Abstract

Never previously published in this format, documents once stamped ‘restricted’ have been sourced from Britannia Royal Naval College’s Library. These include the Battle Summaries of Chariot, Source and Tungsten and include charts and plans drawn up by serving Royal Navy Officers during and immediately after World War II.
In late 1944, the German battleship Tirpitz was sunk by RAF Bomber Command. While it was the RAF that delivered the final coup de grâce, it was the Royal Navy, from 1942 to 1944, that had contained, crippled and neutralised the German battleship in a series of actions marked by innovation, boldness and bravery. From daring commando raids on the coast of France, to the use of midget submarines in the fjords of Norway and devastating aerial attacks by the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Navy pursued Tirpitz to her eventual destruction. 

The foreword is by Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff. The introduction, by Dr G H Bennett, expertly guides the reader through a level of detail that does not appear in post-war accounts, putting the summary in context. Dr Bennett has written over a dozen books and is an Associate Professor at Plymouth University.

In Hunting Tirpitz, the compilers have collected together three Battle Summaries, Nos. 12, 29 and 27. These represent the attack on Saint-Nazaire on 28 March 1942, Operation Source, the attack on Tirpitz by Midget Submarines, and Operation Tungsten, which was the naval aircraft attack on Tirpitz, respectively.

It is difficult to explain in the course of a short review just how well presented the Battle Summaries were by the Admiralty. Each one is divided into similar sections. For example, Battle Summary No.29, Operation Source, has the following sections or chapters:

1. An introduction explaining the reasons behind the decision to mount an operation;

2. The preparations for the attack;

3. The plan of operation;

4. Preliminary movements;

5. Passage to Norway.

All of this, put together in one volume, makes Hunting Tirpitz a very valuable publication; indeed it is difficult to praise this book too highly or find fault with it. It is with eager anticipation that I await the next in the series from the University of Plymouth Press.