Angus Konstam

It's been some time since I've read an account of the hunt for the "Scharnhorst," probably a short overview by Vincent O'Hara in his survey of German surface-ship actions, so I wanted to read something with a little more detail. Konstam does a very good job giving you a concise telling of this fight, putting it into contemporary strategic context, and taking into account the impact of "Ultra," as the British were prepared to use a convoy as bait. This last point almost bit the British back, show more as the German destroyer escort came close to tripping over the British convoy on their own.

As for the fight itself, the short version is radar - don't leave home without it. In a fight fought mostly in darkness in a howling gale, the gunnery of the "Scharnhorst" was severely limited due to electronic inferiority, though she wound up dying very hard; Konstam tersely describes the action as an "execution." This is particularly since only 36 men survived; Admiral Erich Bey and the other 2000-odd crewmen going to the deep.

The thought that comes to mind is that this action is a last reflection of the institutional cultures the British and German naval forces came out of the Great War with. The British being fixated on aggressive action when the opportunity presented itself, a result of the botched hunt for the "Goeben" and the disappointment of Jutland. The Germans trying to maintain a fleet in being, while at the same time keeping themselves relevant, and living down the mutiny of the surface fleet in 1918. From this battle on, the British are looking for ways to make themselves useful to an American naval hierarchy who really doesn't want them, and the German naval command is trying to salvage a useful submarine force, while offering assistance to the German war effort in the Baltic. show less

I got the most satisfaction out of this volume I've gotten from an Osprey book in quite a while. A very tight, well-written account of the Spanish naval forces on both sides of the Spanish Civil War, with just enough lead-in as to explain the split, and some very good material on the tactics (such as they were, given limited resources) of each side.

Riveting and Illuminating. Despite being one of those "know a little about a lot" types, I fully admit that prior to reading this book, I didn't know much about the Bismark or its sinking. I knew that it was the pride of the Nazi German Navy during WWII, that it was supposedly the most deadly ship afloat, and that it was sunk in a famous naval battle. Thus sums up my knowledge of the topic prior to reading this book. Yet Konstam does a deep dive into the full history of the Bismark and the show more events leading to its demise, and he does it in a very readable fashion almost akin to watching an actual movie about it. Thus, this naval historian - not exactly a group known for their readability outside their own circles - crafts a tale Tom Clancy would be hard pressed to top, even were he still alive. Truly excellent work. Very much recommended. show less

I hate to have to write this review but I feel I must. Unfortunately, this title is very disappointing. There are numerous factual errors in the text and in the charts. Some examples (not exhaustive):

1. Kongo being listed with 14 inch guns in one paragraph and 16 inch (!) in the next. 14" is correct.

2. Nevada class is stated to have 8x14" guns. It had 10.

3. The chart for the Japanese #13 fast battleship shows 16" main guns where they should be 18". It seems they just copied the chart from show more the previous entry which had 16" guns.

4. The text says there were five Lexington Class battle cruisers in one place and six in another. The correct number is six.

The artwork is great, as always, but the text is a real mess and ruins the book. I have many titles from this author which are very good. I suspect this was a failure of editing.

On star for the artwork and one for the analysis at the end which was good. Otherwise, not a good effort.

Again, I am very sorry to have to write this review. Osprey books are some of my favorite books. show less