Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007319231 ISBN 13: 9780007319237

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2012

Target Tirpitz is gripping WW2 storytelling at its best and a return to the RAF territory of Patrick Bishop's bestselling Bomber Boys and Fighter Boys. The Tirpitz, Hitler's greatest weapon, was reputed to be unsinkable and the battleship inflamed an Allied obsession: to destroy her at any cost. More than thirty daring operations were launched against the 52,000 ton monster. Royal Navy midget submarines carried out an attack of extraordinary skill and courage against her when she lay deep in a Norwegian fjord in an operation that won VCs for two participants. No permanent damage was done and the Fleet Air Arm was forced to launch full scale attacks through the summer of 1944 to try and finish her off. But still the Tirpitz remained a significant threat to Allied operations. It was not until November 1944 that a brilliant operation by RAF Lancaster Bombers, under the command of one of Britain's greatest but least-known war heroes finally killed off Hitler's last battleship. Full of colour, insight and drama, Target Tirpitz is an unputdownable account of one of the great epics of the Second World War.

About the Author:

Patrick Bishop is the author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling 'Fighter Boys', 'Bomber Boys', '3 Para' and 'Ground Truth'. Previously, he was a foreign correspondent for over twenty years, reporting from conflicts all over the world.

Review:

'This is a great wartime story, gung-ho in its praise of the men who finally sank Tirpitz, yet compassionate towards her courageous crew. Already a bestselling war historian with his books on the RAF, Target Tirpitz proves that Bishop has sea legs, and this book should add another fleet of fans to his existing army of admirers.' Sunday Telegraph 'The story of the successive British efforts to destroy [the Tirpitz] is remarkable indeed, and Bishop deploys all his splendid narrative gifts to do it justice.' Max Hastings, Sunday Times 'Spellbinding...While he is adept at explaining the strategic picture it is in his intense description of set-pieces and of the heroic dedication of their human participants that Bishop excels.' Daily Express 'Patrick Bishop wisely concentrates his splendid narrative on the many ingenious and extremely hazardous British attempts to destroy [the Tirpitz]...Bishop does this tale extraordinary justice...Elegantly written and exhaustively researched, Target Tirpitz is a fitting memorial to all those who perished in this relatively unknown chapter of naval warfare.' Daily Telegraph "The story of the successive British efforts to destroy (the Tirpitz) is remarkable indeed, and Bishop deploys all his splendid narrative gifts to do it justice" Sunday Times