Book Review

Warship Pictorial #19 Kriegsmarine Bismarck by Steve Wiper of Classic Warships reviewed by Timothy Dike
The Battleship Bismarck is one of the most well known ships of all time. His short but storied career has been the subject of movies, and books. He was the pride of the German Navy. A brand new battleship constructed in secret and the subject of great concern in the Allied Navies. After working up in the Baltic, Bismarck was sent out into the Atlantic with the Heavy Cruiser Prince Eugen to prey upon Allied shipping and prevent supplies from reaching England. Bismarck was spotted trying to break our early on and was intercepted by the HMS Hood and Prince of Wales. After a short fire fight the mighty Hood was sunk. The British vowed revenge and every available ship in the Atlantic and as far away as the Mediterranean was directed to intercept and destroy the Bismarck.
Warship Pictorials has returned with a book about the popular ship. As with the previous titles this one shows the ship in a variety of situations. Early construction shots show her launching and fitting out. There are a large number of detail views that show the ships fittings in great detail. There are close ups of everything from the radar and gun assemblies to the deck fittings and doors and hatches. There are many books in print on the Bismarck but many of these photo's I have never seen before. The photo's are sharp and clear, typical of the other Classic Warships books.	click to enlarge images


A nice addition to the book is the 3D Computer Generated Images from Thomas Schmid. The ship is beautifully rendered and shown from a number of angles that give the reader a perspective of the ship not seen before. A large centerfold shows the ship in plan and elevation in May 5th 1941.


There are a large number of photo's that show the Bismarck in action. From the working up in the Baltic to the last known pictures of the ship. And yes the issue of turret top color is addressed, but you will have to buy the book if you want to know what the authors conclusions are.

Conclusions: A great book for anyone interested in this famous German Warship. This book is 72 pages with 118 photos mostly black and white, and 8 full color CGI views. A history and record of movement for the ship, and general statistics throughout the years in a 8-1/4" x 11" soft book format. With a retail price of $15.95 US this book is an excellent value and a great addition to your Warship reference library. Links: More Classic Warships books