Hunt the Bismarck: The Pursuit of Germany's Most Famous Battleship

by Angus Konstam

Now available in paperback, this is a groundbreaking narrative account of one of World War II's most exciting chase stories, the pursuit of the legendary German battleship Bismarck.

Hunt the Bismarck, now available in paperback, tells the story of Operation Rheinübung, the Atlantic sortie of the Nazi Germany's largest battleship in May 1941.

Bismarck entered service in the summer of 1940. She was well-armed, with eight 15- inch guns as well as a powerful array of lighter weapons, while her armored protection earned her the reputation of being unsinkable. This claim was put to the test in May 1941, when she sortied into the Atlantic and fought the legendary battle of the Denmark Strait, destroying HMS Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy. Bismarck was now loose in the North Atlantic. However, damage sustained in the battle limited her ability to roam at will, while the Royal Navy had deployed the Home Fleet to avenge the Hood. The stage was set for the greatest chase story in the history of naval warfare.

Drawing on a wealth of first-hand accounts, and intertwining extensive research into a fast-paced narrative, this is the most readable and accurate account of Bismarck's epic pursuit ever produced.

Genres: World War II, History, Audiobook, Naval History, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Angus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 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.

[Colin Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book that I've read about the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Clearly very well researched and thoroughly captivating from start to finish. The events leading up to the Bismark and the Prince Eugen attempting to break-out into the Atlantic and the events that followed, including the sinking of HMS Hood, are meticulously recorded. The description of the battle itself is like having a front row seat to the event. Highly recommended for anyone with any interest in naval history and in fact for anyone who just wants a really good read that will hold your attention throughout. The various maps and plates all add to the overall experience.

[Hans Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the imminent arrival of the 80th anniversary of Operation: Rheinübung in 2021, Angus Konstam's "Hunt the Bismarck" presents a new scholarly examination of "the terror of the sea," as Bismarck was dubbed by the infamous Johnny Horton song "Sink the Bismark" in 1960. Masterfully written, Konstam presents a solidly researched narrative of the Bismarck and its only operational cruise. Focusing on providing the viewpoints of both British and German sailors, Konstam's volume is a welcome addition to the literature of the Second World War at sea - and of the Bismarck in general - serving as an updated study, and contemporary reexamination of the long-held argument over what, truly, sank the KMS Bismarck on May 27, 1941.

[Jim Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the Audible version of this book, which I found very well written and superbly narrated.
I often find non-fiction historical books can be quite dry and often tedious, but this account was written like a thriller. Even though you know what the final outcome is going to be (if you know anything at all about Naval history of the WW2 period - and I won't give away any spoilers if you don't), I still found myself on the edge of my seat, holding my breath with anticipation!
It's difficult to hear of the great number of young men whose lives were lost during the battles described in this book, but the absolute professionalism and pride inherent in 'The Senior Service' shines through clearly - from the men of both the Royal Navy and the Kreigsmarine.
It is really a tragic story, but so thrilling at the same time. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Naval or wartime history, and I'm sure it would also be enjoyed by any other reader who enjoys a good story well told.

[Grant Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb in creating a healthy blend of detail and interest. Well written and structured account of one of the greatest sea battles. Dramatic and poignant and covering the events from a strategic, a technical, and a human perspective. I learned a lot and enjoyed doing so.

[Kai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wonder why they did not proof read this, it is full of printing or actual errors.
For example, many directions of the ships are erroneous if you follow the author's trains of thoughts and lay out of the ship movements, so much so one gets confused easily.

There are other glaring mistakes: like HMS Norfolk, HMS Southfolk are not 3 masted ships but ships with 3 funnels. There are mistakes with distance etc.
Another example the author stated that HMS Hood was sunk by the fifth salvo of gun fire from Bismarck, later on he changed that to the 6th salvo, so which is it ?

Even though it is a very exciting sea story, these errors make the reading much less than enjoyable.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author & historian Angus Konstam http://www.anguskonstam.com published the book “Hunt the Bismarck: The pursuit of Germany’s most famous battleship” in 2019. He has published more than 50 books.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘G’.

Most have heard of the WWII pursuit and sinking of the German battleship Bismarck. While I have read this story before, this is the most detailed version I have seen. The book begins with a brief history of the German navy. It then goes into the efforts of the German capital ships during the war. After that, there is a detailed history of the Bismarck, followed by its encounters with the Royal Navy. The book ends with the sinking of the Bismarck.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 8+ hours I spent reading this 229-page WWII history. Unlike so many history books, this one is very readable. Even though it is history, the author makes it read more like a thriller novel. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the WWII Battle of the Atlantic. I like the chosen cover art. I rate this book as a 5 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Hunt The Bismarck hard to put down and for the most part reads like a thriller even with the ending already known.
The book follows the development and launching of the Bismarck in preparation for its attempt to break out into the Atlantic and the events leading to its sinking HMS Hood in the Denmark Sea and later fight for survival in the Atlantic ocean. The story alternates between German and British view points throughout.
There are many details which are speculation given the lack of key survivors and some of the writing was not the greatest with repetitive paragraphs but overall highly interesting and informative

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read any other book on the Bismarck, so I can't tell you how it compares to others. But I will say, that I felt it was very well written and narrated. The length seemed good, so that it gave enough detail, but not too much.
It can be a little difficult to follow the exact progression on audio unless you are able to pause and look up locations (like Scapa Flow, or the Denmark Strait). For me, it helped to watch a brief (4-5 minute) video that gave an overview of the encounter. That really helped give me an anchor point, which I could fill in with much more detail from the book.

[Schvenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't a horrible experience and did certainly have some redeeming qualities, but there were times where each and every movement was described in such detail that it was hard to follow. Without having a map in front of you wherein you could move tokens across it in order to visualize what was happening, this becomes tedious. Overall however, it was a somewhat interesting look back at one of the most interesting nautical hunts in marine history.

[TomB922 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has provided a detailed report of this event in history including the few years before to the most recent with locating of the remains of both the Bismarck and the HMS Hood. This narrator brings the author’s words to life and helps you visualize the sights, sounds, the salt air of the ocean, and the cold and raging seas.
It is always sad to realize how many souls were lost during this battle to the finish. May they Rest In Peace!

[Michael Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written, detailed account of the hunt by the British navy for the Bismarck during the spring of 1941 as she was heading into the Atlantic to disrupt the convoys coming from the US. This was an informative, enjoyable read describing the history of the Bismarck and the British ships involved in one of the epic sea battles of WWII.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Konstam is turning over well trod ground, he does so intelligently and cleanly using the diaries of her officers and crew. His tale reinforces the frightening reality that the Age of the Battleship ended with the entrance of effective AirPower.

[Dennis Kocik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own and have read several books regarding the Bismarck. This one is right up there with the best of them and contained some new, up to the current moment research and information. Highly recommended read regarding this magnificent ship that could have wrecked much more havoc in the Atlantic.

[Gavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed and accessible. However, it spends too much time on how many salvos each ship fired and at what ranges which really derailed the flow of the book. As well, the books insistence on giving ranges in both yards and miles, while helpful, did not help the book's flow.

[Patrick Pillow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced narrative chronicling the pursuit and sinking of the German battleship Bismarck.

Konstam pulls the reader in with his prose and does a good job of building drama and suspense in a very skilled manner.

[Pamela Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a novel. Well written. Not cluttered with impossible to understand jargon.

[Wan Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing read. "The Bismarck had put a up a most gallant fight against impossible odds, worthy of the old days of the Imperial German Navy, and she went down with her colors flying'.

[Muan Sing · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books I've read about Bismarck and the battle of Denmark strait

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the amount of detail here but it could've used a bit more artistic flair I think. I suspect this was aimed at more hardcore naval history fans

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice balance between facts and story. Too many do one or the other but not both.

[Johnnyc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good account of the pursuit and sinking of the Bismarck. Would have liked to have known a little more about the major personalities involved.

[James Stirling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written a great easy read.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book!

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, a lot of war books seem to be written in a dry, by-the-numbers fashion. Here's another one of em. And I imagine the quality of the photos is as good as could be gotten under the circumstances--but still none too good, I'm afraid.