The end of the Tirpitz

12th November 1944: The RAF finally sink the sister ship to the Bismarck - and end the menace to Arctic convoys

At 45,000 tons, the Tirpitz was the heaviest battleship ever built in Europe. She had been a constant threat to Allied shipping - even though she rarely ventured out of the fjords.

Four pairs of 15-inch guns meant that enormous resources were needed to confront her whenever she put to sea - and many ships were committed just in case she did.

The Tirpitz was moved several times between different fjord locations, each time requiring substantial support in remote locations - including submarine nets, anti-aircraft positions and nearby fighter aircraft bases to deter attempts to locate her or attack her.

On 12th November, thirty-two RAF and RAAF Lancaster bombers left England in the early hours of the morning, arriving over Norway at a low level. All the aircraft had been modified to accommodate the Tallboy bombs that they carried, and all had the specialist Stabilized Automatic Bomb Sight that enabled them to aim the bombs with pinpoint accuracy from the altitude that the bombs needed.