"Bismarck-Class" Schlachtschiff TIRPITZ Volume II - Ready for combat. Erster Kriegseinsatz in der Ostsee (1941/Mai - 1942/Januar). Auf deutsch und englisch!

The second volume presented particular challenges with regard to specifying dates and locations, since the nearly four months between April 01 and July 20 of 1941 needed to be reconstructed without the help of the TIRPITZ war diary almost seventy years after the events. Therefore extensive archival work was necessary, and with the documents still in existence, such as war diaries from ships and other naval bodies, it became possible to complete missing links and to shed some light onto the life of the TIRPITZ. A further complication arose from the fact that the battleship was often located repeatedly at the same positions, which rendered it difficult to place the photos in correct chronological order. The lengthy stay at the shipyard in Kiel had to be ordered, as well as the numerous photos showing the ship at sea for which reference points allowing immediate conclusions were lacking. In such tricky situations it became essential to pay attention to minute details on the ship, such as damage or paint irregularities on the hull, specific elevations of AA guns or striking equipment details, such as the garbage chutes that were attached to the railing in different combinations and locations. Such details made it possible to draw a link to photographic material for which the date had already been confirmed, thus allowing unfamiliar photo to be placed in correct chronological order. In some cases even this was not feasible, and there was no alternative but to provide an approximate time frame – e.g. a particular month – for one or other photo. ...