…this is an excellent compilation and, if a single publication had to be chosen, the definitive account of the bookshelf.

Warship 2012

What crossley brings to the tale is a hard analytical look at the decisions, actions, and options usually missing in earlier works.

NYMAS

Norfolk author Jim Crossley's compelling new study and penetrating analysis of this most celebrated of all British naval triumphs of the second world war makes it clear that the destruction of Hitler's greatest battleship in May, 1941 was far more them a propaganda victory and hugely influential to the out come of the maritime struggle not just in the Atlantic but in the Mediterranean.

Crossley proves himself an accomplished narrator, able to marshal a mass of archival sources to great effect while steering a steady course illuminated by his interpretations of British intelligence decrypts and the invaluable contribution of shipboard radar.

Through it all, he brings alive the human saga of courage and sacrifice on both sides that underpinned an epic of triumph and tragedy that encompassed the loss of the Hood, the shadowing role of HMS Norfolk, the critical and heroic attacks carried out by obsolete biplanes and the vital reconnaissance missions flown by RAF Coastal Command. Above all he manages to make sense of an often confusing and fast-changing naval odyssey across miles of Atlantic Ocean, exploring many a hoary myth along the way with the sharpest assessments I have read anywhere about the decisions and blunders which ultimately resulted in on the the Royal Navy's finest hours.

Eastern Daily Press - Jan 2011