The Story of the Battle for Hitler’s Supership the Tirpitz

The Tirpitz Story

Tirpitz was the second of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine (navy) during World War II. Here is its story.

Commissioned in 1941, the German Navy’s mighty 42,900 ton Tirpitz posed a grave threat to Allied shipping. Sister ship to the more famous Bismarck, the battleship carried a main armament of eight 15 inch guns. She saw limited action, spending her war career in Norwegian waters where she was a constant danger to Allied convoys bound for Russia. Her presence obliged the Allies to maintain a large fleet in northern waters to guard against her and repeated attempts were made by both the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy to sink her.