THE DESTRUCTION OF THE BISMARCK

Made famous by a postwar Hollywood movie and Johnny Horton's song, the destruction of the feared German WWII warship involved the Royal Navy as well as clandestine American air and sea support. Canadian authors Bercuson, who has penned more than 30 books, and Herwig, who edits a book series titled Naval Policy and War, have teamed up to present a new look at the short-lived cruise of the German battleship in May 1941. Many previous books provide painstaking blow-by-blow accounts of the action; the authors here examine recently opened diplomatic flies from England and America that provide some fresh new data concerning the supposedly neutral American involvement in the hunt for the Bismarck. American planes spotted the German ship after she sank the Hood, and, although some of the evidence is circumstantial, the authors make a compelling claim that American Coast Guard vessels also assisted the overworked Royal Navy. Included in this book are concise, analytical biographies of the major officers from both sides, brief histories of the major naval vessels involved and cutting analysis of the crucial command decisions that sealed the Bismarck's fate. Students of WWII naval warfare will find this compelling reading, as will those interested in FDR's policy toward the belligerents. 21 illustrations and 3 maps not seen by PW. (Nov.)