The Destruction of the Bismarck
David J. Bercuson and Holger H. Herwig. New York: Overlook, 2001. 385 pp. Photos. Maps. Bib. Index. $35.00 ($31.50).
Reviewed by Tim Mulligan
In 1997, David Bercuson and Holger Herwig collaborated on Deadly Seas (Toronto: Random House Canada), a part-historical, part-speculative account of an encounter between the Canadian destroyer St. Croix and the German U-305 in 1943. Now these University of Calgary colleagues have brought their skills to the more familiar story of the pursuit and sinking of the German battleship Bismarck by the Royal Navy in May 1941.
The result is a fast-paced narrative that rapidly carries readers through the drama, deftly shifting perspectives from the bridges of the opposing fleet commanders, Gunther Lutjens and Sir John Tovey, through various headquarters, to the heads of government. This comprehensiveness is the book's greatest strength, based on the use of extensive German, British, and especially U.S. archival sources, supported by memoirs and secondary accounts. Allowing for some literary license (for example, suppositions as to Lutjens's emotional reactions to developments), the book combines a complex chronology with succinct analysis of events. The maps are useful, and the photographs are excellent, though both would have been better employed throughout the text rather than in discrete sections.
A valuable dimension stressed by the authors (perhaps overly so) is the extent of U.S. assistance to the British during the crisis (virtually ignored in Graham Rhys-Jones's recent account, The Loss of the Bismarck: An Avoidable Disaster [London: Cassell, 1999]). The levels of cooperation in tracking the Germans are detailed admirably, from the White House to the Coast Guard cutter Modoc. It is not always clear, however, where and when specific U.S. actions resulted from prior planning for hemispheric defense rather than as a response to the Bismarck's breakout.
Ironically, the book's weakness lies in its coverage of the German side. Very little is said of the Bismarck's uneven evolution from autumn 1934 as Panzerschiff/Schlachtschiff F (not G, as stated in the text), or of the limitations revealed in the ship's sharply curtailed shakedown and training period. Lutjens's role in the preceding Operation Berlin, when he led the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau on a two-month Atlantic raid, remains unexamined. The authors portray a December 1940 conference between Adolf Hitler and Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Erich Raeder as an aggressive blueprint for destroying British commerce, when the record reveals a pessimistic Raeder's plea for naval requirements as Hitler's focus turned toward Russia.
Moreover, the emphasis on U.S. involvement leads to errors in assessing the German response, especially in a four-page recounting of the alleged engagement between the U.S. destroyer Niblack (DD-424) and the U-52 on 10 April 1941. Expanding on accounts in two secondary sources, the authors state that the U-boat sighted, identified, and moved to attack the U.S. warship when the latter began to rescue the survivors of the Dutch steamer Saleier, which had just been sunk by the German submarine. The Niblack responded with eight depth charges that drove off the German sub. The war diary of the U-52, however, notes no sightings or actions for the 24 hours after sinking the Saleier. The Niblack's deck log records the dropping of three depth charges on a sound contact while rescuing the merchantman's survivors, but this occurs the next day, 11 April, some 16 hours after the sinking.
Yet, if The Destruction of the Bismarck is not the final word on the topic, it provides a valuable addition to the growing literature of a naval epic.
Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces
Edited by Pavel Podvig. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2001. 713 pp. Maps. Drawings. Index. $45.00 ($42.75).
Reviewed by Norman Polmar
Since the demise of the Soviet Union in December 1991 there has been a veritable flood of information on strategic weapons of the late "evil empire." This book—compiled by several nuclear weapon experts under the editorship of Pavel Podvig—provides the most comprehensive picture yet of Soviet efforts in this field during the 45 years of the Cold War.
Beginning with overviews of the Soviet strategic nuclear force and the nuclear weapon production complex, the authors take the reader through the details of strategic offensive forces (ground, naval, and air) and strategic defenses, a discussion of Soviet nuclear testing, and an afterword addressing the post-Cold War state of Russian strategic nuclear forces. Beyond the excellent content of the book, the volume stands as a model for such surveys of military forces.
Proceedings readers will find the 103-- page chapter "Naval Strategic Nuclear Forces" an invaluable resource. Written by Dr. Eugene Miasnikov and the late Dr. Maxim Tarasenko, it is extremely lucid as it takes the reader through the history of Soviet strategic missile submarines and then provides technical and operational descriptions of the vessels and their strategic weapons. Of particular interest are the chapter's sections on the structure, command and control, and support of strategic naval forces. Although relatively brief, these sections are very useful for the nonexpert.
The operational aspects of the Soviet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) force were very different from those of the United States during the Cold War. Whereas the U.S. Navy sought to keep at least half of the available SSBNs forward deployed, the Soviet Navy maintained a much smaller number at sea, perhaps 15% to 25%, according to the authors. Other sources indicate an even smaller percentage.
Soviet SSBNs in their home ports, however, were at a much higher state of readiness than their U.S. counterparts. Those SSBNs pierside would go to sea during a period of crisis. Even if no missiles were loaded, they would depart from port to rendezvous with missile replenishment ships. In addition, from the mid1970s, when longer-range ballistic missiles became available, the Soviets developed the technique of launching missiles from SSBNs while in port.
This chapter contains line drawings of Soviet ballistic missile submarines and their missiles, as well as extensive data tables. The drawings are of little value, and there is a lack of coverage of Soviet strategic cruise missile submarines. The Soviet Project 659/Echo I and Project 675/Echo II nuclear-propelled submarines were developed specifically to attack land targets. Although those submarines later were refitted for the antiship role, there is some evidence their later missiles had a secondary land-attack capability, as did subsequent Soviet submarine-launched cruise missiles. The book lacks discussion of those submarines and weapons.
Among other anomalies in the book, the discussion of the SS-4 Sandal missile (Soviet R-12), which was the cause celebre of the 1962 missile crisis in Cuba, omits any mention of how many of those weapons were sent to Cuba and their state of readiness during the confrontation. And the book lists only a 2.3-megaton warhead for the SSA Sergei N. Khrushchev, however, in his outstanding book Nikita Khrushchev and the Creation of a Superpower (University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2001), discusses the early SS-4 missiles as being fitted with a 1-megaton warhead, which was the warhead sent to Cuba.
Nevertheless, Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces is a major contribution to the literature of nuclear weapons and of the Cold War era. It also is a good read.
America
Stephen Coonts. New York: St. Martin's, 2001. 388 pp. $25.95 ($23.35).
Reviewed by Captain George Galdorisi, U.S. Navy (Retired)
America is the latest in Stephen Coonts's Jake Grafton series. The author's tenth novel (and ninth for Jake Grafton) is vintage Coonts—and it envelops the reader in a bone-chilling adventure packed with action from the outset.
As the book's hero, Rear Admiral Jake Grafton is confronted with the sudden disappearance of a new supersatellite launched through a joint effort of the United States and Europe (including the Soviet Union). This supersatellite is the cornerstone of an orbital antimissile defense system and its loss seriously compromises the ability of these nations to defend against hostile, accidental, or rogue missile launches.
Just as Grafton begins the search for this satellite the unthinkable happens. The United States' newest and most sophisticated nuclear submarine, the America, is hijacked moments after her launch, when armed men emerge from the tugboat that is leading her to sea, board the U.S. boat, overpower the crew, and submerge the submarine before accompanying Navy ships can react.
As an armada of ships searches vainly for this stealthy submarine, the terrorists on board the boat attack the United States with missiles. With the antimissile shield neutralized because of the loss of the supersatellite, the America's missiles rain down destruction on the nation's capitol and on New York City—frying all unprotected electronics within these and other cities. The entire East Coast is paralyzed and lurches toward complete chaos.
Grafton sees the connection between the loss of the satellite and the hijacking of the submarine, and sees a wider conspiracy involving rogue CIA operatives, Russian criminals, and greed-driven financiers. The action is fast paced as Grafton and his sidekick, Toad Tarkington, lead the search for the America and drive the effort to stop her before she launches more deadly missiles.
America has some minor flaws. Readers who enjoyed Coonts's most recent books, such as Cuba (1999) and Hong Kong (2000), certainly will enjoy this one. New readers, however, may struggle a bit getting to know Jake Grafton. Coonts seems to assume the reader is thoroughly familiar with his protagonist.
We have known Grafton since Coonts's earliest novels, and we know he can handle himself, but one has to wonder if the admiral is getting a bit long in the tooth for some of the action in which he finds himself. At the half-century mark, Grafton does not seem any more brittle than a Navy SEAL barely in his 20s. If only it could be so!
There is no lack of subplots in the book's nearly 400 pages. Arguably, there might be a few too many in this effort, particularly for the many readers who remember the elegant simplicity of earlier novels, such as Flight of the Intruder (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1986). Finally, while the reader is asked to suspend belief frequently in America, that suspension is stretched to the limit in the book's climax.
That said, the author's ability to move the story along rapidly and jam it full of heart-thumping action tips the scales in favor of America. Prior to 11 September 2001, the plot behind Coonts's latest offering might have been viewed as farfetched at best, implausible at worst. Now with nothing seeming to be impossible, this story will resonate a bit more for all readers and will be a must read for those who cannot get enough military-techno action and adventure.