risked their lives time and again in perilous missions to sink this monster.
The book is magnificent - accessibly written war-time adventure - and will be snapped up by his fans, and all who have enjoyed Ben Macintyre's Agent Zig Zag or Operation Mincemeat.
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