"THE BATTLE OF NORTH CAPE: The Death Ride of the Scharnhorst " Topic

Author is Angus Konstam who seems to also be doing a lot of work on warships (British in particular) for Osprey Vanguard. Anybody had a peak at this one yet? Opinions?

Yes,

I wrote a short review for Amazon.

He is a bit harsh on the kreigsmarine….or at least their commander, who he felt was out of his depth.

I enjoy reading his stuff, but I'm biased as I know him.

Finishing it up now….. A detailed look at the entire operation from both sides. The book is organized in a day by day, watch by watch, format which gives a chronologically smooth narrative. A good selection of maps/diagrams which orient the action, and a few reference pictures.

I agree that it does seem a bit harsh on the KM, but with the benefit of hindsight, it seems warranted and understandable. Bey is faulted for not being much of a planner, but a lack of communucation/cooperation between services, poor interpretation of signal intelligence and no appreciation of Allied codebreaking ability appear to have been the major failings of the operation. Although, I suppose those could be said to be systemic issues.

IMHO it reads well and has no glaring editorial errors. It describes the action well and places the operation in the context of the broader conflict with attendant political implications for both sides.

"Although, I suppose those could be said to be systemic issues."

Yes, "no appreciation of Allied codebreaking ability" was a problem the German navy experienced in both wars.

Angus uses the same day by day account for his Salerno Book which would have benefited from more maps. It isnt too crucial though because the study is all about assessment around events and their effects on the commanders, which is even more interesting, when taken in context of their political behaviour . He is harsher on Clark than he was on Bey, but he is still probably too lenient on Clark.

He had been toying with a title on the Navy's role in the dunkirk evacuation which would really have suited that style, but the recession may have scared off the publisher

I enjoyed it, learned a few things. Worth the purchase IMO.