The Sinking of the Bismarck

When the Bismarck was sighted off Bergen, the news of her sailing quickly reached the Admiralty. The German squadron was intercepted in the Denmark strait. In the first bitter engagement HMS Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy, was blown-up and the new battleship HMS Prince of Wales damaged. From the moment of that disastrous first action it became a crucial call on the Royal Navy to destroy the German battleship. In this book, told from the point of view of the crew of the Bismarck, is described the hunt and the final kill; the end is a horrific portrayal of defeat at sea. Berthold tells this great and exciting story in human terms; he depicts the fears and courage of the crew as the end slowly, inevitably approaches; he recreates the thoughts of home that accompanied the sailors to their deaths; he speaks against the futility of all warfare. There will be few who will not be enthralled and moved by this vivid account of a great naval action seen, in this book, from the side of the defeated enemy.