The Sinking of the Bismarck: The Deadly Hunt

by William L. Shirer

Book Overview

The Bismark was the greatest warship ever built, with guns so powerful and accurate it could destroy an enemy ship while safely staying outside the line of fire. But the Allies had to sink it...or risk losing the war. William Shirer, famed World War II correspondent and author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich , captures every suspenseful moment of the perilous mission. Most tragic of all was the loss of the HMS Hood , the British Navy's star...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1402736169
• ISBN13: 9781402736162
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Sterling Publishing (NY)
• Length: 163 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

an excellent introduction to military history

For the right age group, this book is wonderful. It explains not only what happened on the maiden voyage of the Bismarck, but some of the "why" as well. Why it was so important to the British that the Bismarck not reach the open Atlantic, why this ship meant so much to the German naval, and why so much of happens in war is the results of mistakes: time after time, the high command of both the British and German navies made mistakes, and med died for those mistakes. If you want to teach the subject of not only WWII but the concept of war, this book is a great starting point. I found the level of detail in the story perfect the age group it was meant for; they could absorb and reflect on the hunt and the final battle without being overwhelmed.

awesome

I found the Bismarck to be a great book about the German threat the Bismarck. The book is mainly about the British navy and, the German battleship running around the Atlantic Ocean. The main job of the Bismarck was to go around the Atlantic and sink British carrier ships to hurt their economy. My personal favorite part of the book is when the swordfish planes take off and try to bomb the unstoppable Bismarck. They succeed at bombing it but the Bismarck can still abstain full speed. The weirdest part in the book was when the British fleet mistakes the Bismarck for their own ship and tried to bomb it. Luckily he didn't get hit. The saddest part of the book was when the prinz equine sunk the HMS hood the pride of the British navy. Several reasons that I liked the book were because you wanted to read more and more. Another reason I liked the book was because of the pictures it was neat to see the ships and courses of them where like. Another reason I liked the book was because I could relate to because we had already went over this topic in social studies class. This why I like the book

Excellent account of one of the most important naval battles of WWII

The author is one of the top historians of WWII. In this short, concise book, he tells the story of the sinking of the Bismarck, the Germans' newest battleship. At that time, the Bismarck was the most powerful warship ever built. The British knew that they had to defeat it or risk the loss of their Atlantic convoys. This book is only 168 easy pages and is a quick read. If you are fascinated by military history--you'll love this one and it is a must read.

Nicely written and a quick read

Shirer is a very good writer and keeps things moving and interesting, giving enough facts and information to understand who is who and what is going on (and where, which many books do not make clear). That said, it is a 'light' read. It took me only 3 or so hours to read it and I felt at the end that it had only touched the surface of the whole story. I would have liked more info on the major players, especially at British and German HQs. This book could have been expanded by half and it would have only made it better. I still highly recommend it.

Great book, thrilling story and based on historical data.

The author of this book takes you thru all the details of the short-living Bismarck, the Hood and others. Before reading this book, I've never read any wargames books, nothing related to naval battles... but it's amazing how, literally, the complete british navy was behind the Bismarck and with determination to sink it under any circunstances... Great book, a must read! By the way, everything is based on historical data, it's not science fiction.