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Killing the Bismarck
- Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
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Killing the Bismarck
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Publisher's Summary
In May 1941 the German battleship Bismarck, accompanied by heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, broke out into the Atlantic to attack Allied shipping. The Royal Navy's pursuit and subsequent destruction of the Bismarck was an epic of naval warfare. In this new account of those dramatic events at the height of the Second World War, Iain Ballantyne draws extensively on the graphic eyewitness testimony of veterans to construct a thrilling story, mainly from the point of view of the British battleships, cruisers, and destroyers involved.
He describes the tense atmosphere as cruisers play a lethal cat-and-mouse game, shadowing the Bismarck in the icy Denmark Strait. We witness the shocking destruction of the British battle cruiser HMS Hood, in which all but three of her ship's complement were killed, an event that fueled pursuing Royal Navy warships, including the battered battleship Prince of Wales, with a thirst for revenge. While Swordfish torpedo bombers try desperately to cripple the Bismarck, we sail in destroyers on their own daring torpedo attacks, battling mountainous seas. Finally the author takes us into the last showdown, as battleships Rodney and King George V, supported by cruisers Norfolk and Dorsetshire, destroy the pride of Hitler's fleet.
This vivid, superbly researched account portrays this epic saga through the eyes of so-called ordinary sailors caught up in extraordinary events. Killing the Bismarck is an outstanding book, conveying the horror and majesty of war at sea in all its cold brutality and awesome power.
What listeners say about Killing the Bismarck
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. Pratt
- 2022-07-17
Captivating and historical
I’ve been reading and researching the tale of the Bismarck since I was in grade school. It is a rare thing these days that I hear an account that teaches me something new about the saga. This book however, has taught me much that I was ignorant of and brings a refreshing, and painful, human side to the struggle that is do often told as a struggle of machines instead of men.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Douglas R.
- 2021-07-19
An excellent new perspective on a familiar Second World War history.
A new perspective on the familiar ‘Sink The Bismarck’ story, this book truely captures the human dimension of the this important part of World War II naval history, while remaining true to preserving and enhancing the accuracy of the lead up to the battle, the battle, and it’s aftermath. The presentation (reading) is very, very good, keeping the reader’s attention without melodrama. Highly recommended!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2022-04-05
Excellent Book. Strikingly Miscast.
Journalist and Royal Navy expert Iain Ballantyne focusses on the role of British sailors in the fight to find & sink the Kreigsmarine's "unsinkable" flagship 'Bismarck'.. killer of the 'HMS Hood' and the largest Battleship ever constructed. The book is exhaustively researched, paced magnificently, and described viscerally. Readers simultaneously feel the bravery & horror of seamen involved in the battles and the priorities of strategists in the Government. This is undeniably a history book but somehow manages to deliver pulse-pounding tension.
Unfortunately, Blackstone Audio made a baffling choice of reader. Traber Burns is an American who shines in projects where he can show off his voice-acting talents. This book is all wrong for him. Burns admirably avoids ill-advised attempts at accents, but the text is colored with frequent excerpts from interviews & letters from the men who witnessed and survived the battles.
These British men should have been quoted by a British reader.
Compounding the problem: Burns reads much too slowly on this project and with an uncharacteristically matter-of-fact tone. All around a poor performance.
Even with subpar delivery, however, I rate this audiobook 7.5 stars out of 10. It was a very good listen for a couple of quiet afternoons.
If you can get it as a 'Plus' option - do not hesitate. If they ask for a Credit, consider whether the drawbacks in narration might not push you towards a paper or eBook version.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. Mastrotucci
- 2023-05-27
Good Book Poorly Narrated
Worth a listen regardless of flaws. The book is well researched and well-paced. Published in 2010, it is a bit dated insofar as it predates the latest conclusions on the destruction of the Bismarck and of the Hood. The narrators' voice is grating, with a harsh brittle accent. A British narrator would have been far preferable.
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