Churchill dubbed her 'The Beast'. From 1940 to 1944, the RAF sent 700 bombers to sink her: all failed. However, in late 1944, Lancasters sealed her fate with Barnes Wallis' 12,000 lb 'Tallboy' bombs
During the autumn of 1944, three RAF raids--using Avro Lancaster heavy bombers--finally sank the German battleship Tirpitz. Many previous attempts, including the use of midget submarines and raids by carrier-based aircraft, had damaged Tirpitz at her Norwegian hideout. Throughout the war, Tirpitz had become a much feared asset of the Third Reich war