Full Description
Dawn, 24 May 1941, two groups of ships, one British, one German meet in the Denmark Strait. Here two giants of maritime history 'HMS Hood' and the 'Bismarck' meet. Within minutes of the battle beginning 'HMS Hood' blows up with a catastrophic loss of life. Out of a crew of 1,418 only three survive. Coupled with this, the Royal Navy's newest battleship is outfought. While this is a cause of celebration for the Germans, 'Bismarck' has been wounded curtailing her Atlantic raiding sortie. Despite the wealth of documentary information and photographic evidence available on the battle, there continues to be controversy as to how the conflict was actually fought. This book analyses the events of 24 May 1941 to both shed new light and provide clarifications on how the battle was fought, the damage that different ships sustained, and how it was that the pride of the Royal Navy was destroyed in such a catastrophic manner.
Contents
Introduction; 1 Operation Rheinubung; 2 Interception; 3 'She's blowing up!'; 4 Prince of Wales Fights On; 5 Admiral Holland's Actions; 6 Battle Photographs; 7 Theories on the Sinking; 8 Accidental Sinking?; 9 Likely Cause of the Hood's Loss; 10 Loss of Life on the Hood; 11 Time; 12 Battle Conditions; 13 Timing of the Fatal Hit; 14 HMS Prince of Wales; 15 Damage to the Bismarck and Prince of Wales; Conclusions; Appendices; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.
