Warships, especially those of major combatants in a war, tend to "follow" one of several typical "career paths."

Using WW II as the "example:"
 

• Going down in fiery glory (USS  Arizona, HMS Gloworm, KM Bismarck), remembered by history.
• Faithful, but largely undramatic service, sunk or destroyed, a largely forgotten casualty of war (those thousands of cargo and support ships)
• Dramatic service, surviving and becoming the stuff of legend (USS Enterprise, SS Ohio, HMS Warspite, KM Prinz Eugen).
• Faithful, but somewhat undramatic service (USS Ranger, HMS Anson, FN Richelieu), surviving the war.
• Infamy and dishonour, for one reason or another, (Japanese submarine I-8 as a perpetrator of atrocities, Geman U-505 was captured) 
   

Germany's arguably mightiest battleship, Deutsche Kriegsmarine Tirpitz, had the unenviable service and war history of being a target for over four years. Relentlessly hunted and repeatedly punished, Tirpitz never  participated in a major operation in history's widest-spread war. The great battleship's only actual offensive combat action was a sortie to bombard Spitsbergen Island weather station near the North Pole.

The battleship KM Tirpitz is often known as, "The Lone Queen of the North" for its hiding in Norwegian fijords much of its life. This title is somewhat interesting, as das Schiff (the ship) is neuter in German, however because of their imposing presence, German capital ships were popularly known as "he." She, he, it, whatever, the Deutsches Kriegsmarine battleship Tirpitz, named after the father of the modern German Navy, remains an interesting subject for naval historians.

Steve Wiper, creator of Classic Warships Publishing and author of numerous Classic Warship Pictorials, tag-teamed (Arizona to Denmark!) with John Asmussen, a Dane and German Navy scholar / expert supreme, to create perhaps the best book in the series, to date, Warship Pictorial 26, KM Tirpitz.

What makes this book so hip? Here are a few Hemingway-style answers. Prolific photos with intelligent captions. Useful colour plates and striking colourised photos. Detailed ship timeline and specifications.

A caption, referencing the British carrier plane attack of 3 April, 1944, said it all about Tirpitz's career and the men who crewed 'him.'

"...at least 14 bombs hit the Tirpitz...The results of this raid were demoralizing for the crew of this German Battleship." Yeah, crew morale had to suck. Two thousand men lived aboard a target, just waiting for the next explosions. Ultimately, after the second British RAF Lancaster attack with 12,000 pound "Tallboy" bombs, half of them died aboard the Lone Queen of the North.

Simply, this is as good a short, inexpensive tome as you will ever find in the genre. If one has any interest in the subject of Germany's last battleship or excellent, Zeitgeist-inducing,  period photos, they should buy this book without hesitation.

Good news for modelers! There are a gob of models purporting to be or capable of being made into KM  Tirpitz, in 1/2400,1/1200, 1/700, 1/600, 1/570, 1/400 and 1/350, plus a couple paper models in scales up to 1/250. Reportedly, Tamiya is updating their 1/350 molds of Tirpitz (and Bismarck). Before starting to glue and paint, though, check the photos and plans, look at kits, choose your time period, evaluate your photoetch options. STUDY! Tirpitz had gobs of detail differences from Bismarck, though they were sisters (brothers?). There is also a delightful quantity of additional info and resources available on co-author John Asmussen's website.  www.bismarck-class.com

Very highly recommended, the photos and careful captions are a time-travel experience which draws one in. The full colour camouflage schemes and text will push one over the line, if any doubt remains about purchasing this volume.

Review copy courtesy of the reviewer's chequebook, purchased at Al's Hobby Shop, Elmhurst, IL, USA

see Scott Van Aken's m2 and other reviews of James Hood's novel Adventure--Into The Neverland, of exploring a parallel, Alternate world (concept based on the Superstring theory of physics) using WW II surplus ships, aircraft and vehicles at:)    <http://users3.ev1.net/~bjmonkeyandcj/James_Hood.htm>

Book can be ordered at <http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/SearchCatalog.aspx>  or from your local bookstore (ISBN 0-7596-9062-6 Hardbound or ISBN-0-7596-2646-4 Softcover)

June 2005

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