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Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom is a cinematic telling of the epic finale in the pursuit and destruction of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941 and is based on the book of the same name by Iain Ballantyne – which we recently republished in time for the 80th anniversary of the Bismarck action, one of the pivotal moments in naval history.
The story is brought vividly to life for television via use of dramatized scenes and stunning CGI imagery. Above all it features war veterans who saw the battle up close, and whom Iain interviewed on camera over several years to make sure they could give a direct account.
Their never-before-broadcast eye-witness testimony – as some of the few people to actually see how the famous battle between Bismarck and the Royal Navy unfolded at close quarters – is both powerful and deeply moving.
In the forthcoming documentary, the veterans’ accounts are enhanced by insights from naval historians – including Iain himself – to fill in essential background detail.
Watch the full trailer HERE, and keep your eyes peeled in coming weeks for more news, including a broadcast date for TV programme.
Iain Ballantyne has written extensively about navies past and present. A former newspaper defence reporter and current editor of the global naval news magazine Warships: International Fleet Review, Iain has sailed in minefields off war-torn Kuwait, witnessed embargo enforcement in the Adriatic, and reported on naval operations in the Arctic and counter-terrorism sweeps in the Mediterranean.
In 2017, Iain was presented with a prestigious Fellowship Award by the UK’s Maritime Foundation for making ‘a truly outstanding contribution to stimulating public engagement in maritime issues’.
Iain’s other books include The Deadly Trade, a history of submarine warfare; Arnhem: Ten Days in the Cauldron, a telling of the famous WWII battle from the point of view of both British soldiers and Dutch civilians; and Hunter Killers, covering the Cold War undersea confrontation.
