Images
of War Tirpitz The First Voyage Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
By
Jonathan Sutherland and Diane Canwell
9781848846685
2011 Pen and Sword Barnsley, South Yorkshire
The
photos in this book are taken from an unpublished album belonged to a member of
the crew of famous German Battleship Tirpitz. It is a little known fact that
before the start of World War Two the ship went on a shakedown voyage into the
Atlantic, travelling north into Arctic waters and south into the more tropical
climbs of the Caribbean. There are superb photos of the officers and crew both
above and below decks, including some unique shots of the crew during their
stint on a magnificent sail training vessel. Other stunning shots show the
vessels mighty weapons during gunnery practice during her sea trials. This
unique collection gives a close up view of one of the most powerful ships of
World War Two, a ship that proved to be a persistent thorn in the side of the
Royal Navy until sunk in Norway towards the end of the war.
This
book is a fascinating look at the German Navy built around a collection of
photographs from a Luftwaffe flight officer stationed on Tirpitz. The details
of youth work, naval training, wartime service and postwar incarceration are
displayed with detailed captions. One small error was noted on page 71, the
photo shows a light cruiser built in the 1930s and not the training ship
Schleswig-Holstein as indicated.
The
fate of original photo album owner after his incarceration in France has not
been discovered to date.
We are
certainly happy his photographic work has survived for present day and future
historians to study.
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