Sink the Tirpitz 1942–44: The RAF and Fleet Air Arm duel with Germany's mighty battleship (Air Campaign)

The story of the high-stakes air campaign to sink the battleship Tirpitz in her Norwegian lair, when a single bomb could end her threat to the Arctic Convoys and alter the war. This is the story of an air campaign in which each bomb could dramatically influence the course of the war. In January 1942, the powerful German battleship Tirpitz sailed into her new base in a Norwegian fjord, within easy reach of the Arctic Convoys. Her destruction suddenly became a top Allied priority. But sinking a modern and formidably armed battleship was no easy task, especially when she lay secure in a remote, mountainous fjord, protected by anti-torpedo nets, radar, flak guns and smoke generators. This book charts the full, complex story of the air war against Tirpitz , from the Fleet Air Arm's failed torpedo attack at sea, the RAF's early Halifax raids, and the carrier-borne Barracuda airstrikes of Operations Mascot , Tungsten and Goodwood , to the three Tallboy attacks that finally crippled and sank her. With detailed maps and diagrams, it explains the aircraft and ordnance the British had to work with, the evolving strategic situation, and why the task was so difficult. **The story of the high-stakes air campaign to sink the battleship__Tirpitz__in her Norwegian lair, when a single bomb could end her threat to the Arctic Convoys and alter the war.**This is the story of an air campaign in which each bomb could dramatically influence the course of the war.In January 1942, the powerful German battleshipsailed into her new base in a Norwegian fjord, within easy reach of the Arctic Convoys. Her destruction suddenly became a top Allied priority. But sinking a modern and formidably armed battleship was no easy task, especially when she lay secure in a remote, mountainous fjord, protected by anti-torpedo nets, radar, flak guns and smoke generators.This book charts the full, complex story of the air war against, from the Fleet Air Arm's failed torpedo attack at sea, the RAF's early Halifax raids, and the carrier-borne Barracuda airstrikes of Operations,and, to the three Tallboy attacks that finally crippled and sank her. With detailed maps and diagrams, it explains the aircraft and ordnance the British had to work with, the evolving strategic situation, and why the task was so difficult. "In January 1942, the powerful German battleship Tirpitz saled into her new base in a Norwegian fjord, within easy reach of the Arctic Convoys. Her destruction suddenly became a top Allied priority. But sinking a modern and formidably armed battleship was no easy task, especially when she lay secure in a remote, mountainous fjord, protected by anti-torpedo nets, radar, flak guns and smoke generators. This book charts the full, complex story of the air war against Tirpitz, from the Fleet Air Arm's failed torpedo attack at asea, the RAF's early Halifax raids, and the carrier-borne Barracuda airstrikes of Operations Mascot, Tungsten, and Goodwood, to the three Tallboy attacks that finally crippled and sank her."--Back cover Cover 1 Contents 3 Introduction 4 Chronology 6 Attackers’ Capabilities 8 Aircraft of Bomber Command 8 Photographic reconnaissance 11 Ordnance 12 Defenders’ Capabilities 17 The battleship 17 The Norwegian lairs 21 The local defences 23 Campaign Objectives 25 A fleet in being 25 The British goal 27 The Campaign 30 Background 30 Operation Oiled 31 Operation Sportpalast 33 Bomber Command tries again: March–April 1942 40 Hiatus: May 1942–April 1944 48 The Fleet Air Arm offensive 1944 52 The Tallboy raids 71 Aftermath and Analysis 88 Further Reading 94 Index 95 Imprint 97