The Battle of North Cape cover art

The Battle of North Cape

The Death Ride of the Scharnhorst, 1943

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The Battle of North Cape

By: Angus Konstam
Narrated by: Chris Bland
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About this listen

On 25 December 1943, the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst slipped out Altenfjord in Norway to attack Arctic convoy JW55B which was carrying vital war supplies to the Soviet Union. But British naval intelligence knew of the Scharnhorst's mission before she sailed and the vulnerable convoy was protected by a large Royal Naval force, including the battleship Duke of York. In effect the Scharnhorst was sailing into a trap.

One of the most compelling naval dramas of the Second World War had begun.

©2009 Angus Konstam (P)2023 Tantor Armed Forces Europe Germany Great Britain Military Naval Forces War England Submarine Royalty

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All stars
Most relevant  
Although the story was good, the narrator was bland and boring making it difficult to want to continue to listen.

The story was an exciting moment in history.

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I like Angus Konstam’s books. I own many of them and I have a lot of respect for his well-researched enthralling stories. If you haven’t read or listened to ‘Hunt the Bismarck’ or ‘the convoy,’ I’d recommend those over this recording. That’s not just because the literary work that they are taken from is anything less than superb, as is this book, but the reading performance is so much better. The person reading this book has a relentlessly grating monotone that completely obscures the books merits. The narrator’s name has to be a little joke, right? I persevered with it for a good few hours (I’m a fan of Angus’ books) but in the end it was a real chore to see the gripping story through the narration. Really disappointing. Update: I’ve now made it through the whole book and I must say that the audio performance does improve a little in the second half. The narrator seems to relax a little and there is noticeable inflection, particularly when describing the closing stages of the battle and the human stories involved. I’ve improved my rating in reflection. While nowhere near perfect, the narration becomes passable and slows the reader to appreciate the story and Mr Konstam’s analysis.

Let down by boring audio performance

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I knew about the events around the battle of north cape.
But I knew very little about the details and this filled in the gaps in my knowledge.
it reads like a novel and very to understand

A good bit of naval history

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couldn’t put it down was listening all through the night. fantastically well told and great climax even though i knew the ending

kept a fast pace

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I love the detail and the overall account of the battle, particularly the focus on the Admirals and the crews in the build up.
However, the narrator misses key pronunciations like “forecastle” “boatswain” and sometimes turns American. I mean this book isn’t the only example but why do audio companies give jobs to actors who do not know military pronunciation?
He is also staccato and monotone.

Ruined by Narrator

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