Battleship Bismarck: A Survivor's Story (Bluejacket Books) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Burkard Baron Von Mullenheim-rechberg, Burkard Mullenheim-rechberg
Creator: Jack Sweetman
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
Category: Book
List Price: £10.15
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 678615
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Rev
Pages: 496
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 1.5
ISBN: 1557504369
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5429
EAN: 9781557504364
ASIN: 1557504369
Publication Date: October 2002
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A genuine classic of naval literature September 10, 2006
birchden (Eastbourne, East Sussex United Kingdom)
Few episodes of the second world war at sea seem to have the same allure for writers as the events surrounding the sinking of the Bismarck. The result is a profusion of books on the subject, which seems to grow year by year.
However, many of these books are little more than reheats of well-known information, and very few are as worthwhile a read as this account, written by the Bismarck's senior surviving officer, von Mullenheim-Rechberg, who served in her after fire control station.
There are several reasons for this; first, the author seems to have a knack for anticipating precisely the sort of information the reader wants to know; second, having occupied a senior role on board ship, he writes with some authority; third, by broadening his account beyond the immediate circumstances of operation "Rhine Exercise", he provides a rare insight into what life was like in the wartime German navy.
More broadly, he also gives the reader a fascinating insight into the mindset of those numerous Germans, who, while not being supporters of the Nazi regime, nevertheless served loyally in its armed forces, in many cases at the cost of their lives.
Among the many outstanding features of this book is the way that the author attempts to look at events from the point of view of Admiral Lutjens as the operation unfolded, presenting a most useful view from what Liddell-Hart memorably described as "other side of the hill". He also paints a far more interesting portrait of her commander, Captain Lindemann, than many of the two-dimensional accounts that one comes across.
A further, and poignant aspect of this account is the way in which the author charts the rapid swings in moral as one side then the other seemed to gain the upper hand, followed by the terrible realisation on board that this was a mission which few would survive.
Much credit is also due to Jack Sweetman, the book's translator, whose excellent work has ensured a highly readable narrative, free of the silly mistakes sometimes made by those unfamiliar with naval terminology.
All in all this a book that both the naval enthusiast and the more general reader will find hard to put down, and one of those select titles that truly merits the description "classic".
The Rhine Exercise from the German point of view July 29, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A fantastic book written from the other side's point of view. Great detail about life aboard the Bismarck, the thinking of those aboard the Bismarck, and what happened on the ship during the Rhine Exercise. The chapter dealing with the night before the final battle is both riveting and haunting.This book brings not just the Bismarck, but the men of the Bismarck back to life for a brief moment in time. You'll never look at this battle the same way again.
Excellent first-hand account March 4, 1999
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is the book to read if you're interested in the legendary voyage of the Bismarck. Perhaps no naval story of the twentieth century is as dramatic as that of the Bismarck's battles in the North Atlantic. As a survivor, the author provides an exceptionally interesting perspective.
This book reveals in detail a legendary naval episode. November 24, 1998
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Battleship Bismarck: A Survivor's Story is a master piece of naval history. I have read this book several times and each time I have come away with more knowledge about Operation Rhine. The book is complete with details of the launch of the Bismarck at the Blohm & Voss Ship yards to its final destruction in the north Atlantic. The author has been very objective in his account of the Bismarck's maiden and final voyage. I also recommend the book "Pursuit" by Ludovick Kennedy which details the British side of this naval hunt.
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